In August 2018, Obaid Kneish and Sons purchased its first Grove GRT8100 to work in the oil fields of the UAE. Obaid Kneish and Sons is one of the first companies to take delivery of GRT8100 rough-terrain cranes manufactured at Manitowoc?s Niella Tanaro factory in Italy. In 2018, Manitowoc started producing the GRT8100 model at the factory to better serve customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Previously, the cranes were built only at Manitowoc?s factory in Shady Grove, Pennsylvania, US.

?The GRT8100 offers really strong load capacity while delivering precise movements, which is a big advantage for us when the crane is handling expensive oil-drilling equipment,? said Butti Alhamly, owner, Obaid Kneish and Sons. ?Reliability and consistent high performance are vital for us, especially as the cranes are working in the oil fields for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.?

The transportation company added its second GRT8100 crane in December 2018 and the third in June 2019. The three cranes are mainly used for moving rigs, lifting drilling equipment and coil tubing, with some applications requiring the cranes to hold suspended loads for up to a month.

The GRT8100 is a 100 t capacity crane with a 47 m, five-section main boom which provides better reach and greater versatility than other cranes in its class. It also features the Manitowoc Crane Control System (CCS) with its user-friendly interface, plus a tilting cab, impressive load charts and extensive component testing for better reliability.