JMG Cranes has been named a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017 for developing the MC 580, a new pick and carry crane that is best in class, with a high payload and an easy to transport design.

The Swedish Steel Prize is an international prize that honours the art of engineering and innovation in the steel industry. JMG Cranes from Italy, is one of four finalists for this year's prize, which will be awarded during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on May 11.

'The market wanted a new crane with the same dimensions, but with bigger capacity and with a low deadweight. It would need to be able to lift big loads, but also be light enough to move from site to site via lorry,' said Emilio Berti, Chief Design Director at JMG Cranes.

To satisfy the demand, JMG Cranes developed the MC 580, the only electric pick and carry crane in the world that is able to lift 58 tonnes. It weighs 42 tonnes in operating conditions and only 24 tonnes when being transported.

The crane's advanced and compact design fully utilises high-strength steel for the boom as well as in the rear frame of the crane and for the outrigger box, areas where mild steel is typically used.

The crane can be completely dismantled for transportation in narrow areas, including the counterweight, the outriggers, and even the batteries, if needed. The boom of the crane has an optimized design and a clever solution to extend the chassis and achieve more counterweight moment. Furthermore, the modern design with an emission free electric motor offers increased performance by up to 80 percent over competing products.

'In our world, being small is important, but so is being strong. We are very proud to have been able to create a crane with performance that goes far beyond that of our previous models as well as competitors,' says Berti.

The jury's motivation for selecting JMG Cranes as a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017 is: ?JMG Cranes has developed a unique, highly compact crane with an extended field of application. The lean design combined with electric drive train and excellent manoeuvrability allows it to be used both indoors and outdoors. This powerful pick and carry crane has great lifting capacity. Its high performance to weight ratio has been obtained by optimised boom design utilising ultra-high-strength steels. Additionally, efficient road transportation is made easy by removable support legs and counter weights.'

For nearly 20 years, the Swedish Steel Prize has recognised and rewarded small and large companies as well as institutions and individuals who have developed a method or product that utilises the full potential of high-strength steel. The winner will receive a statuette by the sculptor J?rg Jeschke and a cash prize of SEK 100,000 that SSAB encourages to be donated to a charity of the winner's choice.