Ahmedabad-based contractor PSP Projects is using a Liebherr 71 EC-B 5 FR.tronic Flat-Top crane to build a 19-storey private hospital in Gujarat.

Indian contractor PSP Projects has purchased a Liebherr 71 EC-B 5 FR.tronic flat-top crane for use in constructing a 19-storey private hospital in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, in western India. The crane, equipped with a 50-m boom and installed as an internal climbing crane, will be able to cover all areas of the 10,000 sq m site where lifting is required, and will be the only crane used on the project. The 71 EC-B 5 FR.tronic has been supplied by Liebherr India through the company's Mumbai office.

PSP Projects was founded by P S Patel in 2009, having grown out of an earlier company named BPC Projects, and has already established itself in and around its home city of Ahmedabad with projects that include infrastructure, corporate complexes, industrial premises, academic buildings, residential schemes and numerous hospitality projects including hotels, clubs and hospitals.

The new hospital is being built for Zydus Hospital and Healthcare Research, a division of Cadila Healthcare, one of India's largest pharmaceutical companies and also headquartered in Ahmedabad. Located in the Thaltej district of Ahmedabad, close to the SG Highway, the hospital will at 19 storeys become the second tallest building in the city, after Patang Hotel on Ashram Road.

PSP's General Manager for Purchasing, Maulik Patel, says the 450-bed hospital will have a height of 72 m and will comprise two wings. "We discussed the crane configuration with Liebherr before we purchased the crane, and saw that we could use one unit to construct the entire project," he says.

"The 50-m jib is enough to cover the entire site, with the crane sited in the centre of the plot of land, and will be able to service all our materials lifting, in conjunction with the hoist for small loads and manpower. "The area for each floor is 4,000 sq m, and the crane will have a lift capacity of 60 cu m/h, so we are able to handle all the lifting well within our schedule, which began in March this year and is due to finish in December 2012.

"We have our own readymix plant located nearby, and so we see this as being logistically a smooth construction operation." David Griffin, Liebherr CMCtec India?s Director of sales and service for tower cranes, says that the nature of construction in India is changing fast, and that with the advent of high-rise structures, more contractors are now turning towards tower cranes, in areas and cities that might not have required them in the past.

"The traditional ways of working are no longer enough for many of the new projects," he says. "Contractors are now turning towards technology for speed, efficiency, and sheer necessity. The topic of internal climbing tower cranes is ever more prevalent in India." Patel says that PSP Projects undertook thorough analysis of the crane types available, including reliability and service, before making their decision.

"We feel Liebherr is the best, so we were happy to make the investment. After the completion of this project, we intend to use the crane on other projects in and around Ahmedabad, " says Patel.

The 71 EC-B 5 FR.tronic is a flat-top model designed for fast and easy assembling and dismantling. It has a maximum lift of 5 t and a lift of 1 t at the full length of the jib. End height under hook height is around 80 m.