The third-quarter 2013 net sales in Manitowoc?s crane segment were $612.6 million, up 10.4 per cent from $555.1 million in the third quarter of 2012. Primary drivers were continued growth in the Americas and in crawler crane sales.

Also reported was ongoing success with the Manitowoc Crane Care product support division. Crane segment operating earnings for the third quarter of 2013 were $55.7 million, up 110.2 per cent on the $26.5 million in the same period the year before. The operating margin was 9.1 per cent for the third quarter of 2013, up from 4.8 per cent in Q3 2012. The order backlog was $568 million on 30 September 2013, down by $158 million from the end of the previous quarter. Third quarter 2013 orders, at $450 million, were 23 per cent than the third quarter of 2012.

Growth in the crane segment was largely responsible for the combined Manitowoc Company (cranes and food service) increase of 7.1 per cent. Sales were $1.015 billion, up from $947.5 million in the same period a year earlier. Looking ahead, based on results so far this year and the outlook for the final quarter, Manitowoc?s forecast is for crane revenues to show mid single-digit percentage growth and for the operating margin to be a high single-digit percentage.