NFT, one of the world's leading tower crane suppliers, has boosted its market presence in Kuwait with a number of deliveries to major projects in the country. One of the most significant has seen the first Potain self-erecting cranes enter the country. The customer, Nasser Al Hajri & Partners Company, bought an Igo T 130 and an Igo 50, both of which are being used to lift pipes and support the installation of heavy materials at the Mina Al Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah (MAB) refineries owned by Kuwait National Petroleum Company.

NFT also won its first-ever contract with local construction giant Combined Group Contracting (CGC). The company has supplied a number of high-capacity MD 1100 and MD 550 cranes to lead construction on a $164 million car park facility for Kuwait's Ministry of Finance at Al-Farawaniya, Al-Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait.

The high capacity MD cranes are needed because of the precast concrete sections used in the car park design. These require loads of up to 20 t to be lifted, so NFT specified four MD 1100 and two MD 550 cranes, with jib lengths ranging from 40 m to 70 m and working heights from 50 m to 73 m. The maximum capacity of the MD 1100 models is 40 t, while the MD 550 can lift up to 25 t.

NFT is providing full Manitowoc Crane Care support on the car park project. This includes operators, technical study and support, and delivery and installation on site of the cranes. Fadi Daher, senior sales manager at NFT, said this was another important differentiator that helped secure the contract.