A combination of product quality, engineering knowledge and customer support convinced Indiabulls to purchase Potain cranes from Manitowoc for its three high-rise towers in Mumbai.

Indiabulls Real Estate, one of the largest property companies in India, approached tower crane manufacturers for solutions on their three high-rise tower projects in Mumbai. Because of restrictions on space, cost and time, Indiabulls needed to position the cranes internally to the structures, and the cranes were required to have 1.6 m mast sections that could fit inside the elevator shafts. Only two manufacturers, including Manitowoc's Potain brand, were able to supply cranes at the required working heights that could be fitted on 1.6 m mast sections and climb the full height of the development during construction.

The sales and engineering team from Manitowoc, including Amol Badgujar, Regional Sales Manager for Potain, Hans Olsson, Key Accounts and Special Projects Director and Raymond Tang, Regional Product Manager, worked closely with the design and planning team at Indiabulls to come up with a perfect solution.

The Manitowoc team proposed eight 10T capacity MC 205 cranes to build the three high-rise towers. As required, all of the cranes would be mounted on 1.6 m mast sections and, because of space limitations, Manitowoc proposed shorter jibs of 25 m. The team also designed a coordinated climbing plan for the course of construction, synchronising it with the placing of formwork and the completion of the building cores.

Sandeep Kapur, Vice President, Plant and Machinery, Indiabulls Real Estate, said the added experience of the Manitowoc team showed through. "We have extensive experience with Potain cranes, so we know the quality that comes with them, but the added experience is what really helped with this project," he said. "Even when we were doing our load calculations and beam designs, we were constantly talking with Amol, Hans and Raymond, and their feedback helped us establish the ideal structure for the buildings."

Sumit Bhat, General Manager, Indiabulls Real Estate, said the company was looking for more than just cranes when planning the project. "With this project, we weren't only buying a product, we were buying a solution," he said. "We looked at all the options available, and the plan from Manitowoc was the best. Their team understood our needs and helped us develop an optimised lift plan. In addition, Potain is a brand we know well, and the company has strong customer support from Manitowoc Crane Care, so we knew we were in very capable hands." The three towers that make up the project are: the Sky Suites, a 75-storey tower using two MC 205 cranes; the Sky Forest, an 80-storey tower using four MC 205 cranes; and the Sky, a 65-storey tower using two MC 205 cranes. All of the cranes will eventually reach working heights of 270 m. The cranes spend approximately 50 per cent of their time handling steel reinforcement and 40 per cent lifting the concrete formwork. The remaining 10 per cent is spent placing concrete by bucket. Loads range between 2T and 2.5T.

Indiabulls has delivered over 300,000 sq m of developed space with a value of $1.75 billion over its first four years, more than any other Indian start-up real estate company over the same period.

The cranes would be mounted on 1.6 m mast sections and, because of space limitations, Manitowoc proposed shorter jibs of 25 m.