Manitowoc?s tower crane brand, Potain, has built more than 1,000 tower cranes at its manufacturing plant in Pune, India. Leading Indian rental company Sai Infraaequipments purchased the 1,001st crane and a handover ceremony was held in March to mark the occasion.

Manitowoc?s Pune factory has almost tripled its production rate in the past six years to meet growing demand for Potain?s high-quality products.

The Pune-built cranes are used at job sites across the world, from Bangladesh to Peru. Potain was the first manufacturer to build tower cranes in India and the Pune factory remains one of the largest tower crane production facilities in the country. Sales Director, Ashwani Mattoo says about Manitowoc?s tower crane in India, ?We are very proud to pass this milestone and set the standard as the leading producer of high-quality tower cranes in India. We have continually increased production to meet demand and we continually expand our product range to offer more diversity. We look forward to making the next 1,000 cranes.?

Sai Infraaequipments now owns 11 Potain tower cranes. The company was so impressed with the durability and efficiency of its first Potain crane that it bought ten new Potain MCi 85 in the space of 12 months, as Katthirvelu Ilango, Managing Director at Sai Infraaequipments, who attended the handover event, explains. He says, ?Potain has cemented its place as India?s leading producer of tower cranes, which made it an easy choice to buy this new crane. We work to tight schedules on many different projects so we need excellent equipment that can be flexible. Our new Potain crane will get to work right away and we are certain it will be provide many years of efficient and reliable service.?

Sai Infraaequipments?s Potain tower cranes are almost constantly in use and all 11 Potain cranes are currently at work. Projects include a 40-story residential tower in Bengalaru, a 16-story commercial development in Pune and a 14-story commercial project in Bengaluru.

Potain?s Pune plant operates under the same processes and to the same high standards as all Manitowoc?s global production facilities. The factory recently passed the two-million-hour (735 days) mark with no lost time accidents.

In addition to working all over India, the Pune-built Potain cranes are used at job sites around the world and can be found in countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Argentina, Peru, Columbia, Mexico and Egypt.