Manitowoc Cranes and Shantui Investment Co. are forming a joint venture to build mobile cranes in China for the domestic and export markets, called the Shantui Manitowoc Crane Co. Ltd. The company will begin operations once relevant government approvals are finalized. Within China, the cranes produced by the joint venture will be sold through Shantui’s domestic dealer network, as well as Manitowoc’s dealer network for truck cranes.
The joint venture and this distribution network will be the exclusive dealer for imported Grove all-terrain and rough-terrain cranes into China. The network will also provide full Manitowoc Crane Care parts and service support for the products it sells. Manitowoc and Shantui will use their existing networks for sales of cranes from the joint venture to the export market.
“Shantui is one of China’s leading manufacturers of earthmoving equipment and the company is looking to develop its presence in the country’s mobile crane market,” said Eric Etchart, president and general manager of Manitowoc Cranes. “Similarly Manitowoc has been developing its own presence in the Chinese truck crane market and we are now ready to move to the next stage of development with a stronger and larger partner. This new arrangement will not only create a new leading manufacturer of mobile cranes in China, but it will boost sales of Grove AT and RT cranes in the country through Shantui’s excellent dealer network.”
The joint venture will produce four truck cranes, the GT8, GT10, GT20 and GT25, with capacities of 8 t, 10 t, 20 t and 25 t respectively. Other crane models will follow, the company said. In the domestic market, plus export markets managed by Shantui, the cranes will be branded Shantui Grove. For export markets managed by Manitowoc, that the cranes will be branded Grove Shantui, officials said. The cranes will be manufactured at Manitowoc’s current joint venture facility in Tai’an, China.
Eric Etchart said the venture with Shantui will help structure Manitowoc better for the future.
“Shantui is already very well-known in the Chinese market and we believe it is the best partner for us in developing the Grove line of mobile cranes in China,” he said. “We have seen the global landscape for cranes change significantly over the past decade and it’s important we respond to ensure we remain a global leader in the lifting business.”
