Manitowoc, Wis.-based Manitowoc announced plans recently to discontinue production of boom and scissors at its European facilities. Among those being shut down are the Liftlux plant at Dillingen, Germany, and the Manlift support facility at Kronau. The Shady Grove, Pa., facility in the United States will also stop all Manlift-related production and workers will be transferred to other jobs, the company said.

The one surviving segment of the Manlift business is the Toucan vertical mast line, which is currently manufactured in France. The company plans to further develop this line and continue marketing it under the Manlift name. The company's Manitowoc CraneCare unit will continue to supply parts and service support for in-service Manlift booms and scissors.

The company said in a statement that it expects its Liftlux and U.S. Manlift operations to generate an operating loss of around U.S.$4.5 million for the 2003 financial year.