Manitowoc will open a major new facility in the United Kingdom, centralizing its activities and further improving its levels of service. The new facility is located in Gawcott, close to Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, giving the company access to its customer base across the U.K. and Ireland. It will handle sales and service activities for Grove mobile cranes, Manitowoc crawler cranes and Potain tower cranes. The new location will be fully operational by the fourth quarter of this year.
Frans Vanwinkel, Manitowoc’s senior vice president of sales and marketing for EMEA, said the opening of the new facility was a vital step in continuing the company’s expansion in the U.K.
“We are looking to expand our operations in the U.K. and Ireland,” Vanwinkel said. “This new facility will allow us to get closer to our customers and ultimately help them get more from their cranes.”
At present, Manitowoc operates in the U.K. from facilities in Uxbridge, Middlesex and Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Both of these will cease operation in September when the new Buckingham facility opens.
Steve Barnett, managing director of Manitowoc’s U.K. subsidiary, said the new facility is necessary to support the company’s growing presence in the U.K. and Ireland.
“The number of cranes we have in the U.K. and Ireland has grown in recent years and customers want to be sure they are getting optimum productivity from their cranes,” Barnett said. “By moving to this dedicated crane base, we ensure that we can provide the levels of service our customers expect.”
The new facility will have sales and administration offices as well as an extensive Manitowoc Crane Care customer service operation. This will include spares warehousing and workshops offering full-service, repair and training facilities to support U.K. customers. Once complete, the total U.K. staffing levels for Manitowoc will represent an increase over existing levels.
“Our company has a long tradition in the U.K. and Ireland and a large, growing population of cranes working across both countries,” said Thibaut Le Besnerais, vice president of Manitowoc Crane Care in EMEA. “As a manufacturer, we put a strong emphasis on our ability to support them. This new facility gives us the industry-leading service capability we need and excellent access to transport links for all areas of the U.K. and Ireland.”
Headquartered in Manitowoc, Wis., the Manitowoc Co. is an international provider of lifting equipment, including lattice-boom cranes, tower cranes, mobile telescopic cranes and boom trucks.
