Netherlands Training Facility Soma Chooses Grove GMK3060-1 for New Operators
Soma Training, a Dutch provider of lifting operations courses, has purchased a Grove GMK3060-1 for its mobile crane courses. With the all-terrain crane located at its facility in Harderwijk, Netherlands, the organization is now able to train students from across the Netherlands in properly operating the very latest mobile crane technology.
Replacing a older machine from a competitor brand, Soma’s GMK3060-1 was built in 2020 and offers many advantages that are appreciated by instructors and students alike, according to Erik Baas, Manitowoc’s sales manager mobile cranes in the Netherlands.
“Soma re-placed its 35 t 2-axle crane with our 60 t capacity, 3-axle GMK, which more closely aligns with the trends and preferences in today’s rental market,” said Baas. “This ensures new entrants into the industry will benefit from getting practical experience in a crane that’s closer to what they’ll eventually encounter in the real world. The crane is also fully compliant with the latest requirements, whether that’s Stage V engine emission standards or the latest EN13000 regulations. And, by incorporating our intuitive Crane Control System, it becomes much easier to understand and work with too.”
Before being sold as a 'Manitowoc-approved' used crane, Soma’s GMK3060-1 crane underwent a series of checks, repairs, and updates by the Manitowoc team.
“We needed a modern crane that offered good lifting capacity and a long boom – and, with a 40 m main boom and 7 m jib, the nearly-new model clearly fitted the bill,” said Soma’s planning coordinator, Jeroen Boekelo. “It’s a perfect machine to train operators on, especially with the remote control for all crane functions. This makes it much easier for them to set up without any help. It’s almost as compact as a 2-axle crane too, but with the MEGATRAK independent suspension system, it rides more like a Grand Tourer.”
To provide aftermarket support for the crane, Soma can rely on fast, direct support from a dedicated local team of Manitowoc service engineers based at the company’s Breda facility. Manitowoc’s technical department also handles the servicing of the Potain MCT 78 acquired by Soma in 2013, which continues to be used on a daily basis for tower crane operator training.
The organization provides a wide range of courses for the maritime, offshore, infrastructure, and lifting sectors. Courses include official educational programs covering theoretical and practical operations enabling operators of mobile telescopic cranes, crawler cranes, and self-erecting, and top-slewing tower cranes to acquire the mandatory Dutch crane operator’s license.
