Shinui Petra takes South Korea’s first MLC650 crawler crane

Shinui Petra one of South Korea’s largest construction equipment rental companies has introduced a ground-breaking crawler crane into its rental fleet – the MLC650 from Manitowoc. The crane has been specially selected for its unique Variable Position Counterweight (VPC) a design feature which allows for reduced ground preparation ground-bearing pressure space requirements and counterweight. All of these attributes makes the MLC650 ideal for use in South Korea where work sites are often congested.

“When we first saw the MLC650 at the CONEXPO 2014 exhibition in Las Vegas Nevada U.S. my team and I were thoroughly impressed by the unique VPC technology. The ability for this crawler crane to navigate with ease in highly congested job sites coupled with its increased capacity for heavy lifts without traditional counterweight configurations gives us a strong competitive advantage ” said Choi Byung Eng president and CEO of Shinui Petra.

The MLC650 has 104 m of main boom to which up to 30 m of fixed jib can be added. A 101 m luffing jib is also available to reach a maximum 157 m. Shinui Petra has ordered the performance-enhancing VPC-MAX attachment for the MLC650 which enables the crane to raise 140 m of boom or a boom and luffing jib combination of 205 m. In addition its maximum capacity is boosted to 700 t with the VPC-MAX. The MLC650 has joined the Shinui Petra rental fleet and has already completed its first lifts. 

The crane is well-suited to infrastructure applications and so it is was perfect for Shinui Petra’s first task for it installing concrete beams for the construction of an elevated road. The space available for the crane’s assembly was extremely limited however the MLC650 was still able to setup swiftly because installation requires considerably less space than alternative cranes of this capacity. 

The counterweight does not have to be fully extended to the rear of the crane during set up nor does it touch the ground during this process. In addition the crane does not have carbody counterweights and with the VPC-MAX system there is no need to stack or unstack counterweights after or during a lift. As a result both time and cost are greatly reduced.

On the project the MLC650 was rigged with 56 m of main boom its VPC-MAX attachment 400 t of counterweight and with 10 parts of line on the hook. It lifted loads of up to 150 t out to working radii of up to 40 m. 

“The VPC changes the way companies think about projects ” said Bruce Buchan SVP crawler cranes at Manitowoc Cranes. “It not only enhances crane capacity but also reduces mobilization time on the job site which in the end saves customers a significant amount of time and money and delivers a faster return on investment to them.”

The patented VPC system is also deployed in Manitowoc’s largest crawler crane the Manitowoc 31000 which has a maximum capacity of 2 300 t. One of these units is based in South Korea working for Chunjo Construction Co. Ltd. 

Jong Seoung Park general manager for Manitowoc Cranes in South Korea said the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation had helped it build a loyal customer base in the country.

“The legacy of Manitowoc crawler cranes in South Korea spans several decades and crane owners here have always appreciated the company’s ability to bring new levels of performance to the industry ” he said. “So it’s no surprise that the VPC is proving so popular. We’re delighted that Shinui Petra has taken delivery of this MLC650 and we feel confident that other VPC-equipped cranes from Manitowoc will be arriving in the country in future.”