Overhead cranes for Manitou production  

Manitou Group has chosen Sere Maintenance, a member of Europont and the SAV Verlinde network, to equip its new rough-terrain aerial platform production unit in Candé, Maine-et-Loire, France, with overhead cranes and lifting equipment. This 18,000sqm plant, which has been in operation since the end of 2021, is part of an overall plan to develop and modernise industrial tools at all the group’s sites. It was launched with the aim of increasing the group’s production capacity in response to strong demand from the European and North American markets.

Manitou Group’s new Candé plant specialises in the manufacture of rough-terrain aerial platforms, including innovative electric aerial platforms. It has two automated production lines, a test centre and logistics facilities. It is organised into several areas for the storage of components and the aerial platforms manufactured. The layout is ergonomically designed to avoid the crossflows between trucks delivering components and those coming to take delivery of the machines.

This new site is the second production unit of Manitou Group in Candé, and the 6th in the Grand-West.  The group’s historic factory is also located in Candé and manufactures industrial aerial platforms. Sere Maintenance, designer and manufacturer of lifting equipment, handling systems and overhead cranes, and a member of the SAV Verlinde and Europont networks for Brittany and the Pays de Loire, is responsible for supplying lifting equipment and maintenance. Sere Maintenance’s versatile professionals also carry out all the studies, checks and repairs for these materials and equipment.

Manitou Group, aware of the quality of service and products offered by its service provider, has chosen to extend their collaboration to the new site.

After studying Manitou Group’s needs regarding the creation of two complete lines for the assembly of aerial platforms, Sere Maintenance proposed a set of 15 overhead travelling cranes equipped with Eurobloc VM hoists from Verlinde.  This range of electric wire rope hoists can handle loads from 2000 to 20,000kg and has two standard steering and lifting speeds to optimise the production process.

All of the cranes, ranging from 1.6t to 4t, were manufactured by Sere Maintenance and customised to suit the ergonomics of the factory:

• – One of the cranes has been extended to cover two bays to move from one production line to another.
• – Another crane was designed so that the hook of the hoist could safely bypass an office area.
• – The cranes above the assembly lines have a feedback in the feeder shaft so that the line does not start until the hoists are in the safe position. The contact is electrical, without radio link, which guarantees its reliability.

All the cranes are radio controlled. The hoist power lines are of the cable chain type, which minimises the risk of snagging and eliminates damage to the power lines.

Ludovic Mathys, CEO of Sere Maintenance, says, “We are pleased to have met our customer’s technical requirements. We were well aware of the demands and constraints of Manitou Group, with whom we have worked for many years.  We completed the order in just 5 months, and the production unit was ready for operation in November 2021.”

Michel Merceron, Manitou Group’s industrial development manager, added, “The industrial equipment proposed by Sere Maintenance corresponds perfectly to the level of performance we expected for our new plant. These hoists ensure optimum safety for all our teams and are adapted to the dimensions of our site. Working with local partners is also very important to us in order to facilitate exchanges throughout the project.”