Kobelco sees positive shift for crawler cranes

Over the past year, Kobelco has seen a resurgence in the sales of crawler cranes and believes it is increasing its share of the market.

Part of this increase comes from a five-machine deal (a 55t BM500 and four 70t CKE700s) with Weldex.

Another two 80t machines have gone to Northwest Holst and are the first Kobelco cranes in its fleet.

In Ireland, established Kobelco user O'Kane Bros has added a 250t unit (a CKE2500) to its fleet.

Kobelco's sales manager Andrew Brown believes the 're-birth' of crawler cranes is down to their modernisation - especially hydraulic drive, better cabs and easier erection on site.

While many manufacturers offer these improvements, Brown believes Kobelco's market share is increasing because of its "technical superiority and customer appreciation of the brand".