The 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, with overhead cranes and lifting equipment. This 18 000 sqm 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.
The new Candé plant is dedicated to the manufacture of rough-terrain aerial platforms, including innovative electric aerial platforms. It has two automated production lines, a test centre and logistics facilities and is organised into several areas for the storage of components and the manufacture of the platforms. This new site is the second production unit of Manitou Group in Candé, and the 6th in the Grand-West.
A set of 15 custom-designed and manufactured overhead cranes
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 2 000 to 20 000 kg and has two standard steering and lifting speeds to optimise the production process.
All of the cranes, ranging from 1.6 tonnes to 4 tonnes, 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.
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