IN LINE with its commitment to the Middle East market, Terex Cranes is set to launch its new Toplift truck crane family in the region, starting with the 25-tonne Toplift 025G and the 55-tonne Toplift 055G, during the fourth quarter of this year.

The Toplift family combines state-of-the-art technology with Chinese manufacturing capabilities and will enable Terex to further improve return on investment for its customers, says the company.

“We are targeting especially rental companies and have already received very positive response on these new cranes,” says Christian Kassner, sales manager of Terex Cranes.

The launch of the product in the Middle East follows its success in the Chinese market, where it was developed in joint venture with a Chinese manufacturer.

The new Toplift 025G was awarded first place for “Machinery Exterior Design and Quality” in China’s popular local-market 25-tonne crane sector at BICES 2011, the Beijing international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, construction vehicles and equipment.

The Toplift 025G ... award winning.

Designed to accomplish even the most complex lifts, and with more of the technological innovations and styling details found throughout the entire Terex family of cranes in other major world markets, the new truck cranes are the result of the Terex Chang Jiang joint venture.

The Middle East launch will enhance the already extensive product offering from Terex.

“The Middle East is an important market for Terex Cranes and we remain committed to it,” says Kassner.

Terex has been offering its full range of products in the region. Out of its product range of 17 product types, rough-terrain, all-terrain followed by truck cranes are the most popular crane types, he adds.

“For rough terrain and truck cranes, we see the highest demand for capacities ranging between 50 and 100 tonnes, and for all-terrain cranes between 100 and 250 tonnes. In general, we see a trend in the market towards slightly higher capacity cranes,” Kassner states.

Terex’s cranes are high in demand in the oil and gas sector due to their simplicity when it comes to operation and maintenance and especially shutdowns, where tip heights are most important. Here, its all-terrain AC 100/4L (maximum system length of 81.7 m) or the AC 250-1 (maximum system length of 113.2 m) deliver outstanding performance.

Commenting on the current business scenario, he says: “It is true that the market is difficult at the moment: markets are down and price competition is high. But still, Terex machines are strong and solid and offer and excellent return on investment. In difficult times, this is often more important to the customers. Moreover, Terex Cranes is established in the region and has a strong relationship with its customers.”

He says Terex Cranes has established a true global sales structure that customers can benefit from. “Although global, we have local responsibilities. Every customer has one point of contact for all products and for all needs, from sales to after sales. Uptime is critical to the success of our customers,” he states.

The company serves the region through its distribution network in the Middle East and the two Terex service stations in Dammam (Saudi Arabia) and Dubai (UAE). Terex has now decided to further enhance its service capabilities with seven additional dedicated team members in the aftermarket. “We believe that this will even further improve the confidence of our customers in our Terex lifting solutions,” Kassner concludes.

Terex Cranes is part of Terex Corporation, a diversified global manufacturer operating in four business segments: aerial work platforms, construction, cranes, and materials processing. It manufactures a broad range of equipment for use in various industries, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, energy, refining, and utility industries.