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EIGHT TEREX® ALL TERRAIN CRANES HELP VERNAZZA AUTOGRU s.r.l.
to COMPLETE NEW JUVENTUS SOCCER STADIUM IN TURIN, ITALY
Turin, Italy, February 10th, 2012 – Being the first Italian soccer team to own its home venue, the Juventus club inaugurated their brand new stadium with a ground-breaking exhibition match officially opened by Juventus President, Andrea Agnelli, and Mayor of Turin, Sergio Chiamparino, for the start of the 2011-2012 football season on 8th September, 2011.
Unknown to the club’s enthusiastic fans, completing the new stadium in time for the big day had largely depended on three years of dedicated work handled by the Vernazza Autorgru s.r.l. lifting team with the help of eight Terex® all terrain cranes.
The new “Juventus Arena” replaces the previous Del Alpi Stadium built for the 1990 World Cup. As Diego Vernazza, owner and director of Vernazza Autogru explains, “When we first began the job in 2009, it was difficult to visualize the stadium fully completed and we were aware that it was going to be a tough challenge.”
Effectively, built on the same site as the existing grounds, the first step of the work entailed clearing the previous building before construction could begin. “This basically meant working flat out, virtually non-stop for three years, and we can say that the cranes served us well,” says Mr. Vernazza
Dismantling and removing individual components of the existing building’s framework meant moving in close and handling high lifts repeatedly day after day for long hours. “Our lighter capacity class cranes’ excellent maneuverability and long, rapidly deployable telescopic booms were a great asset. They helped our crew gain valuable time and made it easier to access tight areas easily and safely,” says Mr. Vernazza.
Probably the most technically advanced stadium that Europe has ever seen, the new 41,000-seat masterpiece covers approximately 360,000 square meters, including an impressive 35,000 m² shopping mall, a museum, eight restaurant areas, 24 bars, up to 500 press boxes and luxury sky boxes equipped with lounges and plasma televisions. An additional 4,000 Prestige-level seats provide plenty of comfort for public relations activities and particularly enthusiastic Juventus fans.
The Vernazza Autogru team was under pressure to ensure that the construction work advanced rapidly. With each crane perfectly matched to its own specific sector, the jobsite made good progress to enable teams of other specializations to complete their share of the task within the set deadline. “The AC 80-2 and AC 100’s narrow widths and low chassis worked out to be perfect in lifting prefabricated components at short radius, even in some very tight areas,” says Mr. Vernazza.
The much larger 700-tonne capacity class Terex AC 700 was reserved to lift heavier prefabricated steel and concrete structural components, and notably to hoist the stadium’s roof elements including four gigantic curved steel masts that crown the new construction with the colors of Italy’s national flag.
“Each mast was 90 meters (295 feet) long and weighed 350 tonnes (385 US tons). Our AC 700 provided the lifting power and maneuverability we needed to handle a heavy yet delicate task. By lifting the masts using supporting spars like derricks, we were able to raise them to the exact angle before hoisting them into their final position,” reports Mr. Vernazza.
For the Vernazza Autogru team, this marked one of the final lifts of a successfully completed long, high-pressure mission. “Our Terex cranes served us reliably from start to finish for a memorable three years of solid hard work,” says Mr. Vernazza.
The reward: He was present at the first match in the new stadium in September 2011.
About Terex® all terrain cranes
From the value provided by long service life, to easy transport and excellent operator control, every aspect of the Terex all terrain crane range is designed to lift the load efficiently, travel over the harshest terrain with ease, and provide excellent return on investment in an extensive range of applications. The Terex all terrain range includes models from the 40-tonne (45 US tons) to 1200-tonne (1320 US tons) capacity class.
About Vernazza Autogru
Founded in 1946, Vernazza Aurotgru s.r.l. is one of Italy’s leading lifting and specialized transport companies. With offices in Liguria, Tuscany and Piedmont, Vernazza Autogru owns a fleet of more than 150 mobile cranes, aerial work platforms, trucks, trailers and other specialized vehicles. The company’s experienced and highly trained team operates some of today’s latest equipment to provide customers with the solutions they need in a wide variety of lifting applications across Italy. Vernazza Autogru is certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and BS OHSAS 18001. More information on Vernazza Aurotgru can be found at www.vernazzaautorgru.it.
About Terex
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Terex reports in five business segments: Aerial Work Platforms; Construction; Cranes; Material Handling & Port Solutions; and Materials Processing. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information can be found at www.terex.com.
Pictures captions:
Vernazza Juventus 1: “New Juventus Arena” crowned by four 350 tonne, 90-meter steel masts.
Vernazza Juventus 2: A Terex® AC 700 raises roof elements.
Vernazza Juventus 3: The low chassis of the Terex® AC 70 City enables access to confined spaces.
Vernazza Juventus 4: A Terex® AC 700 prepares to lift the stadium’s 350-tonne , 90-meter masts.
