Contact Information:
Terex Cranes Global Marketing
Press & Public Relations
E-mail: info.cranes@terex.com
GAAC ACQUIRES TWO NEW TEREX® CRANES: A TEREX CHALLENGER 3160 AND A TEREX AC 100/4L
ZWEIBRÜCKEN, April, 10th, 2012 – A year ago, GAAC Commerz GmbH, which is headquartered in Mittenwalde (near Berlin), acquired its first Terex machine, an AC 100/4L all-terrain crane. Shortly thereafter, the company ordered two additional Terex cranes, another AC 100/4L and a Challenger 3160, showing that the first unit had handily surpassed all expectations.
“It wasn’t only management that decided on the two new Terex cranes — our crane operators had a say as well. After all, they’re the ones working with the machines day after day, and nobody knows what makes a good crane better than they do,” explains general manager Peer Vogel. This is why the entire decision-making committee traveled to the Terex Cranes Wallerscheid location at the end of January 2012 to pick up the two cranes from Torsten Hanke, Terex sales representative and Matthias Mayer, sales manager for Germany. Carsten Herfurth, who is part of the company’s technical field staff; Veit Binder and Mario Berthold, the AC 100/4L’s operators; Andreas Beier, the Challenger’s operator; and Lothar Borchardt, the company’s experienced all-rounder who is able to take both crane models on public roads, were all there to accompany Vogel.
The cranes’ new cabs were definitely a strong selling point for the crane operators: “These cabs show that the Terex engineering staff really took our needs into account when developing the cranes. They are, quite simply, a marvel in terms of ergonomics,” says Veit Binder, who is already looking forward to working in them. His co-worker, Andreas Beier, chimes in: “They really outdid themselves this time and took things to a whole new level!”
The cranes’ technical characteristics were just as impressive: “We do a lot of work with mobile cranes in Berlin, and when you have to do a project smack in the middle of the city, a crane’s axle load becomes a make-or-break factor. That’s why I really mean it when I say that the Challenger’s compact and lightweight design is perfect for our needs,” explains Carsten Herfurth. The Challenger’s performance is further enhanced by its 50-meter boom, which enables it to reach spots that are completely inaccessible to other cranes in the same category. There were also other advantages as far as GAAC Commerz GmbH was concerned. For starters, the Challenger is much more efficient than other comparable units in its category when it comes to the logistics involved in operations, as can be evidenced in the fact that it does not require an additional transport vehicle. This not only makes its use more cost-effective, but also more environmentally friendly. In addition, the engine used by the Challenger is EUROMOT Stage IIIb and TIER 4i certified, meaning that it complies with future emission standards.
The AC 100/4L, meanwhile, benefitted from a long boom as well. “Having a boom that is 59.4 meters long means that we don’t even have to add a jib half of the time. It goes without saying that this reduces our setup time and, once you factor everything in, our costs as well,” explains Peer Vogel. In addition, the AC 100/4L’s compact design makes it ideal for projects in the city (much like the Challenger): More specifically, the fact that it is a four-axle unit means that it can travel through the city at any time, unlike its five-axle counterparts, which are usually only allowed to use public roads (in big cities) at certain times. In other words, if a job takes longer than planned, the crane will not be irremediably stuck at the construction site for hours. Add to this the fact that it is powerful enough to take care of the work normally performed by five-axle cranes and the AC 100/4L becomes an extraordinary machine. To top it all off, the unit’s width of 2.55 meters makes it just as wide as a truck: “I can get pretty much through any spot, including the narrow courtyards that are so typical of Berlin,” explains Lothar Borchardt.
But the people at GAAC did not just base their decision on the cranes’ technical specifications: “Our experience with Terex has shown that their service is extraordinary on all accounts — their parts procurement system is quick and reliable, and whenever we run into a problem we can count on someone being there for us right away. This keeps our downtimes to a minimum and makes us more profitable in the long run,” says Peer Vogel when commenting on his company’s excellent relationship with the manufacturer. Considering all this, it was no surprise that the GAAC team was happy to take an extensive tour of the Wallerscheid facilities on the day they arrived to pick up their cranes. “How can you even miss the chance to see how the machines that you are operating are made to begin with? Not to mention the fact that it’s always fun to talk shop with the Terex staff — after all, we’re all in the same line of business,” says Veit Binder.
The Terex® Challenger 3160
The powerful and compact Terex Challenger 3160 is currently the only three-axle crane with a 55-tonne lifting capacity designed with one-person operation in mind. With a 50-m single-cylinder telescopic boom and a maximum lifting capacity of 35.6 tonnes when working with a reach of four meters, the Terex Challenger 3160 can be operated independently by a single person while remaining under an axle load limit of 12 tonnes (for countries with a maximum axle load limit of 10 tonnes, the crane can set down its own counterweight, keeping the unit’s total service weight under 30 tonnes). A video of the new Terex Challenger 3160 can be downloaded from the Terex Cranes website at www.terexcranes.com, (“about us“) as well as from Youtube.
About the Terex® AC 100/4L
The compact Terex AC 100/4L all terrain crane is the only crane in the 100 tonnes capacity class to feature a standard truck width of 2.55 meters, even when equipped with large 445/95R25 tires. With a telescopic main boom of 59.4 meters and the 10-meter section of its 19-meter-long double folding jib, the crane also features one of the longest system lengths (69.5 meters) that can travel on four axles while complying with a 12-tonne axle load limit. Meanwhile, the crane reaches its maximum system length of 81.7 meters together with an extension system characterized by a high level of versatility: The 19-meter-long double folding jib can be mounted directly on the telescopic boom or on an additional 8-meter extension installed between the telescopic boom and the double folding jib, enabling fast setup times at construction sites.
It is possible to offset either the 19-meter double folding jib on the extension or the entire 27 meters (the 19-meter double jib plus the 8-meter extension) on the telescopic boom. This makes it possible to either work with a large working radius or overcome projecting edges of up to 63 meters.
A powerful 335-kW (445 hp) engine is responsible for the AC 100/4L's cost-effective operation, exceptional road-traveling performance, and outstanding fuel economy.
About GAAC Commerz GmbH, “Spedition & Transport” Division
Mittenwalde-based (near Berlin) GAAC Commerz GmbH’s “Spedition & Transport” Division is in charge of one of the company’s three main business areas. This business area, in turn, is subdivided into four fields of activity, one of which focuses on a range of services revolving around the concept of “mobile cranes with crane rentals.”
GAAC GmbH’s fleet comprises mobile cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 30 to 100 tonnes, but the company can also procure larger crane models and heavy-goods vehicles, and offers escort vehicle services for heavy goods vehicles as well. GAAC GmbH uses its mobile cranes for a wide variety of assembly and erection operations at construction sites, and attaches great importance to providing its customers with expert comprehensive advice at all times: Before a project is performed, GAAC’s technical field staff performs site inspections and provides customers with expert advice in order to ensure that each individual project is performed on schedule and in a cost-effective manner with the best solution possible.
For more information, please visit www.gaac.de.
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: l.t.r.: Carsten Herfurth, technical field staff GAAC; Mario Berthold, crane driver AC 100/4L, GAAC; Lothar Borchardt, crane driver all models GAAC; Andreas Beier, crane driver Challenger, GAAC; Peer Vogel, Managing Director GAAC; Veith Binder, crane driver AC 100/4L, GAAC; Torsten Hanke, Sales Representative, Terex Cranes; Matthias Mayer, Senior Sales Manager Germany, Terex Cranes.
