Locar orders five Grove all-terrain cranes for the Brazilian market

Locar Cranes and Intermodal Transport (Locar) has acquired five Grove all-terrain cranes: four GMK5250L models, with a maximum capacity of 250 t, and one GMK5200, with a maximum capacity of 200 t. Although purchased as used cranes, the units are all in nearly new condition and received a comprehensive refresh at the Manitowoc plant in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, ahead of shipping to Brazil. On arrival at the Port of Vitória, in Espírito Santo, the Grove all-terrain cranes will be in near perfect condition and ready to get to work immediately.

“The pandemic was a great challenge in early 2020, of course, but the year ended up being better than 2019, so our expectation is that the market will recover in 2021,” said Júlio Eduardo Simões, director of Locar. “Equipment in the Brazilian market in general is quite outdated. In the last ten years there has been little investment in new machinery. The cranes, in particular, are showing their age. Based on this, we have been preparing and investing, anticipating market growth and an increase in demand for newer and more capable cranes in the coming months.”

Once in Brazil, the machines will be among the most modern in operation in the country and will work in a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, which Simões says he expects to see some recovery in this year.

“The construction, mining and petrochemical sectors have also shown some signals of improvement in recent months,” he said. “We should see the restart of large infrastructure projects soon. This motivates investment quite a bit.”

Locar’s five Grove cranes were acquired through Manitowoc’s previously-owned cranes program, which has semi-new equipment, refurbished and supplied with manufacturer guarantees. As part of the program the cranes also received updates and additions during the refurbishment phase, including accessories present in newer models, such as the MAXbase outrigger system. In addition, the machines have the full support of Manitowoc Crane Care, which Locar already has strong confidence in, having worked with Manitowoc for over 15 years in Brazil.

Since 1988, Locar has been one of the largest players in the lifting and cargo handling markets in Latin America, with over 1,300 employees and nine branches throughout Brazil.