Gulf Construction Online - Wolffkran Arabia steals the show

Germany & the Mideast

Wolffkran cranes ... at Burj Dubai development.

Wolffkran Arabia steals the show

01 March 2009

WOLFFKRAN Arabia, a joint venture between German crane manufacturer Wolffkran and leading regional business group Kanoo, has proved to be an immense success ever since it started operations in the UAE over a year ago.

Today, Wolffkran Arabia has its famous red cranes located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and in Oman. A rental fleet of approximately 40 cranes is in operation on some of the most spectacular construction sites in the Middle East and is anticipated to increase to almost 100 by the end of this year.
One such prominent job site is the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest skyscraper, where Wolffkran Arabia has four tower cranes with trolley jibs in service. It has erected some of the highest free-standing cranes in the UAE on this particular job site – the lowest crane will climb to around 120 m and the highest going in excess of 200 m. “We will have 12 cranes on the Burj Dubai development by the end of July, eight of these cranes will be well over 100-m high,” says Mark Evans, head of operations for Wolffkran Arabia.
Among major Dubai project is the Motor City in Dubai, where four tower cranes with a jib radius from 60 to 70 m have been in action. By the end of this year, a further six more tower cranes are expected to be erected, says Evans.
On Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, a Formula One racetrack with a hotel and conference centre is under construction and for this project six Wolff tower cranes with a radius jib of 60 m are currently in use. The racetrack is to be finished for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next year.
Meanwhile, since last year, two XL tower cranes with trolley jibs have been in service for the musical hall development in Muscat, Oman. The project is expected to be completed by August.
The business cooperation between Wolffkran and the Kanoo Group started in January 2007 and a few months later, the first Wolffkran Arabia office was opened in Abu Dhabi. Following its launch, the first rental contracts were drawn up and the first crane erections took place in Dubai in September 2007.
Since that time, rapid progress has been made throughout the entire region, with Wolffkran Arabia winning a number of prestigious projects from major contractors, to provide cranes at some magnificent landmarks and developments.
Today an assortment of the Wolff brand is available on the Arabian market, including ‘A’ frame saddle jibs, flat top cranes and luffers. The orders for the tower cranes are placed at the factories in Germany and delivered directly to Wolffkran Arabia.
As Dr Peter Schiefer, CEO and joint owner of the Wolffkran Arabia, explains: “All the Wolff tower cranes for Arabia are brand new and are distributed from our production sites in Heilbronn and Luckau, Germany. We are very proud of our engineering expertise, which guarantees precision, quality cranes for the Arabian market.”
He adds: “Nearly 90 per cent of the mighty red giants are already on order for the current rental contracts. The rental duration per project averages 18 months. These are in addition to the cranes that have been sold to companies in Saudi Arabia and Oman. Demand for cranes within the region has not diminished during the short time Wolffkran Arabia has been in business.”
Wolffkran Arabia now has two offices in the UAE, one in Abu Dhabi and the other in Dubai. Each office has a regional sales manager and sales support staff to handle customer enquiries and projects specific to that region. Wolffkran Arabia’s operational staff and erection crews are ever expanding to cope with the increased demand. The crews operate from both locations and support each other, being allocated to sites as and when required.
The local network of Wolffkran offices in the region provides major advantages for the customers.
Says Evans: “This is an absolute first for our clients. They receive service and support directly, not through crane dealers as is usually the case. We act as consultants and service providers implementing solutions according to the demands of the individual sites. Wolffkran’s position as a leader in the field of modern tower crane construction and development is reinforced day by day, as is its time-honoured reputation for quality, reliability and performance.”
The Wolffkran Arabia team offers its services as consultants to determine the best solutions to meet the needs of the customer, which differ from project to project. As a result, Wolffkran Arabia has been able to foster a mutually successful working rapport with some of the larger contractors. Each party stands to benefit via a positive knowledge exchange, as each brings input for projects in progress and similarly for forthcoming ventures.
Dr Schiefer comments: “As the construction industry achieves structural engineering feats, building ever higher and higher, it is a particular value point that Wolffkran can provide the customer with greater free-standing heights, and therefore fewer ties to the building. This is winning us contracts, reducing delays and contributing to realising cost effectiveness for our customers.”
The joint venture partnership is proving to be a winning combination. The Kanoo Group is a family-run business with more than 100 years experience and is well established throughout the Middle East.
“The Wolffkran team delivers the tower cranes and they offer their special customer service on location. There is excellent cooperation and interaction between the various parties, who are all determined to continue our common success story in the UAE”, underlines Bob Curtis, general manager for business development at Kanoo.
Another of the Kanoo joint-venture companies is Johnson Arabia, which runs a large fleet of mobile cranes in the UAE. “A great working relationship has grown between Wolffkran and Johnson over the past year. There is a crossover on our customer bases and indeed we are often involved with the same contractors and projects,” says Gerald Topfler, general manager of Johnson Arabia.