Gulf Construction Online - Aiming for the top

The Big 5

NFT cranes ... busy at Etihad Towers.

Aiming for the top

01 November 2010

ABU Dhabi-headquartered NFT Cranes, the sole agent for Potain Tower cranes, and GJJ, Orbit and Pega hoists in the Middle East, will be back at The Big 5 PMV with a wide range of products, including the 8-tonne Potain IGO T130 – the world’s largest self-erecting crane.

“Launched recently, the crane is similar to the existing Potain GTMR 386, one of Manitowoc’s most successful cranes,” says Hansraj Bhatia, sales and marketing executive of NFT Cranes. “The product features a number of improvements such as a 5-m jib to cover large areas. It folds back to a single section, hence is easy to transport. In its transport configuration, it travels as a single trailer with an overall length of 17.15 m. This convoy has a ground clearance of 32 cm for better access to working job sites.”

The company, with branches all over the region, has been serving the market for more than 30 years. During this time, it has been involved with a large number of projects in the Middle East. “We have played a pivotal role in some of the unique projects such as the world’s tallest tower Burj Dubai, where we erected 12 Pega hoists and Potain cranes on the podium, the Kingdom Centre and Al Faisaliah projects in Saudi Arabia, the Sports City-Qatar project in Doha, Bahrain World Trade Centre in Bahrain, and the Al Firdous and Al Hamra towers in Kuwait,” he says.

Its current projects include the $11.8-billion Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman University in Saudi Arabia, one of the largest construction projects currently under way in the Middle East, King Abdulla Financial District in Riyadh with Saudi Binladin Group – where nearly 100 Potain tower cranes will be deployed – the $162.2-million Adnoc headquarters, the $1.9-billion Cleveland Clinic, the Dh2.5-billion ($681-million) Etihad Towers and Bab Al Qasr Hotel, both in Abu Dhabi, among others.

“Our aim is to be ranked the first rather than the current fifth among leading global organisations in the tower crane and hoist industry and to be recognised worldwide for our expertise in this field,” Bhatia says.

“We are committed to our customers, providing quality products, prompt services, as well as after-sales service. With four branches in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Beirut (Lebanon), Oman and Kuwait and several service stations in other countries, and backed by our experienced and skilled team of engineers, supervisors, supporting staff and technicians, we are able to serve our customers anytime and anywhere,” he adds.

The company stocks more than 500 tower cranes and 200 hoists with several options, capacities and sizes available for hire, purchase, lease, buy-back or with long financing options.

The stock comprises both new and used reconditioned quality Potain tower cranes and GJJ, Orbit and Pega hoists including self-erecting cranes as well as top slewing cranes, and low and high-speed hoists to reach any desired height.
This apart, the company also has a large stock of genuine/original spare parts to avoid any delay or waiting time in the unlikely case of a breakdown.

The company says it has on-site technicians for troubleshooting, and offers consultancy advice and proposals for the most suitable solutions and tailor-made packages for projects. “We offer our rental fleet and hoists on both a short and long-term basis, with options specifically suited to individual projects. These offers are accompanied by special discounts, terms and exclusive conditions in order to help our clients maintain a competitive edge in the market to bid for any tender.”

Commenting on the company’s future plans, NFT’s managing partner Nabil Al Zahlawi says: “We have major strategic plans to expand worldwide as there is a lot of potential in the market for our products. The Middle and Far East are booming markets at the moment, with projected growth being strong everywhere. We want to be part of the growth and put NFT on the skyline of every significant development in the Gulf region and beyond.

“Our goal in the long term is to seek out relationships with overseas companies to further penetrate foreign markets, so as to reduce downtime and rental stock take-up. We are also open to collaborations in Europe, Far East, or even in the US and Canada. In addition, we are looking at strengthening our rental fleet and increasing our stock of new cranes.”
The company says it has also received a number of awards for excellence. These include the Top Ten Tower Crane Owners Worldwide award from the International Cranes magazine. It was also recognised as the Leading Tower Crane Supplier in the Middle East by the UK’s World Market Intelligence in its March 2010 report.

NFT Cranes will be present at Stand D20 at The Big 5 PMV.