International Cranes and Specialized Transport magazine published its annual list of the world’s largest companies that own tower cranes.
Companies are ranked according to their IC Tower Index, which is calculated using the combined maximum total load moment rating of all tower cranes in each company’s fleet in ton-meters.
This year’s IC Tower Index has seen good overall growth since the previous table in September 2019, with the overall index of all companies increasing by 13.8% in 2020. The total of all fleet sums is now well above the 5 million mark for the first time and is 5,651,626 ton-meters, compared to 4,966,242 for the IC Towers table in 2019 and a little more than twice as high as five years ago in 2015.
Given that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is unlikely to be reflected in the IC Tower Index until 2021, let’s take a look at how the top 10 companies fared in the IC Tower Index ranking in 2020.
Top 10 largest tower crane companies in the world
10. Van der Spek
The Dutch company Van der Spek starts in the top 10 with an IC tower index of 126,500 ton meters and has returned to the top 10 after a three-year absence. Van der Spek operates internationally and has seven depots, 200 employees and a fleet of 465 tower cranes.
9. Neremat
The Belgian company Neremat occupies ninth position with a tower crane fleet of 465 units – compared to 506 in the previous year – and an IC index index of 132,189. Over the past 12 months, the company has kept its 17 depots, despite the fact that the tower fleet has been reduced for the second year in a row.
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8. Maxim Crane Works
With an increase of almost 10,000 points compared to the 2019 index, Maxim Crane Works ranks eighth in this year’s index with a total of 172,104 ton meters. The company, which has a fleet of 373 tower cranes and operates 56 depots in the USA, also reached the top 10 in this year’s IC Transport 50 ranking of the world’s largest specialized transport companies and in the 2020 IC50 ranking of the world’s largest crane companies. In the past 12 months, the company also acquired the US assets and facilities of Canada’s NCSG Crane and Heavy Haul.
7. Wolff crane
Wolffkran, number six last year, has fallen one place to number seven with an IC Tower Index of 214,622. The Swiss-based company with a worldwide fleet of 763 towers in 21 depots had a busy year. In 2020, the company worked on Wates Residential’s Gascoigne Road project in Great Britain, equipped the entire crane rental fleet of the British division with air-conditioned cabs and relocated the Wolffkran Switzerland division to a new headquarters in Elsau.
6. Morning gear
Morrow Equipment, based in Oregon, USA, dropped its rank from fifth in 2019 to sixth in 2020. Last year the company increased its tower crane fleet to 332 and now has an index of 243,386 ton-meters – more than 4,000 points on the 2019 index of 201,581. Morrow, which was taken over by Liebherr’s tower crane division in the USA in 2018, has also seen significant management changes in the past 12 months. In January the company mourned the loss of its President and CEO Christian Chalupny and in June announced the appointment of a new COO and CFO.
5. Did Hong Equipment Services
With an IC Tower Index of 251,732, the China-based tower crane division of Tat Hong remains in fifth place in this year’s ranking. The company operates in the Asia-Pacific region with a fleet of 1,081 tower cranes and has, among other things, the Matagarup Bridge in Australia, the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai and the Chinese Bridge Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau.
4.Uperio (formerly Arcomet and Matebat)
Uperio, headquartered in France, is again a non-mover this year with an index of 325,815 ton-meters. The company, which operates 24 depots and 2,148 tower cranes worldwide, has an average annual turnover of more than 200 million euros.
3. Liebherr tower crane department
With a fleet of 1,640 tower cranes, 27 depots and a global workforce of more than 1,800 employees, the Liebherr tower crane division takes third place in this year’s ranking. While the Germany-based company’s 2020 index was calculated at 461,900, a decrease of more than 30,000 ton-feet from 492,784 in 2019, the tightening of its assets has kept the company in a strong position.
2. NFT
NFT, based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, is again in second place this year after having grown its fleet by 35.3% in the last twelve months. As a result of this increase, the company achieved an IC Tower Index of 1,455,766 ton-meters and has significantly reduced the gap between NFT and Pangyuan from 85,263 in the previous year to only 6,339 points. In the past 12 months, NFT has expanded its operations to include more than 300 tower cranes and almost 150 employees. As the official sponsor of the 2020 Tower Cranes North America conference, NFT also received an award last year for its strong partnership with Manitowoc’s Potain tower crane division.
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1. Renting machines in Shanghai Pangyuan
Shanghai Pangyuan Machinery Rental, the largest tower crane rental company in China and the world, retains first place this year. The global company has a fleet of more than 7,000 tower cranes and is supported by almost 3,900 employees. Shanghai Pangyuan reported an index value for 2020 of 1,462,105, which is 25.9% above the value for 2019.
Earlier this year, the company’s managing director and chairman, Mr. Chai Zhao, spoke exclusively to KHL in an interview that provided insights into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the construction industry in China.
For the full IC Tower Index and an in-depth analysis, download the September 2020 edition of ICST for free!
