For around six months now, the new Liebherr LTM 1110-5.2 mobile crane from Formac has been proving its worth in continuous operation assembling industrial buildings from concrete elements. South of the capital Madrid, in the autonomous region of Castilla-La Mancha and beyond, the modern 5-axle machine rolls from construction site to construction site. For its debut, the crane was assigned to a construction of an industrial warehouse near Toledo involving unit weights of 22 tonnes. Later, the 110-tonne machine was used to extend a refinery, where a new building also had to be erected.
"We have already erected the pillars and beams and now mainly need to install ten-metre-long concrete slabs for the external cladding," reports Lucinio Gallego, the mobile crane's driver on the construction site. Lucinio lifts the huge wall panels from the newly arrived heavy goods vehicles with his new crane via two-hook operation. "I work with an assembly jib on the telescopic boom and two hook blocks. This allows me to set up the panels, which are delivered horizontally, vertically for the façade installation," he explains. With a maximum radius of 16 metres, the 12-tonne elements are positioned quickly and precisely, and assembled swiftly. He finds working with the new crane a breeze. "The new LICCON3 control system is very good," says Lucinio. "It's very easy to use and I'm very happy with it. The crane works perfectly and without any problems."
"Like a car, only bigger”
A short time later, rapid progress is also being made at another small construction site surrounded by olive groves. Within a few hours, the new crane has finished installing the walls and ceilings of a small building. However, Lucinio is not only satisfied with the handling of his new tool, he is also delighted with the mobile crane's road handling. "This crane is something else," he reports. "Smooth shifting, comfortable cab." The LTM 1110-5.2 features a completely redesigned driver's cab: modern, spacious and ergonomically designed. "On the road, the new crane is simply fantastic. Actually, it's like a car, only bigger. Perfect.”
"As we mostly assemble heavy parts in the course of our work, the Liebherr LTM 1110-5.2 mobile crane not only offers us greater reach and precision, but also increases safety, which is a top priority at Formac," says José Luis Urda. The company's commercial manager is extremely satisfied with the new acquisition, not least due to the new crane's working speed. Thanks to the "high quality and reliability of Liebherr products as well as the excellent support from their customer service", Formac will continue to add Liebherr machines to its crane fleet in the future.
Formac, S.A. was founded in 1989 and employs around 170 people, mainly in central Spain, in the manufacture and assembly of concrete structures. The company is a leading supplier of reinforcing steel and precast concrete elements on the Iberian Peninsula. However, Formac has also completed projects in the neighbouring countries of Portugal and France.
