Get FinancingManitowoc Announces New Connect Digital Platform For Crane Fleet Management
Manitowoc recently announced its new Connect digital platform for crane fleet management. The app-based system will enable remote servicing, monitoring, and management to enhance crane performance. Connect will be on display in the Customer Center at Manitowoc’s booth at bauma 2022, taking place October 24 to 30 in Munich, Germany. The show brings thousands of exhibitors together with hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the world.
About Connect
The new digital support service gives owners and operators access to real-time crane information and enables them to receive alerts, exchange data, and send service requests through an app-based system accessible from smartphones, tablets, and computers. Connect will initially be available on Potain tower cranes and Grove all-terrain cranes, and will be gradually added to other product lines.
“The launch of Connect kickstarts a new digital era of owning and operating Manitowoc cranes,” says Grove Europe Vice President of Aftermarket Dirk Wolfsteller. “In a matter of seconds, users can access a range of features or data related to their cranes through the app-based platform. They can analyze performance, check service gauges, diagnose faults, and more. It allows unprecedented insight into their cranes, transforming performance, sustainability, and ultimately profitability linked to their investments.”
Coming Soon For Grove & Potain
Connect will make its Grove debut on newly produced GMK all-terrain cranes starting in 2023 and will be available to retrofit on cranes equipped with the CCS control system. The new system will improve troubleshooting by providing remote technicians with real-time data to propose solutions without the need to wait for on-site assistance. Fleet usage information allows crane owners to strategize the use of their resources, improves preventative maintenance, and keeps documentation in an easy-to-access digital format, reducing the need for printed material.
For Potain tower cranes, Connect will be available as an option on new top-slewing and self-erecting cranes as well as a retrofit option on all CCS-equipped cranes. Potain will discontinue the older CraneSTAR Diag tool. Connect’s integration of remote diagnostics, analytics, and fleet management improves fleet utilization and extends the service life of the cranes.
Reshaping Construction
Manitowoc plans to embed Connect into the Building Information Management model for projects in the future, which will create a digital twin of the crane to aid in site planning and materials flow for improved quality and building speed.
“Connect advances how contractors and rental companies will use tower cranes on jobsites,” says Xavier Claeys, director of digital innovation for tower cranes at Manitowoc. “The platform improves the user experience immediately and opens a world of exciting possibilities in the future. For example, customers can compare expected use versus actual use, with the potential to reframe how pricing and operational models are run. This insight simply wasn’t available before, but we expect it to positively transform how customers approach crane ownership. We’re excited to showcase the new technology at bauma 2022.”
Source: Manitowoc