First Potain MDT 489 in Iceland lifts Reykjavik housing job

One crane instead of several

The development is being put up largely from precast concrete sections, which in Iceland usually means bringing in a succession of mobile cranes as the frame goes up. Instead, local Potain dealer DS Lausnir worked out a solution built around a single tower crane with enough capacity and radius to reach every corner of the site from one position.

DS Lausnir bought the MDT 489 and rents it to ÓS-Byggingar, the contractor running the construction of the eight-storey complex. It is the first crane of the model in the country.

“For this project, the customer wanted a new way of thinking. To build a project of this size in Iceland using precast sections would usually require multiple mobile cranes. But we designed a solution using only the Potain MDT 489 to cover the whole site. This turned out to be the most cost-effective and efficient way. So we purchased the first MDT 489 in Iceland, and it is already proving to be a great success.”

— Daníel Sigurðarson, owner, DS Lausnir

Configuration and duty cycle

The MDT 489 has a maximum capacity of 25 t. On the apartment block it is rigged with 55 m of its 80 m maximum jib at a 39 m working height, standing on an 8 x 8 m stationary cross base. Because it is the only material-handling machine on site, it works long days — 10 hours a day, six days a week — and uptime has held up under that duty cycle.

The topless design keeps the head of the crane clear, which makes overlapping with neighbouring cranes easier to organise and reduces the risk of interference on a tight urban plot. When the complex is finished it will hold 106 apartments alongside retail units and a car park.

Support in an Icelandic winter

Weather is the other constraint. Cranes in Iceland have to keep working through wind, cold and salt, and the dealer argues that parts availability and technical cover matter as much as the machine itself.

“Navigating Iceland’s harsh climate requires equipment that is rugged and versatile. Equally important is having the right resources to deliver strong customer support. At DS Lausnir we have highly-qualified technicians, a large stock of parts, and technical expertise on call. We also work closely with the central Manitowoc customer support operation, which is the most complete offering in the industry.”

— Daníel Sigurðarson, owner, DS Lausnir

DS Lausnir was founded in 2002 and sells and rents lifting equipment. It picked up the Icelandic dealership for Grove mobile cranes and Potain tower cranes in 2022 and now employs 40 people, running a fleet of 75 tower cranes and 20 mobile cranes. Two Grove all-terrain cranes, adapted for local conditions, joined that fleet at the end of last year.

Source: Manitowoc — Photos: Manitowoc