Five Potain MDT cranes tackle crowded Mistral jobsite in Marseille

The Mistral scheme combines a 30,000 m² real estate complex with a multistorey car park on a congested urban plot. Main contractor BEC Construction Provence, a subsidiary of FAYAT Bâtiment, is working with raw concrete façades, wall panels up to 8 m tall and a high share of prefabricated elements — all loads that leave little room for improvisation when five cranes share one site.

Interference planned out before erection

With overlapping slewing ranges unavoidable, engineers from BEC Construction Provence, Uperio and Manitowoc’s Lift Solutions team worked out crane positions, hook heights and configurations before the first mast section went up. Three of the five units — two MDT 319s and one MDT 269 — received additional engineering input from Lift Solutions to make sure their set-ups met the site’s structural and operational requirements.

All five cranes carry 45 m jibs and stand on 4.5 m or 6 m bases, with hook heights running from 42.3 m to 60.6 m. The tallest MDT 319 sits on a reinforced 6 m base. The fleet was specified with GEDA 2PK mast operator lifts, anti-collision systems, aviation warning lights, cameras and site monitoring technology.

Erected in two days

Despite the constrained urban logistics, Uperio installed all five cranes in just two days, keeping the programme on track. The Mistral development is due for completion in January 2028.

“By combining the technological excellence of Potain cranes with the operational expertise of our teams, we are able to support our customers on the most demanding projects, providing them with reliable, high-performance lifting solutions that work perfectly within the site’s limitations.”

— Eric Delbecq, sales director, Uperio France

800 Potain cranes in the French fleet

Uperio runs roughly 2,000 tower cranes worldwide across six countries, with 11 operational locations in France, where its rental fleet of nearly 800 cranes leans heavily on Potain. Gaël Veillard, Manitowoc’s commercial director for tower cranes in France, said the manufacturer backs that fleet with readily available spare parts, technical expertise and custom engineering from its Lift Solutions department.

“The synergy between the performance of Potain cranes and the operational expertise of Uperio’s teams makes a continual contribution to the success of projects and to the reputation of Potain in France.”

— Gaël Veillard, commercial director tower cranes France, Manitowoc