Japanese crane manufacturer Tadano has marked the shipment of its 1,000th 80-tonne rough-terrain crane, the GR-800EX, a model launched in “chaotic circumstances” due to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The ensuing tsunami caused damage among Tadano’s supply chain and its suppliers, resulting in a temporary shut-down of the rough-terrain crane assembly line, said Koichi Tadano, President and CEO of Tadano. Many customers were not able to receive machines they had ordered, said Tadano.
“The GR-800EX was introduced to the market under chaotic circumstances. However, it has come to have a reputation for its reliability, high quality, and environmentally friendly performance, especially in energy development jobsites – mainly in North America, the Middle East and Russia – and mining jobsites.”
Tadano noted that the huge fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Japanese yen, which often has a negative impact on exports from Japan, had not blunted customer demand. “After the exchange rate stabilised and became more favourable due to the weaker yen, GR-800EX production accelerated, and we achieved the milestone of 1000 units produced and shipped within the outstandingly fast period of four years.”
The crane is popular on job-sites where harsh environmental conditions affect performance, while the importance of the job makes make it difficult to replace cranes experiencing downtime, explained Tadano.
Technical features include one of the highest boom capacities in class, with a rounded boom made of lightweight high-strength, high-tensile steel.
Higher fuel efficiency is achieved via a fuel monitoring system, an eco-mode system which reduces fuel consumption by adjusting the engine speed during crane operation, and a positive control system, reducing fuel consumption by hydraulic pump displacement restrictions during engine idling.
The crane also features Tadano’s AML L safety monitoring system with asymmetric outrigger extension control, to make maximum lifting capacity available for each configuration, and ensure that the safety controls cannot be turned off.