News Release

9 December, 2005

Manitowoc Crane CARE takes its new mobile classroom on the road in Asia-Pacific

Training session in progress in the new training module.

Manitowoc Crane CARE’s Asia/Pacific region has built a new mobile training classroom specifically for customer staff and technicians, as part of its continued efforts to provide global access to all key services. Thus far, the mobile classroom has visited Australia and Singapore with China and Korea up next.

Crane CARE built the classroom inside a 13 m (44 ft) container. The MTU, or Mobile Training Unit, has an interior similar to a fully equipped training room and is able to support a variety of MCG software: EPIC and Can-Bus systems for Manitowoc crawler cranes, PAT systems for Grove rough-terrain cranes, and EKS/ECOS software for Grove all-terrain cranes. The classroom also has hydraulic and electronic component maintenance simulation software.

Crane CARE conducts training upon request, with different courses proving popular in different countries. For example, in Australia and New Zealand, EKS and ECOS courses are popular due to the high number of Grove all-terrain cranes. In China and Korea, the training most requested includes Can-Bus and EPIC courses on Manitowoc cranes, due to the growing populations of crawler cranes in those countries.

Lampson Australia was the first to have training conducted at its site in Toronto, New South Wales. After analyzing technicians’ skills, Manitowoc Crane CARE was able to tailor two suitable courses for the Lampson – “Introduction to EPIC” and “2250 Level 1”.

After the visit to Lampson, the mobile classroom will travel to Singapore for training of Crane CARE technicians and then “Introduction to EPIC” and “M250” training courses for other technicians in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Demand for the classroom is huge across the region, said Jack Lee, general manager of Manitowoc Crane CARE Asia/Pacific.

“The vast size of the region makes it increasingly difficult for our customers to attend the various events we hold, so we made the decision to come to them,” Lee explained. “It’s proven to be an extremely popular decision and we are currently developing future programs for the mobile classroom as interest continues to grow.”

Manitowoc Crane CARE plans to conduct 12 classes a year using the classroom, while it increases its pool of training instructors and builds training centers at the MCG facilities in Zhangjiagang, China and in Sydney, Australia. The main advantage of the training module is that it saves the expense, time, and travel visas necessary with international travel. A five-day training session costs between $1000 and $1800 (€850 and €1500) per person.

Crane CARE will exhibit the classroom at CONEXPO China in Beijing in May 2006.