News Release

14 December, 2005

Potain Cranes Providing Madrid Skyline Makeover

The Norman Foster designed ‘Torre Repsol’ begins to take shape, thanks to Potain’s MD 1400.

The biggest tower crane ever erected in Spain – one of Potain’s special application MD 1400s – is working at a Madrid, skyscraper project that will redefine the look of the city.

Spanish Potain dealer, Grupo Ibergruas supplied the cranes to Madrid-based contractor Dragados y FCC. Rated at 1440 tonne meters, the MD 1400 will eventually reach an under hook height of 290 m (951 ft). At this height, the crane will rest on 48 mast sections, each measuring 4 m (13.1 ft) x 4 m (13.1 ft) x 5.78 m (18.96 ft) tall, making it the tallest ever Potain MD application ever to be erected, and one of the tallest cranes ever.

The MD 1400 has a 40 t (44 USt) maximum capacity and a 40 m (131 ft) maximum radius. It can accommodate a maximum jib of 50 m (164 ft) and has a total maximum counter weight of 38,800 kg (103,953 lbs).

In addition to the MD 1400, Grupo Ibergruas has supplied four MDT 302 units to Dragados. The five Potain cranes are working on two skyscrapers, which are part of a four skyscraper project. The two skyscrapers being built by the Potain products are the Torre Repsol – designed by internationally acclaimed British architect, Norman Foster, which the MD1400 and two of the MDT 302 units are constructing, and the Torre Sacyr-Vallehermoso, being built by the other two MDT 302 tower cranes. Architects Carlos Rubio Carvajal and Enrique Álvarez-Sala Walther designed the Torre Sacyr-Vallehermoso.

The MD 1400 will continuously climb and be braced as the structures grow. It features a 250 LCC 100 hoist winch has been specifically tuned for working at high altitudes, and its 25 DVF 25 variation mechanism can reach speeds of up to 33 m (108 ft) per minute.

The MDT 302 units have a 15 t (16.5 USt) maximum capacity, and have been rigged with jib lengths of 22 m (72 ft). Contractors initially erected the cranes with 54 m (177 ft) height under hook, but will eventually increase them to reach 250 m (820 ft) under hook. The units have a 150 LC 40 winch, which can reach speeds of 32 m (105 ft) per minute for a load of 15 t (16.5 USt). The MDT 302 models are lifting construction material on site, mostly pre-fabricated steel beams.

The cranes all have an air conditioned Vision cab featuring a VISU display. Premium Potain features such as these, along with industry leading performance, make a major difference on a long-term jobsite, said Antonio Bello, chairman of Grupo Ibergruas.

“If the operator is comfortable, he can work effectively and therefore our cranes can work with maximum efficiency. However, it is not just the smaller details that influenced the choice of these cranes; it was their flexibility to serve such a long-term project as well as their lift and height capabilities,” he said. “Potain’s quality products have once again proved enormously valuable to a key Spanish job site. It is their performance on such projects that reinforces why Ibergruas continues to win so many lifting contracts.” 

The 250 m (820 ft) skyscrapers will be completed over the next two years and are located next to the city’s main boulevard, the Paseo de la Castellana, on the former training ground of the renowned Spanish soccer team, Real Madrid.

City planners hope that, when complete, the buildings will add a new ambiance to the Spanish capital, evoking the ultra-modern urban architecture of Manhattan or Shanghai. The 56,250 m2 (605,470 ft2) Torre Repsol will be the Repsol energy company’s headquarters, while there are plans to use the 45 story Torre Sacyr-Vallehermoso as both offices and as a hotel. Contractors will complete the projects in 2007.