News Release

April 24, 2006

Grove Unveils Distinctive New Cab Design

Frans Vanwinkel addresses the crowd during the unveiling of the new Grove GMK cab design.

Manitowoc Crane Group drew flocks of visitors onto its stand at this year’s Intermat 2006 exhibition with an eye-catching new cab, which is set to feature on many of its new Grove all-terrain models. The new cab was unveiled early on the second day of the Paris show and immediately pulled in the crowds with its distinctive design. It formed one of the central attractions on the MCG stand with its modern, ergonomic styling marking it out from more traditional designs. It will appear first on the Grove GMK4100 (GMK4115 in the US), a new crane whose launch was also announced at Intermat.

Gerhard Kaupert, director of engineering for Grove’s all-terrain cranes, said the new cab was a testament to the continued engineering innovation at the company.

“This new carrier cab has been designed around three defining principles of quality –functional performance, ergonomic excellence, and safety,” he said. “We have listened diligently to what our customers want and the result is an industry-leading cab with an innovative design, both inside and out. The high-quality specifications for this cab are unrivalled in the market and its design reflects the fact that Grove remains at the forefront of the mobile crane industry.”

New features on the cab include a panoramic windshield which gives excellent all-round visibility while wide rear-view heated mirrors with curved shaping substantially increase visibility to the side and rear. The instrument dials are situated inside a dazzle-free dashboard and ideally located for optimum readability.

The new cab also makes use of Grove’s industry-leading ECOS electronic control system. Previous cabs featured a standard central control panel to adjust carrier settings, but the new cab allows the suspension, differentials, steering, and level to be adjusted using the state-of-the-art ECOS panel. In addition, the ECOS panel allows the operator to monitor conditions such as oil and water temperature, engine speed, and fuel and battery levels, enabling them to immediately react to any change in circumstances.

A Tempomat control unit lets the operator change between brake and acceleration functions on the same pedal simply by switching a lever next to the steering wheel. Ergonomically designed air-suspension pivoting seats have been fitted for optimum comfort while a radio/CD player and a programmable adjustable heating and air conditioning system are also offered. Improved cab soundproofing comes courtesy of new plastic cladding, while cab access has been optimized for greater convenience.

Frans Vanwinkel, vice president of sales and marketing for Manitowoc Crane Group in EMEA, said the new cab is a big addition for Grove.

“This is truly a breakthrough design which I believe offers Grove a competitive advantage in the market,” he said. “By making driver comfort and safety its priorities, we believe this cab offers demonstrable advantages in terms of productivity. It is the newest example of what MCG is doing as a company in terms of listening to our customers, studying the market, and then developing lifting equipment that is best suited to the market.”