Potain dealer Valente Grue Assistance (VGA) has assembled two MDT 109 tower cranes on the Mer de Glace “Sea of Ice” glacier on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif in France. A helicopter was brought in to accomplish this task due to the remoteness of the job site locations.
The cranes were used in two separate projects on the glacier. In May, VGA used a helicopter to assemble a Potain MDT 109 top-slewing tower crane at an altitude of 2,000 m for the construction of a logistics base. In September, a second Potain MDT 109 was assembled via helicopter at an altitude of 1,600 m to help build a cable car station.
Potain carried out a thorough study to fully understand the challenges and determine the right process. In addition to the weather conditions, the team had to factor in the weight of the crane elements, which could not exceed 3.6 t. Potain technicians supported the VGA and customer teams throughout the unloading of the elements in the drop zone and assembly.
Despite unexpected snowfall during assembly on the second site, both cranes were completed in under four days.
Source: Potain
