L&T Construction is one of India’s (and Asia’s) largest construction companies. We spoke to Vishal Verma, joint general manager and head of Buildings & Factories IC at the company, to discuss how Potain cranes have boosted its success and why it has added a further six MCT 325 cranes to its already impressive fleet.
With nearly 25 years of experience at L&T Construction, Vishal Verma has witnessed firsthand how Potain tower cranes have supported the company’s ongoing market leadership. He explains why the company continues to specify Potain cranes for its projects and gives us the lowdown on the six new Potain MCT 325 L12 cranes it has added to work across several infrastructure projects including a high-rise residential building in Bangalore, a school in Chennai, and a hospital in Hyderabad.
Looking Up: Why does L&T continue to invest so heavily in Potain cranes?
Vishal Verma: Potain has been a reliable partner of L&T for a long time, so our team has extensive understanding of the design and engineering of its cranes, which are the best in the world. Additionally, Potain's after-sales service network, extensive inventory of spare parts, and quick response times make it a natural partner for investment.
LU: L&T is the largest owner of Potain cranes in India. How would you describe L&T’s partnership with Potain/Manitowoc?
Verma: L&T has complete trust in Potain’s capabilities. Together, we have successfully executed some of the most technically challenging projects in India. As the industry shifts to more digitization and automation, we know Potain will continue to lead this transformation and advancement for the crane industry. I think both L&T and Potain will be able to leverage the power of data, AI and more for mutual benefit, and to deliver bigger and better projects.
LU: What are some of your favorite features of these new MCT 325 cranes?
Verma: We particularly love the versatility, including the ability to interchange various mast and top kit configurations seamlessly. This allows L&T to stock just the right number of mast sections. We don’t keep any excess stock, but we always have enough capacity to install cranes across the wide variety of project requirements we have.
LU: What do L&T operators appreciate most about Potain cranes?
Verma: Our operators and riggers are some of the most skilled and knowledgeable tower crane technicians in India, and they particularly appreciate the ease of use and installation of Potain cranes. The cranes’ intuitive controls and user-friendly interface reduce the learning curve for new operators, allowing them to quickly adapt and operate at peak efficiency. The streamlined installation process saves valuable time on-site as well, enabling our teams to get to work faster.
LU: What types of projects are the cranes involved with?
Verma: L&T has been using Potain cranes in various high-rise structures and large infrastructure developments, such as airport projects. The cranes offer the best versatility and value for a company like ours. In fact, in recent times, Potain cranes have been utilized on just about every project we’ve undertaken. One interesting installation that springs to mind is a Potain MC 475 that we assembled to a height of over 200 m (656 ft) to install a pre-heater. It was the highest ever project of this type that we’d taken on, and the client was really pleased with the result.
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