AKM Autokranvermietung’s “bulk order” for four Demag units was completed early March with the handover of a Demag^® AC 55-3 all terrain crane. AKM General Manager Sven Bauer picked up the new AC 55-3 in person at the Zweibrücken plant. The crane was handed over by Sales Manager Thomas Keckeis.

The new crane was preceded by two Demag AC 100-4L units and one AC 130-5 unit. The Munich-based company’s obvious predilection for Demag cranes is based on a number of factors, with a particularly important one being the fact that its Demag AC 500-8 has delivered consistent performance and outstanding reliability for about three years now. “The reason we decided on the AC 55-3 is that, as far as we’re concerned, it has the most compelling specifications of any unit in its class,” Sven Bauer reports.

The compact design, together with the 50-meter main boom – which is the longest of its class –, was one of the reasons that tipped the balance towards Bauer’s purchase decision. “These technical characteristics make the AC 55-3 an extremely versatile machine and will enable us to use it not only for house construction and for lifting and installing components, but also as an assist crane for setting up bigger cranes,” he explains.The company has eight young crane operators between the ages of 20 and 28. For them,  the crane is perfectly suited to get more experience. Kevin S. is one of them, and together with the other operators, he has learned the tricks of the trade from Sven Bauer. The latter explains that this is a time-consuming and expensive process that includes driver license costs, crane operator certifications, etc., but that it is also the only way to get young talent in the company.