Vinci buys Wolff cranes for UK project

Installing the jib on the new Wolff 355 B, first of two on site in Sheffield, UK, for Vinci Building

Contractor Vinci Building has erected the first of two tower cranes it bought, rather than rented, for a project in the UK.

The 28 tonne Wolff 355 B luffing jib tower is on the Sheffield Forgemasters’ Brightside Lane site in the north of England. It is part of a UK£ 138 million (US$ 176 million) project to construct a 13,800 square metre building for open-die steel forging. Sheffield Forgemasters is owned by the UK Ministry of Defence.

Vinci Building said it invested around £2.5 million ($3.2 million) for the two electric tower cranes built in Germany. The second one is due on site by the middle of 2025 and both will be working on site until early 2026, Vinci said. They will help construct the press pit foundations and a 40-metre-high superstructure. Gantries and chimneys will also be built with their help.

Craig Fisher, Sheffield Forgemasters programme director, said, “The arrival of tower cranes on our new Forge site will be one of the first external indicators of the large programme of work we are undertaking and marks a step forward in the delivery of the Forge building.”

Bought not rented

Assembled brand new Wolff 355 B luffer on Sheffield Forgemasters Brightside lane site in the UK. Photo: Vinci Building

For his part Chris Winspear, Vinci Building regional director, commented, “These cranes are a first for us – we own them outright and the arrival and set up of the first Wolff 355 B is a major landmark for Sheffield Forgemasters and particularly for us at Vinci Building. It marks an investment in the project and our business. We are optimistic for 2025 and this all-electric crane proves our intent to deliver on major schemes of benefit for the UK economy and to do it in as sustainable a manner as possible. We are grateful to the Wolffkran team for all their assistance in the specification and delivering it to our team.”

Adrian Hawkins, Wolffkran sales director, said both cranes “will receive comprehensive service and maintenance from Wolffkran under our maintenance agreement for many years to come… We eagerly anticipate collaborating closely with Vinci Building on the Sheffield Forgemasters project and future endeavours where these cranes will play a vital role.”