PM chosen by Iveco for a supply of truck cranes for ethiopia of 1.4 million euro value

The PM Group Business Unit is preparing the installation of its cranes on 42 trucks from the Fiat Group, which will be made available for the Ethiopian Electrical Power Corporation (EEPCO).

The PM Group of San Cesario sul Panaro operating in the production sector for machines and equipment used in lifting material and people, confirms being a high level partner for IVECO. The PM Business Unit of the Italian Group was chosen by the Fiat Group company for the supply and installation of its cranes on 42 vehicles destined for the Ethiopian Electrical Power Corporation (EEPCO). The importance of the contact established between PM and IVECO amounts to 1.4 million Euro. This agreement confirms the relationship of collaboration that exists between the two companies for more than 20 years, which has already lead to the realisation, in the past few years, of a supply of vehicles destined for both the Italian market, as well as for the foreign market (in particular, the Middle East and Africa).

The choice made by IVECO - explains Luigi Fucili, Managing Director of PM Group - concretely demonstrates the reliability and technical competence of PM and the attention given towards quality and timing. Given the operative conditions where our cranes will be sent (in a very different environmental context if compared to the European one), we aimed at supplying IVECO with the best solutions possible, in terms of performance and productivity, in order to meet the needs of the Ethiopian Corporation". The supply of 42 IVECO vehicles (21 road tractors and 21 tractors trailers) equipped with rear-mounted cranes produced by PM, is an important order for a company such as the Ethiopian Electrical Corporation, which is not usually accustomed to orders of such importance. The main reason for this request was the will of the Ethiopian government in undertaking the realisation of several large works, considered a priority for the growth of the African country. PM (which is part of the PM Group, along with Oil&Steel, Pilosio and Lama) was involved by IVECO at the end of 2005, to perform an evaluation on the cranes that were most suitable for installation on vehicles destined for Ethiopia.

"Our collaboration with IVECO - emphasises Luigi Fucili - is consolidated and lasts for more than twenty years. The Fiat Group's company has very precise criteria with regards to the choice of its partners, especially in terms of efficiency, production size and technology. We have always shown to efficiently respond to these requirements by designing cranes that fully satisfy all standards, in relation to the quality and safety of lifting equipment". The products supplied by PM were, in fact, chosen in relation to the experience matured relevant to a vast range of applications, taking into maximum consideration the Country of destination. Besides favouring the use of hydraulic systems instead of electronic ones, the cranes installed on the IVECO vehicles underwent special testing and treatment, especially related to paint jobs, in order to increase their resistance to sand. Furthermore, for the same reasons, a triple oil filter was used. The hydraulic cranes supplied by PM, with an overall weight of 2,560 kilograms, are capable of reaching a horizontal extension beyond 12 meters and a vertical extension of 16 meters.

Maintenance for the vehicles and cranes will be carried by the Iveco Amce branch present in Ethiopia. However, for particular needs, PM is capable of providing its own assistance services on site. Besides Ethiopia, PM brand cranes were also supplied to the Fiat Group for orders in Middle Eastern Countries (Iraq in 2002), along with other projects in Italy (installation of vehicles for the Enel electrical company for maintenance services in 2004).
The partnership with IVECO can be very important for the development of expertise useful in expansion for the PM Business Unit and for the Entire PM Group in foreign markets, which have always been one of the focal points of its development strategies. Today, the Italian company is present in over 100 countries world-wide.

The PM Group is an industrial entity that groups together 3 specialised and complementary Business Units: PM (truck cranes), which covers 51.1% of turnover, Oil&Steel (truck-mounted and tracked platforms for aerial work), for 28.2%, and Pilosio (scaffoldings, formworks for industrial construction, formworks for earth containment, structures for the entertainment and sports industries), which represents the remaining 20.9% of turnover. The PM Group has 563 employees allocated in six production plants (five in Italy and one in Romania), occupying an overall surface area of approximately 130 thousand squared meters, with 62 thousand covered squared meters. In Italy, the Group has five plants, two located in San Cesario sul Panaro (Modena), one in Massa Finalese (Modena), one in Riese Pio X (Treviso), and one in Feletto Umberto (Udine). Its only foreign production site is located in Arad (Romania).