A Fassi F425RA.2.24 e-dynamic crane on Mont Blanc

A Fassi F425RA e-dynamic crane with jib, winch and platform made an essential contribution to installing the last arrival station of the new Mont Blanc Cable-Car System at 3466 meters above sea level

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The new Mont Blanc Cable-Car System goes into operation in June. This €105m project has taken four years to construct and connects a departure station at Pontal d'Entrèves, close to the motorway, with the arrival station at Punta Helbronner at an altitude of 3466 metres up in the mountains.

This pioneering work was carried out by the Cordée Mont Blanc consortium on behalf of Funivie Monte Bianco S.p.A.. The consortium is led by Cogeis S.p.A., an historic Canavese company that specialises in major projects both in Italy and abroad. It was Cogeis S.p.A. that selected Fassi Gru as a technological partner, thanks in part to the decisive support of the Turin branch of the Bergamo industrial group and of its manager, Marco Linguanotto, at the specification stage.

"The aim was to identify a crane configuration that would meet the specific needs of the construction site, taking full advantage of the versatility of the machine," explains Rossano Ceresoli, head of research & development of Fassi Gru. "As well as using it on the Mont Blanc construction site, the customer had requested that the crane could be subsequently installed on a commercial vehicle. This is how we identified the best solution to be the F425RA.2.24 e-dynamic crane model coupled with the L324 jib and equipped with winch and platform."

The high-altitude construction site needed a crane to handle materials at the upper station and to install the metal structures, complementing the heavy lifting duties carried out by a pair of tower cranes that had to be assembled by helicopter. As the works progressed, the Fassi F425RA crane became appreciated for a number of other operational benefits. For example, when wind speeds reached 70 km/h - not a rare occurrence, as they can sometimes top 150 km/h at this height - the tower cranes had to stop working for safety reasons. The Fassi crane, however, was able to continue.

Work started in April 2011 and by the following year the F425RA e-dynamic crane was already operational. It was first installed at the lift shaft that connects the Punta Helbronner arrival station with the tunnel down to the Nuovo Rifugio Torino, a refuge building located 100 metres below.

In fact, one of the advantages of the articulating crane was the speed with which it could be moved around the site to where it was needed next. The Fassi crane was then installed at the top of the structure where, using its winch, it was a great help placing reinforcing steel during cement casting. The next step was the construction of the two-storey station structure, always moving on to the floor above as gradually each concrete pour neared completion. Its contribution was also crucial in laying of the steel girders and crossbeams.

During the winter breaks the crane remained outdoors, covered only by a tarpaulin in temperatures that reached minus 30°C, but this never caused any problem. When work resumed, the crane was always ready, as was the case every morning, even after the worst storms.

For the final stages, the Fassi F425RA crane was fitted with the work platform basket for tightening the bolts and installation of doors and windows and the solar panels. These were all operations in which it continually proved to be the ideal solution, simplifying the work and halving the time.

It was another wonderful Italian story, technical ingenuity and perfect delivery set against a backdrop of stunning scenery, with our companies and the Fassi F425RA 2.24 e-dynamic crane in starring roles.