Customer feedback expands versatility of Grove’s Wire Rope Cleaner

• Manitowoc has enhanced its Wire Rope Cleaner to support wire ropes from 12 mm to 38 mm diameter across any crane brand.

• The device automates cleaning and lubrication, improving rope longevity and lifting performance while reducing lubricant use.

• Updates were driven by customer feedback through Manitowoc's Voice of the Customer process, reflecting continuous product improvement.

• The versatile cleaner helps crane owners reduce downtime and operating costs by simplifying maintenance across diverse fleets.

• The Wire Rope Cleaner automates cleaning and lubrication for wire ropes on mobile cranes.

• Updates to the product mean it can now be used on a wider range of ropes covering any brand of crane.

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Wire rope is one of the most critical components on a mobile crane, and proper cleaning and lubrication are essential to ensure the rope's longevity and maintain peak lifting performance. Last year, Manitowoc introduced its Wire Rope Cleaner to simplify one of the most time-consuming aspects of crane maintenance. Now, guided by feedback gathered through its Voice of the Customer process, the Company has enhanced the system to support a wider variety of wire ropes and crane brands.

The Wire Rope Cleaner automates cleaning and lubrication, removing contaminants and forcing grease inside the rope to provide protection from within. It’s faster and more efficient than traditional manual methods, helping extend rope life, improve reliability, reduce lubricant consumption, and support cleaner maintenance practices.

“With the Wire Rope Cleaner, we’ve made maintenance more consistent and helped customers maximize the life of the rope. From our ongoing customer conversations, we also saw a chance to optimize the system. What started as a technical question around differing wire rope sizes became an opportunity to improve the product,” said Astrid Hager-Guthrie, parts pricing manager for Grove Europe.

Originally, the Wire Rope Cleaner was developed to match the wire rope diameters of Grove mobile cranes. As adoption grew, customers began asking whether the system could be used on ropes of different diameters and on cranes beyond those from Grove. Following a product redesign, the Wire Rope Cleaner can now accommodate ropes from 12 mm to 38 mm diameter on any crane brand, with any rope lay. That means greater versatility for customers and the opportunity to simplify rope maintenance across the fleet.

The updated Wire Rope Cleaner demonstrates how Manitowoc’s Voice of the Customer process extends beyond issue resolution to uncover opportunities for continuous product improvement. It’s about offering a full suite of solutions that enhance productivity over a crane’s lifecycle, and using real-world feedback so owners benefit from reduced downtime and higher return on investment.

“Keeping a wire rope clean may not seem the highest profile part of crane ownership, but it has a very real impact on uptime and operating costs. Because a crane without a rope has no use. Through our Voice of the Customer process, we’ve made a successful maintenance tool even more versatile. It’s a practical example of CRANES+50 delivering greater value to customers across the crane lifecycle,” said Astrid Hager-Guthrie.