Grove RT550E helps complete multi-million euro stadium

The Grove RT550E was the latest Manitowoc crane to be installed at the construction site of an iconic soccer stadium in Lyon, France. The crane joined a fleet of Potain cranes to help construct the 60,000-seat Stade des Lumières (Stadium of Light) – the new home stadium to Olympique Lyonnais, one of France’s most successful soccer teams. It will host games during the UEFA Euro Championship in 2016, when the world’s second largest soccer tournament heads to France.

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The RT550E, owned by the Italian rental company Vernazza Autogru, joined eight MD 485 B M20s and two MD 365 B L16s. The Grove RT550E is a 45 t capacity rough-terrain crane, offering the highest capacity and longest boom in its class at 39 m.

Davide Camperi, area sales manager for mobile cranes at Manitowoc Crane Group Italy, said the RT550E was chosen because of its operating speed, strength and precision on site. “At industrial sites it is necessary to use cranes that can handle a wide range of operations,” he said. “The strength and size of the RT550E makes it a very versatile machine that’s perfectly suited to handling a variety of jobs quickly and efficiently.”

At 12 m long and 2.55 m wide, the compact Grove RT550E is ideal for jobs that require a small footprint and a high lift capacity. The machine offers the new standardized Crane Control System (CCS) and features a user friendly interface, two full graphic displays mounted vertically for optimized viewing and a jog dial which enables highly intuitive crane control and data input. The system also incorporates the integrated Boom Configurator Mode which makes it quick and easy for the operator to select the optimum boom configuration for a specific lift. This allows operators to perform more lifts in less time – without compromising quality.

The Manitowoc cranes were in near constant use at the site. Among their many tasks included lifting much of the 7,000 t of steel needed to build the stadium. The RT550E mainly moved materials and installed steel structures. “The crane performed the typical tasks of a rough-terrain crane such as pick and carry activities and general handling duties on the jobsite,” said Camperi. “But additionally, thanks to its long boom and high lifting capacities, it carried out installation at heights that are normally achieved using two and three axle all-terrain cranes. One of the most appreciated features when completing an installation at height is that our CCS system allows the electronic controllers to be reprogrammed by the operator for specific requirements, making it easier to achieve more accurate results.”

The project’s main contractor, French construction giant Vinci, rented the RT550E from the Italian crane specialist Vernazza Autogru. "The RT550E is a unique machine offering a telescopic boom of 39 m and is quick and easy to set-up,” said Diego Vernazza, owner of Vernazza Autogru. "With its ease of use and affordability, the RT550E was a great edition to the jobsite.”

Stade des Lumières covers a 56,000 m2 area and is part of a bigger €450 million development covering 50 hectares. The site includes a training center, hotels, office buildings, a leisure center and several additional football pitches. The Stade des Lumières, which replaces the old Gerland stadium, was completed at the end of 2015.