World’s first Potain MR 229 luffing jib tower crane erected in London

• Radius Group has deployed the world’s first Potain MR 229 luffing jib tower crane for a housing project on Greenwich Peninsula in London, UK.

Radius Group, a UK crane rental company and Potain partner since 2008, recently erected the world’s first Potain MR 229 luffing jib crane. This milestone deployment occurred on a project for housing association L&Q Group, featuring 476 new homes on the Greenwich Peninsula in London.

Radius Group had already selected four MR 225 A cranes for the project based on the maximum capacity requirement of 2.15 t at full reach but increasing efficiency pressures led the company to swap one of the MR 225 A cranes for an MR 229 as soon as it became available. 

The MR 229 is the first Potain luffing jib crane to feature Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS), helping to get work done faster and more accurately. With CCS, it takes just 15 minutes to configure the crane, calibrate sensors for crane movement, and set the trolley limit switch and jib length. The MR 229 is also the first to include the new Potain CONNECT telematics system, which streamlines daily tasks, facilitates efficient fleet management, and optimizes service and maintenance.

Teddy Holt, Operations Director at Radius Group, said: “Innovation has always been critical to Radius Group, and this is an exciting milestone for us. Being the first lifting provider in the world to erect an MR 229 on a live construction site is another great example of having a strong focus on continuous improvement, making Radius a lifting industry leader.”

The Potain MR 229 boasts a maximum capacity of 14 t, jib lengths ranging from 30 to 55 m and an impressive 2.7 t tip load at full reach. Another important feature for congested jobsites is the short out of service radius, which is just 10 m or 12 m depending on the jib length. The crane also provides the option of two brand-new high-performance hoist winches: the 75HPL35 and the 110HPL35. For the Greenwich Peninsula project, it has been configured with a 50 m jib and 37.5 m height under hook and uses a 75HLP35 winch. The three MR 225 A cranes have been configured on fixing angles and with 40 m jibs.

Radius Group will be responsible for managing the cranes throughout the entire project lifecycle, including logistics, erection, operation, and dismantling. A key advantage of the choice of cranes is that they will be able to erect and dismantle each other, saving money on mobile cranes. The cranes will remain in operation until Q4 2025, with the project set for completion in 2027.

Radius Group is partnered with NFT, the leading tower crane supplier in the industry, which provides a complete tower crane solution. Radius has access to the NFT fleet, which is permanently growing and counts now more than 3,000 tower cranes, with a range of modern trolley jib cranes from 178 tm to 3200 tm and luffing jib cranes from 160 tm to 650 tm.