Chinese manufacturer XCMG has introduced a super-scale tower to meet increasing demand for large-scale modular bridge construction development. The XGT15000-600S, which was developed jointly by XCMG (SHE:000425) and China Major Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd. (MBEC) is the world’s largest tower crane, the manufacturer has claimed.

The super tower crane will be used for mega-scale bridge construction projects including heavy lifting components, high working heights and wide construction ranges. Examples of this work can be seen in the construction of Changtai Yangtze River Bridge (the world’s largest diamond-type cable-stayed bridge) and the Chao-Ma railway bridge of the Ma’anshan Yangtze River Bridge (for both railway and highway).

“Through a decade of continuous exploration and development, XCMG has successfully created the XGT15000-600S super-tower crane with over 60 core technology breakthroughs. We have achieved 10 world firsts and set 10 world records. The weight of the tower crane is 4,000 tonnes, and that’s the equivalent of 100 regular tower cranes,” said Wang Min, Chairman, and CEO of XCMG.

The XGT15000-600S was crafted based on the S-series tower crane and adopts the combined design of a flat head main tower, boom auxiliary tower and manned elevator. It can lift to a height of 93.5m independently and over 400m with an attachment.

In March 2019, the firm said the Middle East, Africa and SE Asian markets were targeted for new crane launches, while in June 2020, the firm partnered with Cummins to build an electric excavator prototype. Earlier this month, Manitowoc launched a new version of its Potain MCT 565 for short-jib applications.