Saudi Arabia’s crane and heavy lifting company Arabian Consolidated Trading Est. (ACT) has taken delivery of the first Liebherr LTM 1650-8.1 all-terrain crane unit in the kingdom.

ACT, which had previously found success in using the Liebherr LTM 1500-8.1, the predecessor model to the LTM 1650-8.1, went for the latest 700-tonne model based on its previous positive experience with the Liebherr crane, the manufacturer said in an announcement.

Hassan Mohammed Rashid Al-Naimi, founder and president of ACT, said: “The LTM 1500-8.1 is a proven crane within the ACT Group that has also impressed our customers."

According to Liebherr, the new LTM 1650-8.1 outperforms its predecessor by 15 to 50 per cent in terms of load capacity – depending on the equipment.

"We wanted to have Saudi Arabia's first LTM 1650-8.1. ACT has always been a pioneer and has set standards in the crane business in Saudi Arabia. And we have now done this once again with the new 700t crane," said Al-Naimi.

Liebherr’s statement added that with ACT’s usual practice of buying fully-equipped cranes, the Saudi Arabian company purchased the LTM 1650-8.1 with both its telescopic boom lengths of 54m or 80m booms. To switch between them, only the corresponding telescopic sections must be changed, rather than the entire boom. This option allows the advantages of both boom variants to be exploited, the manufacturer added.

The 80m boom offers large hoist heights and radii, making ACT's new 700t crane suitable for jobs that fall between the capabilities of the LTM 1500-8.1 and the LTM 11200-9.1.

Liebherr added that the 54m telescopic boom offers advantages in terms of mobility, allowing the crane to travel on the road with the front supports and a 12t axle load. To minimise set-up time, however, the rear supports are installed as complete support boxes in a single hoist and connected using quick couplings.

"We need a fast crane, a so-called taxi crane. The LTM 1650-8.1 is easy to mobilise. This is important for emergency maintenance work in the refineries, where we only have four hours to set up for shutdown work. The new 700t crane is the best choice here," explained Al-Naimi.

According to Liebherr, the technical aspects of its cranes are highly valued by ACT, and it quoted Al-Naimi as saying: “Generally speaking, everyone here at ACT is convinced by the standards Liebherr sets each time they launch a new product.”

This satisfaction with Liebherr cranes also extends to ACT's customers: "Our customer Aramco is very satisfied with Liebherr in the field of refinery maintenance and shutdown work in particular," said Al-Naimi.
This is also where the main application areas for ACT's new LTM 1650-8.1 lie. Liebherr's fast and reliable service is also very important for ACT, since it keeps crane downtime to a minimum.

ACT purchased its first Liebherr crane in 1987. “Willi Liebherr's visit to our site in 1992 strengthened our business relationship even further. Apart from our partnership, we are very satisfied with Liebherr's service and local presence in Saudi Arabia. This is also the reason why our customers prefer Liebherr for these types of large orders,” Al-Naimi said.

ACT was founded in Saudi Arabia in 1986 and has grown steadily ever since. Besides its many years of experience in the areas of crane and heavy-duty equipment rental, the company also focuses on modernisation measures. In total, ACT operates 238 cranes, 180 of which were manufactured by Liebherr. Headquartered in Jubail, the company has offices in Dubai, Riyadh, Dammam and Yanbu, and employs a total of 1,000 people. The company's focus is on crane rental and operations in refinery maintenance and decommissioning.