The Manitowoc Way is a business philosophy for us.

Prashant Suryawanshi, 
Managing Director, 
Manitowoc India.

The Manitowoc Way is a clear vision for a stronger company more focussed on customers.

In 2016 Manitowoc laid out a clear vision for a stronger Manitowoc Cranes that is more focused on customers and their needs. “At the heart of this strategy has been The Manitowoc Way, a set of lean principles that drives innovation and velocity in every aspect of the business. The Manitowoc Way is more than a mantra, says Prashant Suryawanshi, Managing Director, Manitowoc India. Excerpts from the interview

Could you tell us what made you select ‘The Manitowoc Way’ the tagline?

The Manitowoc Way is a business philosophy for us, much more than a tagline. It’s a clear vision for a stronger company more focussed on customers.

What exactly do you want to project or tell your clients through your operations under The Manitowoc Way?

In 2016 we laid out a clear vision for a stronger Manitowoc Cranes that is more focused on customers and their needs. At the heart of this strategy has been The Manitowoc Way, a set of lean principles that drives innovation and velocity in every aspect of the business. We have made significant progress in achieving our goals, and we are extremely proud of how both our employees and our customers have embraced this new line of thinking.

The Manitowoc Way is more than a mantra. We are working every single day to generate real gains. We have the industry’s best tower crane product portfolio. Investments into our innovation pipeline are producing a new generation of innovative mobile cranes. We are also revamping several other parts of the company to ensure Manitowoc remains a stable and agile company for decades to come. We are listening closely to what our dealers and customers need out of their cranes, and then we incorporate that into the design process.

How does it stand for the company’s missions and vision, and how it reflects your design philosophy and what the company stands for?

At last year’s Conexpo 2017, we showcased 12 new cranes. Two of them, the Grove TMS9000-2 truck-mounted crane and the GRT655L rough-terrain crane, were built from design concept to production prototype in just six months. The cranes also prove we can quickly translate customer needs into real products, using the power of The Manitowoc Way to deliver innovation and value that will delight them and also bolster their bottom lines.

We relocated crawler crane production from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S., to Shady Grove, Pennsylvania, U.S. We are also consolidating two of our plants in Portugal, and we have restructured self-erecting tower crane production in Italy, for example. Of course, in India we have relocated our Potain factory to Chakan.

These moves have exceeded our expectations, streamlining operations, cutting costs, increasing productivity and eliminating waste. We are actively ensuring our agility and our stability to produce not only the next generation of cranes, but also several generations into the future. On top of this, our factories and production processes are being updated and improved. Again the lean principles of The Manitowoc Way have set the course for great progress. At our Wilhelmshaven, Germany facility, for example, we were able to optimize our boom assembly process and associated testing requirements, eliminating waste. In Moulins, France, we improved automation on the mast production line to meet increased demand for tower cranes. There are many other examples, but these give an idea of the large-scale program we have in place that is improving velocity across all of
our facilities.

Do you think The Manitowoc Way has successfully differentiated the brand?

Yes. Our dealer network continues to grow, and we are expanding our presence and capabilities around the world. In 2017 we have added new dealers in Denmark, Hungary, Indonesia and Russia, for example. And we are continuing to support our long-term dealers with new
resources and training. In the Middle East, we are helping to support dealer expansions like NFT’s, which has been our partner for 30 years and just invested in a stunning new facility in the U.A.E.

Would you like to add anything about The Manitowoc Way?

Our future is bright. Our strategy is alive and well at Manitowoc Cranes and it is creating value for our customers, shareholders and employees. Though we have only been a standalone crane company for a relatively short time, the progress we have made is undeniable. I want to assure all of our stakeholders that our plan is succeeding and that we’re here for the long term. The Manitowoc Way has not only produced operational efficiency, it has provided the means for us to produce better cranes, forge better relationships, and overall, be a better company.

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