Manitowoc keeps customers’ cranes running even on the most remote jobsites. In this Looking Up series, we speak to the technicians that travel the world, troubleshooting issues for customers so the lifting work can continue no matter what.
What is your name and role?
My name is Lim Chin Meng and I am a technical support manager for Grove mobile cranes and Manitowoc crawler cranes.
Where are you based and what regions do you usually cover?
I am based in Singapore but I work across southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
How long have you been with the company?
It’s been 15 happy years. I joined Manitowoc as a product support technician in 2006 and was promoted to technical support manager in 2020. Manitowoc is such a great company to work for. I enjoy my job and am proud to play an important role in keeping customers satisfied and maintaining the strong brand reputation of our cranes.
Tell us about one of the most memorable or challenging jobs you have been involved with.
One of the most memorable and challenging jobs I have ever been involved with was at a remote copper mine in Sepon, Laos. I was leading the repair job with one of our technicians and the customer’s technical team to refurbish a Grove all-terrain crane, a GMK5220. After two months of teamwork, we managed to safely complete the refurbishment and bring the crane back into operational condition entirely to the customer’s satisfaction. For me, it was a very rewarding experience to breathe new life into the machine, while working alongside the customer’s own technicians. Thanks to all our hard work, the customer was able to get maximum value and productivity from the crane.
How does Manitowoc’s commitment to innovative design make your job easier?
One of Manitowoc’s best innovations is the CCS (Crane Control System), which is included on tower, crawler, all-terrain and rough-terrain mobile cranes. Despite the great variation in all these machines, they use the same control hardware (with the same spare parts) and the same service software. This definitely makes it easier for us to diagnose and fix any issues quicker, and get cranes back on the job faster and keep our customers happy. So, this innovative design benefits us, the technicians, as well as Manitowoc’s dealers and customers.
What is the best part of being a Manitowoc technician?
I'm a naturally curious person so for me the best part of being a Manitowoc technician is the chance to learn about all the latest technologies in the crane industry. I also enjoy being able to support customers and meet their needs across a region. I love the challenge of the job and am proud to be part of the Manitowoc family.
When you are not fixing customers’ cranes, what else do you like to do?
Whe I’m not at work I like fishing, bowling, camping and gardening, reading books… and studying the manuals of new crane models. I’m a crane man through and through.
Discover more about our service support on the Manitowoc website.