Sergey Neznamov reveals why purchasing used Potain cranes guarantees product authenticity and quality. Read on to learn more about the benefits of these cranes.
Meet Sergey Neznamov, a regional sales manager for tower cranes for Manitowoc in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Looking Up spoke with him to find out why used Potain cranes are rapidly growing in popularity throughout Central Asia.
Looking Up: Why should customers consider purchasing a used Potain crane?
Sergey Neznamov: Our customers prefer Potain, whether they want a new crane or a more affordable previously owned one. With either, the main benefits are reliability and high quality – Potain is known globally as a premium brand that keeps customers happy.
Used Potain cranes provide high-quality at a lower cost and customers get peace of mind knowing our dedicated after-sales team is ready and available to fix any issues. With a used crane from Potain, customers get almost all the same benefits that come with a new machine. Additionally, these used cranes have a much quicker delivery time of only a few weeks.
LU: Why is it better to buy a used crane directly from Potain and not from an external source?
SN: For one, counterfeit cranes are a serious and ongoing issue across the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Unscrupulous crane brokers might alter the manufacturing dates or plates of the crane. They might use counterfeit masts or jib sections, or other components. This deceives the customer and at worst can lead to a serious accident or fatal injury. When you buy a used crane from Potain, you can be confident it’s authentic.
The second reason to buy direct from Potain is for the highly qualified technical crane specialists that support your crane. Our experts analyze each crane and perform preventative maintenance to ensure it stays in the best condition.
LU: Can you describe the process of purchasing a used Potain crane?
SN: It’s nearly identical to the process for buying a new crane. For both new and used crane sales, we start by asking what maximum capacity the customer needs, what area they need to cover, etc. With the used crane buying process, we need to understand the customer’s budget, how long they expect their crane to run, and what age of crane they are looking for. Each customer has different preferences.
LU: Are there any additional steps taken to prepare a used crane before delivering it to the customer?
SN: Over 90% of the used cranes we sell in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are from our Zhangjiagang factory in China. For these, we do a thorough pre-delivery checkup to ensure the crane is running smoothly so we deliver it with no issues. There are no additional costs for this, and we will repair any damage we find. We also apply a really nice touchup and wash the crane, so it looks immaculate when it arrives. Our customers are proud to own Potain cranes, so we want them to look and perform world-class!
LU: What are the most popular used Potain cranes?
SN: Our best-selling used model across all regions is the MC 120. It's an affordable and productive 6 t crane with a 60 m boom, which was manufactured from 2011-2014. If a customer wants an MC120 we can source one almost immediately – we have them consistently in stock and available. Of course, there will be a waiting time of a few weeks to prepare the crane before the customer can transport it to the jobsite, but this is still faster than the delivery times that generally apply for new cranes.