Tadano to acquire IHI crane and handling equipment business

“We are excited to further enact our mid-term management plan through this acquisition,” Toshiaki Ujiie, Tadano president and CEO. Photo: Tadano

Crane and aerial platform manufacturer Tadano will expand on its diversification strategy with the acquisition of materials handling equipment and systems business IHI Transport Machinery Co. Ltd.

It is a crane and bulk materials handling manufacturing subsidiary of IHI Corporation in Japan. The acquisition value is not being disclosed, Tadano told ICST.

The move, announced 6 November, is part of Tadano’s mid-term management plan to include a wider range of lifting equipment in its product portfolio. With this acquisition Tadano will almost double its product offering in terms of the number of crane types it manufactures. It comes less than two months after Tadano announced its acquisition of crane manufacturer Manitex International headquartered in the USA.

The IHI S-Movable Towercrane with legs installed. Photo: H-G Kessel

Wide product range

IHI Transport Machinery has more than 50 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing. Its product range includes large luffing jib tower cranes, ship to shore and other port cranes, large offshore and floating heavy lift cranes, wind turbine cranes, industrial EOT cranes and equipment for bulk material handling. IHI Transport Machinery reported net sales of JPY 73,389 million (US$ 477 million) in the last fiscal year and an operating profit of JPY 2,310 million ($15 million). The part of the business being acquired by Tadano generated net sales of JPY 30,960 million ($200 million).

All 550 employees are to be retained, Tadano said. They are mainly at the Yasuura plant in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Tadano said there will be synergies with its crawler crane manufacturing business in Germany.

President’s comment

Commenting on the move Toshiaki Ujiie, Tadano president and CEO, said, “We are excited to further enact our mid-term management plan through this acquisition. Tadano remains focused on the global lifting market and offers over a century of industry experience. However, tower and port cranes are new products for our group, and they give Tadano the ability to develop deeper relationships with our customers and better serve their lifting needs.”

On the synergies Ujiie said, “the ring lift cranes offer many synergies with our lattice boom crawler cranes manufactured by Tadano in Germany, and we anticipate these cranes will supplement our offshore wind power equipment needs.”

Completion and final transfer of the business is projected to be in July 2025. It is likely that the IHI branding will be dropped in favour of Tadano.

IHI’s 3,600 tonne capacity floating crane. Photo: IHI