Sizzlingheat during the day, icy cold at night – these were the harsh weatherconditions awaiting a four-person Tadano team and a CC 38.650-1 lattice boomcrawler crane at the Cerro Verde copper mine in Peru. The plan was for Peruviancrane service provider San Lorenzo’s brand new crane to set up a 247-tonne sectionof a conveyor belt that would be used to move gravel and rocks from the bottomof the mine upwards. The Tadano team took care of setting up, commissioning,and handing over the crane, as well as of training the San Lorenzo team in howto operate their new CC 38.650-1.

“The reason we decidedon the extremely versatile CC 38.650-1 for this grueling job was the fact thatit’s an incredibly powerful and rugged machine that can handle the kind of conditionsyou find at this type of mine day in, day out. Those conditions entail a lot ofwear, so it was good to have the Peruvian TÜV office confirm it by approvingthe Tadano CC 38.650-1 for unlimited use at all mines in South America. Andthen, of course, you have the fact that the crane’s design is cleverly andsystematically optimized for transportation, so it was relatively easy to bringthe unit to what ultimately was a work site that is normally difficult toaccess,” explains Tadano Technical Training instructor Sönke Eichhorn, whotraveled all the way from Zweibrücken for the job.

His mission, as well asthat of his Tadano co-workers Domagoj Bozic, Jair Solís, and Leandro HenriqueRibeiro Oliveira, was to ensure that the crane would be fully set up at themine with an SSL_1 configuration including an 84-meter main boom, Vario-SLsystem, ramshorn hook block, 225 tonnes of counterweight, and 245 tonnes of Superliftcounterweight within six weeks. “As we all know, setting up the CC 38.650-1usually takes just a few days. However, we used the job as an opportunity toset up the crane together with the customer’s personnel – the first time they’dbe doing it, in fact – and provide training for the San Lorenzo team and ouremployees throughout the whole process,” Sönke Eichhorn says when explainingwhy the setup time was so unusually long.

Health check and safetybriefing for the team

Before all that couldhappen, however, the crane had to be shipped from Germany to Peru. Once at thePort of Callao in Lima, it was taken to San Lorenzo’s premises in Arequipafirst, and from there resumed its journey with a total of 28 trucks to theCerro Verde mine at an altitude of 2700 meters. Unlike the crane though, theTadano team first had a layover at the hospital operated by the Cerro Verdemine operator. “We had to have a medical examination there just to make surethat we were healthy and in good enough physical shape for the strenuous workthat awaited us in that harsh environment,” Sönke Eichhorn reports. Once everyonehad been cleared, the team was briefed on the various work, health and safetyrules for the mine at the Cerro Verde training center. “The work there isobviously not without its dangers, so the rules were pretty strict,” explainsSönke Eichhorn, who found the work site to be extremely loud, dusty, and harshin general – a real test of strength for man and machine, he adds.

Smooth setup

Despite the adversesurroundings, the team was able to set up the crane for the first time onschedule while providing all the planned training, so that the assembly processfor the conveyor belt was able to start as expected. A Tadano AC 5.220-1was deployed as an auxiliary crane to assist in the assembly of the CC 38.650-1. It had been driven tothe mine all by its own and that was able to handle the extreme conditions onsite just as well as the crawler crane. Once fully assembled, the CC 38.650-1placed the first 80-meter-long, 247-tonne section of the conveyor belt on twopreviously erected supports. The procedure will be repeated numerous timesuntil the conveyor belt has been fully assembled with its complete length of900 meters and reached the bottom of the mine.

Effusive words of praisefor Tadano

Although the Tadano teamhas been back home for quite a while now, the CC 38.650-1 will be staying atthe mine for another five years. “We have more than enough work for it,”assures San Lorenzo Service Manager Victor Condori, who had effusive words ofpraise for the Tadano instructor team: “We’re tremendously grateful that Sönkeand his colleagues went all in to help us set up the CC 38.650-1 for the firsttime ever despite the tough conditions at our mine. We worked togetherincredibly smoothly, and to tell you the truth, the training they provided wassimply perfect,” he says on behalf the entire San Lorenzo team.

Press contact:

Damien Bizjak

Phone   +49 6332 83 1023

E-mail   Damien.Bizjak@tadano.com

About Grúas &Transportes San Lorenzo

Grúas & TransportesSan Lorenzo, which is headquartered in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, wasfounded in 2003. The company specializes in heavy haulage, crane and heavymachinery rentals, and the corresponding technical equipment. Its clientelecomes from the mining, energy, industrial, construction, and infrastructuresectors.

Grúas & TransportesSan Lorenzo has a state-of-the-art fleet featuring numerous transport vehiclesand cranes with lifting capacities of up to 700 tonnes, the latter of which iscovered by a Demag AC 700-9. The company’s most recent acquisition is a TadanoCC 38.650-1 lattice boom crawler crane, which will be significantly boostingthe company’s capabilities when it comes to large-scale projects thanks to alifting capacity of 650 tonnes.

For more information, please visit www.gtslsac.com

About the Tadano Group

Since introducingJapan's first hydraulic truck crane in 1955, Tadano has become a global leader inlifting and access equipment, helping businesses reach new heights. Thecompany’s dedication to safety, quality, and efficiency—based on compliance(C+SQE)—is reflected in every product and service.

Known for its reliability,innovation, and performance, Tadano offers world-class solutions across theconstruction, energy, and industrial sectors worldwide. Its global supportnetwork ensures Tadano equipment performs effectively in any environment,meeting the highest standards of efficiency and sustainability.

Guided by the corporatephilosophy of "Creation, Contribution, and Cooperation," the TadanoGroup is committed to contributing to environmental preservation and fosteringa sustainable society. By maximizing value for stakeholders and engaging insustainable business practices, Tadano continues its pursuit of excellence forboth the present and the future.

For more information,visit www.tadano.com.