An executive with Broadwind Heavy Fabrications in Manitowoc said, “We’re extremely happy and somewhat shocked to actually have won” the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.
That statement from Brett Hartman, Director of Business Development for Broadwind after the Big Blue Crane was selected the winner recently by online voting.
Broadwind in Manitowoc was up against some very large players in the final-4 with the likes of Caterpillar, Mercury Marine and Kwik Trip.
After company officials claimed the prize at the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce event in the Milwaukee area, Hartman explained “We just think it’s neat to bring that trophy back to Manitowoc. We’ve had a ton of support from the local community in making that project happen.”
Hartman told Seehafer News. “KoneCranes put it very well, saying we couldn’t picked a better city and a better company to work with. Steve Weisenan was quoted as saying we can’t overstate the support we received in one way or another. I think the employees of Broadwind and the Manitowoc community to be recognized like they did says it all to us.
The company official said they also partnered with Sabbatical Brewery in the city in launching the Crane 38 IPA, which he quipped “in certain circles down at the event the beer was more popular than the crane.”
So, the next question is what’s next for Broadwind Heavy Fabrications and associated partners?
Hartman says they’re building a 2nd crane that’s somewhat smaller than Big Blue launched Memorial Day weekend.
It will be launched next Spring for use by the Army Corps of Engineers, but Hartman explained, “It’s a little bit different arrangement because it’ll go down the Mississippi we have to fabricate this crane, assemble it all and test it. Then, we’ll be taking it back apart, and putting it on some smaller barges and shipping it down to Louisiana.”
Parallel to that, Hartman said, they’re starting on a 3rd crane destined for Washington State later in 2022, and preliminary work has begun on a 4th crane with a timeline for shipment from Manitowoc all the way to Pearl Harbor Hawaii in 2023.
