As Green as it Gets – Six WOLFF Cranes Move 60.000 Cubic Meters of Concrete for the Memmingen Hospital

06.03.2026 | Press Release

While one WOLFF 6531.12 Cross was used for site preparation and dismantled again in autumn 2025, the remaining five WOLFF cranes will, over their average deployment period of 16 months, move around 60,000 cubic meters of concrete and 10,000 tons of reinforcing steel on the hospital construction site. With tip load capacities of up to 3.3 tons (WOLFF 6531.12 Cross), maximum lifting capacities of up to 16.5 tons (WOLFF 7534.16 Clear), and hoisting speeds of up to 185 m/min (WOLFF 7534.16), the fleet is perfectly equipped for this “material battle”. Since the beginning of last year, the cranes have been operating 12 hours a day without pause.

A Matter of Positioning

The high performance of the green WOLFF cranes is not all that is required on this construction site. Wolffkran contributed its structural engineering expertise already during the early planning phase and supported the definition of crane locations, which proved in this project to be structurally demanding. The cranes were placed in zones that will later be used as light wells. These areas contain underground rainwater infiltration systems. In addition, a lower-lying building section housing a wastewater pumping station is located beneath one of the crane positions.    

“Because high compressive loads are not permitted in these areas, the crane foundations had to be designed so that forces are safely transferred into load-bearing ground. Hook heights and crane positions were selected accordingly to ensure compliance with permissible corner loads and overall ground stability,” explains Wolfgang Kavelius, Sales Executive at WOLFFKRAN. “At the same time, five cranes can work simultaneously despite overlapping working areas,” Kavelius adds.  

A Solid Foundation

The cranes were installed on cross frames with special precast concrete counterweights produced by Glass GmbH in its own concrete plant. These are designed so they can be removed individually during dismantling – partly by neighboring tower cranes and partly using mobile cranes. This ensures that the infiltration function of the underground rainwater infiltration systems is preserved.  

A Strong Partnership

“For complex projects like the one in Memmingen, close coordination and technical expertise are essential,” says Michael Stehr, Head of Crane Technology at Glass. “When large volumes of material have to be moved every day, you need cranes that deliver consistent performance – and a partner who already knows what matters during the planning phase. That’s exactly what we value about WOLFFKRAN,” Stehr adds.

Glass has been relying on WOLFFKRAN for 14 years. The fleet now comprises 44 WOLFF cranes; eight new WOLFF cranes were added just last year alone. Glass is currently working with WOLFF cranes on projects including the expansion of the production site of the pharmaceutical company Daiichi-Sanyo in Pfaffenhofen and the construction of a new paper machine plant for Fripa in Miltenberg.

Photo credits: © Linus Reulein / Courtesy of Glass GmbH