• Jun 11, 2025
• Case Studies

10-Ton MHO Gantry Crane for a New Factory in Mongolia

Check out our 10-ton MHO gantry crane, perfect for boosting efficiency in your new manufacturing plant in Mongolia. Discover how it can streamline your operations!

Client Background and Project Goals

This client is a manufacturer expanding into heavy fabrication in Mongolia. Mongolia's economy is dominated by mining and heavy industry, so local manufacturers often produce large steel structures and machinery parts for mining and construction. The client set up a new factory to fabricate and assemble heavy components (large steel frames, machine parts and semi-finished products) for these industries. Moving and positioning such heavy loads was a core requirement. The plant layout includes a roofed workshop area and an adjacent open storage yard. The client needed a heavy-duty industrial gantry crane to handle up to 10 tonnes, covering both indoor and outdoor zones on fixed rails.

Lifting Requirements and Challenges

The factory's material handling requirements include hoisting huge welded steel assemblies, hefty equipment modules, and prefabricated components weighing several tons. Key requirements were an overhead system capable of lifting up to 10 tonnes at approximately 4 meters in height (sufficient for tall machines and stacks of parts) and with a span equal to the distance between support columns. Critically, the crane had to work both indoors and outdoors. Without a gantry system, the client relied on mobile forklifts and portable hoists, which were slow and fragmented. There was no coordinated approach for carrying heavy assemblies from the workshop to the outdoor yard, which resulted in workflow bottlenecks. Yuantai's solution needs to connect the two zones on a continuous track system while also providing reliable, precise lifting for huge loads.

Challenges with Material Handling

Before the gantry crane was installed, the client encountered various problems. Heavy items were moved with separate cranes or forklifts, necessitating repeated lifts and re-handling. The fragmented approach increased labor time and risk. Hoisting massive machine components between the interior floor and outdoor storage was especially problematic because existing cranes or trucks couldn't conveniently serve both regions. Essentially, the factory lacked a coordinated material-handling system for high loads. The client required a specialized crane that could go on rails from inside to outside, giving a complete solution for workshop-to-yard transfers. The key concerns were to minimize downtime and ensure safe handling of 10-ton loads.

Yuantai's Customized Gantry Crane Solution

1. Design and Specifications

The supplied crane is a custom single-girder frame gantry crane built to the site layout. Yuantai designed the bridge (main girder) to span 8.3 meters between the end trucks, with a lifting height of about 3.95 meters (just under 4 m). The steel box-beam girder and legs were fabricated as modular sections for easy transport and assembly on site. The crane's structural components are made of heavy steel plate and reinforced weldments, giving the system rigidity for 10-ton loads. The bridge rests on two vertical A‑frame legs with bogies (end trucks) and runs on steel rails embedded in the floor. These rails extend from the indoor workshop floor out into the adjacent yard. This outdoor gantry crane with track setup allows the crane to roll smoothly between indoors and outdoors. In engineering the design, Yuantai also specified a European-style wire rope hoist mounted on the bridge for the lifting mechanism.

The design meets high-duty standards. For example, the hoist and travel drives are rated for continuous heavy industrial use (FEM/ISO M5 or M6 class) and an ambient range down to –20°C, ensuring reliable performance in Mongolia's cold climate. The complete system is painted and sealed for outdoor exposure. Overall, the custom 10-ton gantry crane was engineered as a heavy-duty industrial gantry crane with ample safety factor and smooth motion over the specified span. The crane's height and span were tailored to the factory layout, providing full coverage of the work area without modification of the building. Its legs run on rails in both zones, making it effectively one continuous crane for indoor and outdoor factory use.

2. Crane Structure and Components

The crane's main girder is a welded box-beam spanning 8.3 m, made of high-strength steel plates. It is designed for minimal deflection under full load. The two end trucks (legs) also use heavy steel sections bolted to rails. Each component (girder segments, leg sections, rail supports) is modular so it can be assembled on site. Yuantai ensured the structure meets national and international crane codes for load capacity and safety. The modular steel design also means the crane can be reconfigured in future if the factory layout changes. Overall, the strong girder and leg design give high stability and a long fatigue life.

3. Indoor and Outdoor Operation

Yuantai set up the gantry crane to serve both the inside workshop and the outdoor yard. The crane rails are continuous from the inner floor to the outside area, allowing the crane to move back and forth with high loads. Inside the workshop, the crane raises pieces directly above the assembly benches and workstations. Then it can roll outdoors on the ground track to transport the parts to the storage yard or onto vehicles. This removes the need for multiple outdoor cranes and forklifts. The system is designed specifically for indoor and outdoor factory use. In actuality, the design was based on normal outdoor gantry crane standards, such as weatherproof paint, sealed bearings and motors, and tough electronics. The crane can withstand wind, rain, and dust while transporting cargo. In summary, the end-to-end rail and drive system streamlines material movement, allowing the crane to serve numerous zones smoothly.

4. European Wire Rope Hoist and Durability

The high-quality European wire rope hoist installed on the bridge is an essential component. Yuantai chose a hoist designed to strong European standards, known for its durability and long life. The hoist uses a strong-duty steel wire rope to raise huge goods safely. It also has a dual-disc electric brake on the motor end, which ensures solid load holding and little creep. These safety elements, combined with limit switches and overload protection, provide dependable operation. The hoist's modular integrated design (with a compact hoisting motor, gearbox, and controls) makes it almost maintenance-free. Lubrication is lifetime-sealed, and the design keeps dust and moisture out of essential components, ensuring lifespan. In short, the European hoist provides great precision, faster lifting rates, and the required duty rating for heavy industrial use. It is also rated for ambient temperatures ranging from -20°C to +40°C, which corresponds to the Mongolian environment. This assures that the hoist will function properly even in the coldest winter weather.

Advantages of the Gantry Crane Solution

Yuantai's crane brings several advantages for the factory:

• Integrated Handling: The rail-mounted gantry design links the workshop and yard. Large assemblies no longer require multiple lifts or transfer between trucks. One crane now covers the entire flow path, improving efficiency and safety.
• Customized Fit: The 8.3 m span, 3.95 m lift, and rail layout were custom-designed for this small manufacturing facility. This custom gantry crane fits the plant dimensions exactly, avoiding unnecessary building modifications. The modular design also makes on-site installation and any future relocation easy.
• Heavy-Duty Construction: The crane's steel box girder, legs, and undercarriages are built to carry 10 tonnes continuously. This heavy-duty industrial gantry crane is engineered well above its duty load, so deflection and wear are minimal. Components are sized and welded for high strength and long fatigue life.
• Multi-Zone Adaptability: The system is explicitly suited for indoor and outdoor use. Protective paint and sealed parts provide weather resistance, so the crane can operate reliably in both sheltered shop and open yard. This adaptability allows flexible deployment anywhere around the plant.
• Durable Hoist: The European wire rope hoist offers exceptional reliability. Its high-tensile wire rope and robust brake system ensure safe load control. Thanks to dust-proof housing and lubrication-free gears, the hoist requires very little maintenance. In routine use it will maintain precise control and long service intervals.
• Cost and Efficiency Gains: Using a gantry crane with no need for an elevated runway reduces building costs. It also speeds up production: heavy parts are moved in a single operation rather than multiple manual steps. Overall production efficiency is improved by mechanizing material handling.

These benefits make the solution well-suited to the client's needs. The crane provides a turnkey heavy-lifting system that solves the factory's material-flow issues while offering robust performance and flexibility.

Applications in Other Industries

10‑ton gantry cranes like this one are common in many sectors. They are used wherever heavy, bulk loads must be moved efficiently. For example:

• Manufacturing and Steel Fabrication: Plants that build large steel frames, machinery or structural components use gantry cranes to lift heavy assemblies. In outdoor steel yards or indoor fabrication halls, these cranes move beams and modules.
• Shipyards and Ports: Gantry cranes are indispensable for shipbuilding, handling hull sections, engines and cargo. Likewise, in port terminals and rail yards they load and unload containers and heavy equipment, improving logistics throughput.
• Construction and Prefab Yards: In precast concrete production or prefab building yards, gantry cranes lift and position heavy beams, panels and blocks. They speed up the assembly of modular structures by moving large elements safely.
• Assembly Lines: Automotive and heavy machinery assembly zones employ gantries for installing engines and modules. Even aircraft or wind turbine manufacturers use them in specialized assembly areas.
• Warehousing and Storage Yards: Gantry cranes serve scrap yards, freight yards, and warehouses to stack and sort heavy materials. Their mobility on rails allows flexible coverage of large storage areas.

In all these applications, a 10 ton gantry crane offers a balance of capacity and cost. It is heavy-duty enough for large components, yet still manageable for plants of modest size. The ability to customize span and height makes it a versatile solution across industries.

Conclusion

By supplying this custom 10‑ton MHO gantry crane, Yuantai provided the client with a single integrated lifting solution. The crane is now in operation, moving heavy parts smoothly between the workshop and yard. Its robust design and European hoist ensure reliable, long-term service. The solution significantly improved the plant's material handling efficiency and safety. This case exemplifies how a heavy-duty, track-mounted gantry crane can be tailored to a small manufacturing facility's exact needs, covering both indoor and outdoor operations. Yuantai continues to support the customer with installation, training and service, helping them achieve high productivity in their new factory.