60 years of CRANEFRIGOR crane air conditioning

60 years CRANEFRIGOR™

Our history

1961 was not only the year of the first human space flight by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin – it was also the year in which our first CRANEFRIGOR™ crane air-conditioning unit was launched. It therefore marked the beginning of a success story that continues to this day.

Our first crane air-conditioning systems were developed and manufactured in the Allgäu region as early as 1961. Those early products still bore the name “Sulzer-Escher Wyss” and were produced in Lindau on Lake Constance. In those days, the company was an engineering factory specialising in refrigeration technology. Sulzer-Escher Wyss had recognised the need for targeted crane cooling at an early stage – to protect the sensitive power and control electronics on the one hand and ensure optimum working conditions for the crane operators on the other.

Its first customers were local heating companies, such as foundries, steelworks and rolling mills. Demand for the company’s products grew rapidly – both nationally and internationally. In 2005, FrigorTec GmbH, a successful manufacturer of grain cooling equipment, acquired the cooling equipment division of Axima Refrigeration GmbH (formerly Sulzer-Escher Wyss). By now, air-conditioning systems had also become increasingly common in port facilities and container terminals worldwide, which further increased the already surging demand for crane air-conditioning units.

Furthermore, to facilitate the use of cranes all year round, our company was among the first suppliers worldwide to develop crane air-conditioning units that not only cool, but can also heat and filter the exterior air in cold climates. These systems, which have proven themselves all over the world, are available with numerous installation options and output levels.

Crane air-conditioning system 1974

TD series with fairing removed (1974)

Detailed view air-conditioning unit 1974

TD series: detailed view of the air-conditioning unit (1974)

Oil-cooling unit 1975

TD series: detailed view of oil-cooling unit (1975)

Our customers

CRANEFRIGOR™ crane air-conditioning systems are produced in Germany and successfully used for climate control in crane bridges, crane cabins, containers, control rooms and control cabinets worldwide. With our sophisticated product solutions, we support customers in over 80 countries around the world – predominantly in the fields of metal production, container terminals, coking plants, mining, oil and gas, paper manufacturing, chemical plants, cement plants, offshore applications and power stations.

Factory test run

Factory test run in the technology centre at the company headquarters in Amtzell, Germany (1998)

CRANEFRIGOR compact units

CRANEFRIGOR™ compact units before delivery (1998)

Production crane air-conditioning units

Production of crane air-conditioning units (1998)

Your advantages

Today, FrigorTec offers and produces high-performance crane air conditioning units that are characterised by maximum flexibility. Our customers from over 80 countries around the world not only appreciate the first-class quality of the CRANEFRIGOR™ crane air-conditioners, but also the extensive possibilities offered by our modular system: filters, heating, ATEX versions, water-cooled versions, flat units, slim units and much more. Our product portfolio is rounded off by services ranging from a 365-7-24 service hotline to unit optimisation tools (e.g. via remote diagnosis), as well as an app that allows remote operation of our crane air-conditioning units.

Key benefits at a glance:

  • Tailor-made solutions thanks to a large number of available outputs
  • Variable installation options thanks to compact and split versions – even in environments with critical space requirements
  • Versatile electrical options in terms of voltage, frequency and current type
  • Highly robust; designed for extreme impact loads and environments, e.g. salt-laden air
  • Worldwide services, e.g. commissioning, monitoring, data analytics system
  • Online shop for rapid procurement of spare parts and useful accessories
  • Numerous optional extras, e.g. condensate evaporators and fresh-air filter units
  • Made in Germany

Cooling crane electronic system

Cooling of the crane electronic system, USA (2020)

Crane cabin cooling

Crane cabin cooling aluminium production, Turkey (2016)

Cooling crane control and crane electric system

Cooling of the crane control / crane electric system, Indonesia (2019)

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