Maker of world’s largest high reach excavator succumbs to economic pressures.
Rusch, the manufacturing company behind the largest high reach excavator ever to grace a demolition site, will close the gates of its factory for the final time on Monday.
The company, which first made the global demolition headlines with the development of a 90 metre high reach, has been the subject of intense speculation for more than a year.
However, earlier today, managing director Ruud Schreijer confirmed to DemolitionNews that the rumours were true this time and that Monday will mark the company’s last day.
The reasons behind the decision have not yet been made public, although a general slowing of the global demolition sector and – although exonerated – the fallout from the accident involving the 90 metre TUHD90 machine that killed Ad Swanink will certainly not have helped the company’s fortunes.
There were hopes that the company had put those troubles behind it with the development of the RS 4500 high reach, a machine that was a contender in last year’s Demolition Awards. But saddled with a high cost price in the midst of a global recession meant that the new unit was slow to find favour.
“It is a pity we could not prove to the industry that the RS 4500 is a good machine to make money with, despite the high purchase price,” Ruud Schreijer says. “We have tried and we lost.”
