At A Glance
The Job
For HEP ODS d.o.o. setting a single concrete power pole took four vehicles: one to haul the pole, one to drill the foundation hole, one to lift the pole into place, and one to lift a technician to the top. Every pole meant coordinating a convoy.
The Solution
27 PALFINGER units and 29 single-axle trailers, handed over on July 15, 2026: ten TEC loader cranes and 17 aerial work platforms in two sizes, on Iveco and Ford chassis.
The Result
One truck can now haul the pole, drill the hole, set the pole and lift the technician to the top: less coordination, less travel time, less on-site handling. A fleet ready for everyday maintenance and emergencies – and a partnership of nearly three decades, renewed.
One Truck Now Does A Four-Vehicle Job
Somewhere in Croatia, a power pole needs to go up. It used to take a whole convoy of machinery: one vehicle to transport the concrete pole, another one to dig the hole for the foundation, another to lift the pole, and one more to get a technician to the top. Today, one truck rolls out – and it does it all.
That truck is one of 10 PK 245 TEC loader cranes delivered as part of a fleet of 27 PALFINGER units handed over to HEP – Distribution System Operator Ltd. (HEP ODS), Croatia's power distribution system operator, in July. Alongside 29 specialized trailers, the delivery represents one of the largest projects completed by PK-Palfinger Kran d.o.o. in recent years. Yet this story is about more than vehicles and equipment. It's about the people who build, maintain and restore Croatia's electricity network, and the trusted tools that help them keep the power flowing.
Guardians Of The Grid
HEP ODS, part of the Croatian Electric Power Company (HEP Group), manages, maintains, develops, and builds Croatia's electricity distribution network. Its field teams are the ones out there making sure electricity reaches end users safely and reliably, all across the country.
Our relationship with HEP runs deep. Since the first delivery in 1997, our partner PK-Palfinger Kran has supplied more than 375 loader cranes, aerial work platforms, and other specialized solutions to HEP companies throughout Croatia. Nearly three decades of trust – renewed once again with this handover.
“Modernizing our vehicle fleet is an important part of HEP ODS's continuous investment in the safety, reliability and efficiency of work on the electricity distribution network. The new specialized vehicles will enable our field teams to work more efficiently and safely while further enhancing our readiness for everyday maintenance and emergency interventions throughout Croatia.”
Tibor-Mijo Kuljanić, M.Sc., HEP – Distribution System Operator Ltd.
One Vehicle, One Complete Work Process
The heart of the delivery: ten PK 245 TEC loader cranes on Iveco T-Way 360 chassis – the smallest model in our TEC range, and proof that compact can be complete.
Watch one in action and the old convoy becomes obsolete. The vehicle transports the concrete pole itself, together with its single-axle trailer built by PK-Palfinger Kran. The earth auger drills the hole. The crane – with five hydraulic extensions and 15.3 meters of hydraulic outreach – sets the pole. And from the PALFINGER workman basket, the technician connects the power line right at the top. One vehicle, one crew, one complete work process. No second truck, less coordination, less travel time, less on-site handling.
Smart Control makes the precise work possible – turning delicate tasks like drilling with the earth auger into smooth, intuitive operation. Each unit is completed by a TS-4.1 modular cargo body, a 36 kN hydraulic winch with 40 meters of steel wire rope, a transport and handling system for concrete poles, a removable turntable, and a rear storage rack.
Safe At Height, Fast On The Ground
For maintenance, repairs, and work at height, HEP ODS received ten P 200 A-E aerial work platforms on Iveco Daily chassis: 19.7 meters of working height, 8.4 meters of side outreach, a 250 kg basket capacity – and an insulated PVC work basket for work on electrical installations. When the grid can't be switched off, safety can't be optional.
And when speed matters most, seven compact P 130 A platforms on Ford Ranger chassis get crews where larger vehicles can't go. With 13 meters of working height, 7 meters of side outreach, a 3,500 kg electric winch, aluminum toolboxes, stabilizer pad holders, and rear-light protection, they're built for rapid deployment in restricted-access locations and demanding field conditions.
Complementary by design: the loader cranes build and install, the platforms maintain, inspect and respond at height – every vehicle used where it creates the most value.
The Products
Trailers
10 × PST100 single-axle trailer
Load capacity: 6,150 kg
19 × NDM750 single-axle trailer
Adjustable drawbars
More Than A Handover
On July 15, around 60 people from HEP ODS and PK-Palfinger Kran came together for a day that was equal parts technical training, formal vehicle handover, and celebration among long-standing partners.
Operators received hands-on instruction on the new TEC functions and assistance systems, safe operation of the workman baskets, the earth auger, and aerial work platform handling – with follow-up training on-site at customer locations already offered. And there was one more commitment behind the scenes: PK-Palfinger Kran completed the entire delivery before HEP's company-wide summer vacation. Because a partnership isn't just measured in units delivered – it’s measured in keeping your word on the customer's schedule.
“This delivery represents one of the most significant projects we have completed in recent years. We are especially proud that it marks the continuation of our successful partnership with HEP ODS, which has been ongoing since 1997. The trust they continue to place in us is a testament to the quality of our products, the expertise of our employees, and the strong partnership we have built over nearly three decades.”
Nataša Rakovac-Rustja, Head of Sales and Marketing, PK-Palfinger Kran
More To Come
This was already the second handover to HEP this year – and it won't be the last. In autumn, 25 more units are set to follow: eleven additional PK 245 TEC loader cranes on Iveco chassis and fourteen PK 18502 SH loader cranes on MAN chassis, further expanding HEP ODS's specialized fleet.
Nearly three decades in, the mission hasn’t changed: keeping Croatia’s lights on – together.
Explore The Handover
Success In Numbers
FAQs
Who is HEP ODS?
HEP ODS, formally HEP – Distribution System Operator Ltd., builds, maintains and develops Croatia's electricity distribution network. It is part of the Croatian Electric Power Company (HEP Group), Croatia's national power utility, and operates the regulated distribution network across the entire country. Its field teams handle scheduled maintenance as well as fault and emergency response nationwide.
What does a distribution system operator do?
A distribution system operator runs the medium- and low-voltage network that carries electricity from the high-voltage transmission grid to homes, farms and businesses. Its work covers new connections, pole and line construction, routine inspection, and restoring supply after faults. It is a separate role from the transmission system operator, which manages the high-voltage backbone.
Where is Croatia, and what makes its power network distinctive?
Croatia is a European Union member state on the Adriatic, with about 3.87 million inhabitants (mid-2024 estimate) across 56,594 square kilometers of land. Its distribution network has to reach inland farming and mountain regions, island communities supplied in part by submarine cables, and coastal areas where tourism lifts summer demand well above the winter baseline. HEP ODS runs field operations from 129 field units grouped into 21 distribution areas.
How large is Croatia's electricity distribution network?
HEP ODS operates around 143,500 kilometers of distribution network serving roughly 2.58 million metering points and 27,361 transformer stations across the whole of Croatia. The network distributed 15,747 GWh of electricity in 2024, and the company employs about 6,700 people. Figures are HEP ODS's own, as of December 31, 2024.
Source: HEP ODS's Ten-Year (2026–2035) Distribution Network Development Plan.
What is PK-Palfinger Kran?
PK-Palfinger Kran is PALFINGER's general representative for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Founded in Rijeka in 1992, it builds its own truck superstructures, trailers and semi-trailers alongside mounting and servicing PALFINGER equipment, and operates a central production and logistics center in Kukuljanovo and a service center in Zagreb.
How long has PALFINGER equipment been supplied to HEP?
Since 1997. Across HEP Group companies in Croatia, PK-Palfinger Kran has delivered more than 375 PALFINGER loader cranes, aerial work platforms and other specialized units. The July 2026 handover of 27 units and 29 trailers to HEP ODS is one of the largest projects PK-Palfinger Kran has completed in recent years.
What is a loader crane?
A loader crane is a hydraulic crane mounted on a truck, usually behind the cab, that folds for transport and extends to lift and place loads at the work site. Utilities use them to carry, position and set items such as concrete power poles, transformers and cable drums without bringing in a separate mobile crane.
What is the PALFINGER TEC range?
TEC is PALFINGER's redesigned loader crane range. Its cranes are built around the P-profile boom, a polygonal extension shape that is both light and rigid, and use PALTRONIC 180 control electronics with the LX-6 control valve. TEC cranes can be fitted with Smart Control, PALFINGER's intelligent crane-tip control system. The range covers a wide spread of lifting capacities, from compact to heavy-duty cranes.
What is the PALFINGER PK 245 TEC?
The PK 245 TEC is a compact loader crane in PALFINGER's TEC range. In the configuration supplied to HEP ODS it has five hydraulic extensions and 15.3 meters of hydraulic outreach, and is equipped with a workman basket, an earth auger, a 36 kN hydraulic winch and a modular cargo body.
What is an aerial work platform?
An aerial work platform is a vehicle-mounted lift that raises a worker in a basket to a working position at height. On electricity networks they are used for inspection, repairs and equipment changes on overhead lines, where the work is carried out from the basket rather than from a ladder or by climbing the pole.
What is a workman basket?
A workman basket is a personnel carrier fitted to a loader crane so the crane can lift a worker rather than a load. PALFINGER workman baskets are designed in accordance with EN 280, the European standard for mobile elevating work platforms, while the loader crane itself is built to EN 12999.
Why do electricity crews use insulated baskets?
An insulated basket, made from a non-conductive material such as PVC, adds a layer of protection between the worker and the vehicle when working near electrical installations. It is one part of the safety concept that utility crews rely on for work on overhead lines.
What is an earth auger used for?
An earth auger is a crane-mounted drilling attachment that bores the foundation hole for a pole or mast. Fitting it to the same crane that transports and sets the pole removes the need for a separate drilling machine, and lets one crew complete the sequence without waiting for another vehicle.