Much of the June 12 federal lawsuit that Manitowoc Cranes LLC has filed against Sany America Inc. discusses veteran crane engineer John Lanning's departure from Manitowoc to help Sany bring crawler cranes to the American market.
It also reveals that one of the trade secrets Lanning allegedly misappropriated—an innovative design for a floating counterweight tray—was one he invented while working at Manitowoc. According to court papers obtained by ENR, Sany allegedly offered Lanning "a substantial salary increase" to come work for Sany, which is based in Changsha, China, and operates a plant in Peachtree City, Ga.