What NFT Group does

NFT Group, operating as NFT Specialized in Tower Cranes L.L.C. (also known as Nouman Fouad Trading), is a UAE-headquartered tower crane and construction equipment distributor founded in 1988 in Abu Dhabi. It is the first distributor of tower cranes and hoists in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and currently ranks #1 in the Middle East (2020) and #2 worldwide (2019), distributing Potain (Manitowoc), ALIMAK, and ORBIT products across 32 countries. The company maintains a fleet of over 2,000 tower cranes and 500 hoists, an inventory of approximately 35,000 spare parts, and 300,000 sqm of yard space, with regional offices in Dubai, Riyadh, Kuwait City, Doha (via SAMAA Equipment), the UK (via Radius Mainland House in Northampton), and Hong Kong. Its customer base spans large enterprise contractors and government infrastructure clients, with marquee deployments including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Kuwait International Airport (T2), Riyadh Metro, and Reem Mall.

The business operates a multi-modal revenue model combining direct equipment sales, rental, exchange programs, buy-back arrangements, lease-to-buy, and long-term project financing, supplemented by technical services (assembly, maintenance, refurbishment), spare parts, operator training, and tower crane signage. Go-to-market is direct field sales across the GCC, augmented by OEM-authorized distribution partnerships (notably the Manitowoc/Potain agreement renewed in December 2019 for five years) and regional channel partners in the UK and Qatar. A free in-house technical design service analyzes project blueprints and CAD drawings to recommend optimal equipment configurations, deepening account stickiness.

Technologically, NFT has built a proprietary cloud-based fleet management platform supported by RFID tagging of cranes, hoists, and parts — with automated gate barriers and inventory integration — plus a CAD-driven design advisory workflow performed by qualified engineers. The company is privately held and family-led (Al Zahlawi family, with Nabil Al Zahlawi as CEO and Managing Director), with no disclosed external private equity or institutional ownership. There are no patents, no public revenue figures, and no audited financials in the available data; product certification pathways and AI/ML capabilities are not disclosed.

Name

NFT Group

Legal name

NFT Specialized in Tower Cranes L.L.C.

Website

https://nftcrane.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

NFT Group is a UAE-headquartered tower crane and construction equipment distributor founded in 1988, serving enterprise contractors and government infrastructure clients across 32 countries as the exclusive Potain/Manitowoc partner and #1 supplier in the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Equipment Distribution

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Tower Cranes (IMAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cranes & Heavy Lifting Equipment Rental/Leasing (TLABAFAD), Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

Keywords

• Tower crane distribution
• Construction equipment rental
• Heavy machinery sales
• Crane maintenance services
• Operator training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Abu Dhabi

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tower Crane Sales: Sale of new and used tower cranes, including top-slewing, self-erecting, and luffing jib cranes under Potain brand, as well as crawler cranes.
2. Hoist Sales: Sale of construction hoists including ALIMAK and ORBIT brands, with spare parts for both.
3. Crane and Hoist Exchange: Exchange a used crane for a Manitowoc/Potain crane. Potain is known for excellent resale value, making exchanges attractive.
4. Buy-Back Program: Once a crane or hoist is purchased, the client has the option to sell back to NFT after the project is completed.
5. Lease-to-Buy: Clients can buy equipment at any stage of the lease contract, with the purchase price discounted to account for the leased period.
6. Long-Term Financing: For long projects, NFT provides financial support and flexibility to clients.
7. Spare Parts Sales: Sale of genuine crane and hoist spare parts. NFT stocks approximately 35,000 different types of spare parts for both ALIMAK and ORBIT hoists.
8. Technical and Maintenance Services: On-site technical support, assembly/dismantling, servicing, troubleshooting, refurbishing, painting, and maintenance services for cranes and hoists at client job sites.
9. Operator Training: Training tower crane operators and client crews on Potain tower cranes, covering assembly/disassembly, safety procedures, and Manitowoc innovations.
10. Tower Crane Signage: Production of LED signboard screens, 3D illuminated signboards, 3D box signage, and lightbox signage for tower cranes mounted on counter jib ballast.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NFT Group distributes tower cranes and construction equipment from brands such as Potain, ALIMAK, and ORBIT, and delivers a full suite of related services including equipment sales, rental, exchange, buy-back, lease-to-buy, technical services, maintenance, operator training, and signage. The company operates across 32 countries with a fleet of 2,000+ cranes, 500+ hoists, and 35,000 spare parts from a 300,000 sqm yard.

Product overview

NFT Group is a specialized tower crane and construction equipment distributor and service provider operating as the first distributor of tower cranes and hoists in the GCC region. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio built around Potain tower cranes (including Top-Slewing, Self-Erecting, and Crawler Cranes), ALIMAK and ORBIT hoists for vertical transportation, and construction equipment (Mast Climbing Platforms, Placing Booms, Stationary Pumps, Orbit Cradles). The product ecosystem is supported by extensive spare parts inventory (35,000+ types), technical services, maintenance, operator training, and tower crane signage. The company operates as a distributor for Manitowoc/Potain products with operations across 32 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000 spare parts types stocked for immediate response to breakdown requests
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered regional, core and strategic.

• SAMAA Equipment Specialized in Tower Cranes LLC (Doha, Qatar)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024SAMAA Equipment Specialized in Tower Cranes LLC in Doha operates as NFT's Qatar operations, distributing and supporting NFT's tower crane and hoist products in the Qatari market.
• Radius Mainland House (UK)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024NFT operates in the UK in partnership with Radius Mainland House, Gladstone Close, Northampton, NN5 7AY. Radius handles local rental and distribution operations for NFT's Potain tower cranes in the UK market.
• Manitowoc (Potain)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2019NFT is the first distributor of Potain tower cranes in the GCC and has maintained a long-standing partnership with Manitowoc (Potain). The distribution contract was renewed for another 5 years in December 2019. NFT distributes Potain tower cranes across 32 countries and has been awarded Manitowoc's Intermat Dealer Award for excellence.
• Radius NFT (UK Rental Partnership)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2019Radius NFT has a rental partnership agreement with Potain for the UK market. NFT operates in the UK in partnership with Radius Mainland House in Northampton. This partnership enables NFT to offer Potain tower cranes for rental in the UK construction market.
• UK-Based RFID Technology Company (and UAE Local Representative)strategicTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2019NFT concluded a deal with a UK-based company and its UAE local representative to implement RFID solutions for fleet management. The partnership involved tagging all tower cranes, construction hoists, and their parts and accessories with RFID, linked to a cloud-based asset tracking and management software integrated with NFT's inventory management system.
• ALIMAKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNFT has partnered with ALIMAK, a global leader and pioneer in the design and manufacture of vertical access solutions for over seventy years. ALIMAK's construction hoists offer diverse ranges of capacities including various car sizes, payload capacities, lifting heights, and speeds. NFT distributes ALIMAK hoists and stocks genuine spare parts.
• ORBIT (Jing Long Eng. Machinery Co., Ltd.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJing Long Eng. Machinery Co., Ltd. is the number one manufacturer of hoists for the construction industry globally. NFT distributes ORBIT hoists which are CE certified and used on the biggest construction sites worldwide for carrying passengers and materials at high levels. ORBIT manufactures hoists for high-rise buildings, bridges, power plants, and shipyards.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mammoet: Dutch heavy lifting and transport specialist with deep presence in the Middle East. Mammoet competes with NFT on large-scale infrastructure, petrochemical, and mega-project crane and hoist services across the same customer base.
• Sarens: Global leader in crane rental and heavy lifting services for infrastructure, energy, and industrial projects. Sarens directly competes with NFT in the GCC/Middle East tower crane and heavy-lift segment with a comparable asset-rental-and-services model.
• Maxim Crane Works: A leading North American crane rental operator with a large fleet of lattice-boom crawler cranes, hydraulic cranes, and tower cranes. Maxim is comparable to NFT in fleet scale, geographic scope, and integrated service offerings.
• Sanghvi Movers: India's largest crane rental company with a fleet of 1,000+ cranes serving infrastructure, energy, and construction clients. Sanghvi is an analogous listed pure-play crane rental/leasing operator with comparable business model and customer use cases.
• Bigge Crane and Rigging: One of the largest crane rental and rigging companies in North America, offering tower cranes, crawler cranes, and hoists with full-service lifecycle support. Comparable to NFT in business model (rental + sales + services) and customer type.

Broad incumbents

• Terex Corporation: Diversified manufacturer of aerial work platforms, materials processing, and cranes. Terex's tower crane and rough-terrain crane lines compete with NFT's portfolio in markets where the OEM sells directly alongside distributors.
• Manitowoc Company: OEM of Potain tower cranes, Grove mobile cranes, and Manitowoc crawler cranes. Manitowoc is NFT's primary supplier and partial competitor where OEMs sell directly in the region, with a broader product portfolio than NFT's distributorship.
• Liebherr: Major tower crane manufacturer with global brand presence and direct sales/service in the Middle East. Liebherr competes with NFT-anchored Potain offerings in the same high-rise and infrastructure project segments.
• Kobelco Cranes: Manufacturer of crawler cranes and lattice-boom cranes with growing presence in the Middle East. Kobelco competes with NFT's crawler crane offerings and supplies some competing regional distributors.

Emerging players

• Action Construction Equipment (ACE): Indian construction equipment manufacturer and distributor of cranes, hoists, and aerial work platforms. ACE is a comparable emerging-market tower crane and hoist distributor with overlapping product categories to NFT's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NFTtowercranes
• Facebookfacebook.com/p/NFT-Group-100063610061585
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nft-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/nft_group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NFT Group