Capital Equipment News April 2019

MATERIALS HANDLING NEWS

Crane & Hoist Equipment SA is new Potain agent

He highlights that Crane & Hoist Equipment SA will make it easier for customers to source original spares. The company’s direct sourcing from Potain in France will also make its pricing to customers more competitive. “We place a priority on safety and compliance with all our products and services, and being part of the Potain family will also give us direct access to their global expertise,” he says. “For our part we are, of course, a registered lifting machine entity (LME) with the Department of Labour, and believe in close compliance with OEM specifications in all our work.” Crane & Hoist Equipment SA was formed in 2017 by a management team that together have amassed over 40 years in the tower crane sector. This team includes sales director Louw Smit and operations director Danie Roos. The experienced staff includes two Potain-certified master technicians, accredited lifting machine inspectors (LMIs), and qualified riggers and electricians. b

Global tower crane leader Potain has appointed Gauteng-based Crane & Hoist Equipment as its official distributor in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. “With about 80 years of combined expe- rience in this sector – focusing on Potain equipment – we are certainly very proud to have this close partnership with a world player of this stature,” says Brenden Crous, MD of Crane & Hoist Equipment SA. “The management and staff of our business have a long relationship with Potain products, which we will leverage to the benefit of our customers.” A major producer of tower cranes and self-erecting cranes since 1928, Potain offers more than 60 models in a variety of product ranges. Over 100 000 Potain cranes have been sold and installed around the world. “With at least 200 Potain cranes in active service in South Africa alone, we can see that the local market is very loyal to this strong brand,” says Crous. “We look forward to providing existing and new customers the highest level of service and support.” The extensive footprint of Johnson Crane Hire across South Africa, and the establishment of large cranes at each branch, makes for fast and cost effective service to customers. With the most extensive fleet of mobile cranes in the country, the company can make any size of crane quickly available, as each branch stocks a wide range. The branches now also stock Manitou tele- handlers and access platforms – an added lifting solution for material and people. “Our decision about three years ago to decentralise our big cranes – anything from 180 to 440 tonne capacity – to our branches, holds many benefits for customers,” says Cedric Froneman, sales executive – key accounts at Johnson Crane Hire. “The imme- diate advantage is that equipment is closer to site, saving transport time and cost.” Froneman highlights that the company’s 12 branches, located in seven of the nine provinces, are also well equipped to support the cranes on hire. “At each of our branches, we have a manager and technical represen- tatives supported by mechanics,” he says. “Each branch also has a workshop to carry out repairs and services.” Major repairs and rebuilds are conducted in the national workshop in Germiston, Johannesburg. The facility also gives each crane a major overhaul every five years, en-

Crane & Hoist Equipment SA tower crane crew safely removing the jib during dismantling.

Smart value in Johnson Crane’s national footprint

A 750 t Johnson Crane Hire crane loaded on transport en route to a site.

suring that they are in immaculate condition to optimise uptime on site. “The extent and capacity of our footprint underpins our ‘SMART’ brand promise to the market,” he says. “First priority is ‘S’ for safety; we help customers apply high safety standards. This includes the rigging services offered at each branch, including CAD and lift studies for upfront planning and lift engineering.” ‘M’ is for the regular maintenance of equipment, while ‘A’ refers to being avail- able wherever and whenever the customer requires. Finally, the ‘R’ is for reliability of both machines and people, and ‘T’ is for the total cost effectiveness of Johnson Crane Hire’s lifting solutions, says Froneman. Each of the branches tends to have its

own industrial focus, but new markets are always catered for. In Cape Town, for exam- ple, the large 440 tonne crane has ongoing work in unloading and ship refitment work at the harbour; however, there has been a growing need for heavy lifting of wind turbines in the renewable energy sector. In Durban, where a 275 tonne unit is permanently established, much of its work is for the petrochemical plants. Inland, there is another 275 tonner established at Burgers- fort, mainly for mine-related work which is also serviced by the branches at Trichardt, Middelburg and Rustenburg; all these operations also have fleets of large cranes as well. A smaller branch at Kathu services mainly the iron ore segment and a growing market in renewable energy. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS APRIL 2019 36