PRODUCT FOCUS
in place, and there are no holdups with site
planning or safety,” emphasises Crous.
“Our operations director, Danie Roos,
has been certified by Potain to provide
training in South Africa, so we are able
to train our own staff and our customers’
staff,” says Crous.
“When our LMI goes to sign off a
client’s crane, he will check the operator’s
certification, and then go through the
crane’s operation with the operator.
Operators are given a daily checklist to
encourage preventative maintenance
and prevent unnecessary breakdowns or
downtime.
“If there is a suspected breakdown,
we try to speak directly to the operators,
since it’s far more efficient this way to get
to the root of a fault. More often than not,
it’s something small and may just require
a reset – and a phone call to the operator
saves having to send someone out, which
ultimately prevents extra costs for the client.
“If we have a new client who needs
an operator, we have a list of certified
and experienced operators, familiar with
Potain cranes that we can recommend,”
says Crous.
Beyond its Gauteng base, the company
has also in the past been active in several
KwaZulu-Natal residential developments,
and significantly its experts have been
called on from as far afield as Ghana,
Sudan and Burkina Faso. Potain itself
has also collaborated with Crane & Hoist
Equipment to assist with a commissioning
project in Guinea.
Smit says, “Potain champions our
capabilities. We were recommended by
Potain to commission the Guinea project.
This is proof of the trust that Potain has in
us, and the confidence they have in our
knowledge of the brand.”
Expanding on the nature of the Guinea
project, Smit explains that Potain has a used-
cranes division. They had sold cranes to the
client in Guinea, and the client needed to get
them there, and also needed a conversion
done on the electrical components.
“The client wants the assurance that the
equipment they have bought is being
serviced by an authorised Potain dealer. Our
team will also assist with the erection of the
second tower crane, and the client will feel
more comfortable in the set-up of the crane,
and that all their warranties are valid, if we
provide the service.”
Specialist cranes
In addition to Potain’s GME and GMA
ranges, it also offers specialised cranes
18
AUGUST 2019
Training
Engineer designed and certified anchor ties for high cranes.
such as the giant MD3200; this model has
a maximum capacity of 85t and can lift 26t
at 85m, and boasts a hook height of some
104.5m.
Typically used for power station projects
or dam projects here in South Africa, Crous
says that these giants are also used in
Europe to lift premanufactured components.
“In Europe, upfront engineering of
premanufactured components is becoming
more popular. It’s easier for them to lift
and place modular sections, rather than
manufacture on-site; which ultimately
reduces construction time,” he says.
Hire
It’s no secret that the market for new
cranes is tough at the moment, and clients
are opting to hire cranes instead for the
duration of a project. Crous intimates,
“The construction industry has changed
over the last couple of years – it’s become
far more of a rental market now. We try
to position ourselves to offer all the rental
requirements a client may need – from our
own rental fleet, or we can in-hire cranes
according to a client’s needs.
“The industry has changed. Big
construction companies in the past would
have their own plant departments with their
own fleets, but a lot of new construction
companies no longer even have a plant
department. They prefer to rent in the
equipment rather than purchase. If a client
of ours has two or three tower cranes not
being used, and if we can find work for
them, we’ll assist our clients by helping
rent their cranes out.”
Both Crous and Smit are optimistic that
in the near future there will be an upturn in
the construction industry and that positive
things are already happening. Government
plans for high-density living is definitely a
plus for those in the tower crane industry.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za