Plant Equipment and Hire July 2019 | Page 22

CUSTOMISED SOLUTIONS All our products are traceable to the factory of manufacture, so we don’t lose traceability, and traceability means accountability.” – Jaco Vorster, Mandirk Lifting general manager backup. All our products are traceable to the factory of manufacture, so we don’t lose traceability and traceability means accountability. The products we sell have international reputations; they are world-renowned. Should anything go wrong after a sale, the OEM takes on the responsibility because they have their product name and reputation to consider. That is our backup and assurance to the customer,” says Vorster. Training and development An ongoing training and skills development programme ensures that Mandirk Lifting’s personnel are up-to-date with the latest trends and developments. Vorster says, “Our salespeople and technical specialists in the field are trained by the OEMs on technical aspects as well as product development. We always try to be one step ahead. If a customer’s needs develop into a certain area, we will develop and improve on the skills and mindset of our own salespeople and specialists – which is our core focus.” Safety and compliance A unique offering from Mandirk is that its lifting solutions include a full product risk-assessment, giving clients peace of mind that they comply fully with all regulatory requirements, as well as ensuring the safety of all personnel. The importance of the on-site service offered by Mandirk Lifting is that testing and certification of lifting equipment is not only a legal requirement in South Africa but must be conducted by qualified specialists with access to calibrated testing equipment. It also issues certificates for all new equipment sold, in addition to inspecting, testing and certifying equipment that is already in the field. Mandirk Lifting complies fully with the requirements of the Lifting Machine and Lifting Tackle Regulations of the Occupational Health and 20 JULY 2019 Safety Act 85 of 1993. The company is a certified member of the Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa (LEEASA) and a certified member of the Chamber of Engineering Technology (COET). Its lifting machinery inspectors are certified in terms of the Engineering Profession Act 2000 (Act No46 of 2000), and it is a registered member of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). The Department of Labour has approved the company in terms of the Driven Machinery Regulations 18(5) of the Occupational and Safety Act, 1993 for examining and testing lifting machines and lifting tackles. Vorster explains that a competent person determines whether the equipment is safe to use and is qualified to make recommendations on safety. “There are serious repercussions for non-compliance. An example is equipment from overseas which is not compliant with SANS and may have a non-compliant technical point – such as the hooks – which don’t yield or open on an overload. If there’s no indication of safety or cost of ownership, if the product breaks, if it doesn’t operate within duty cycles, then it doesn’t comply. At the end of the day, non-compliant products result in fatalities. The responsibility associated with operating lifting machinery is immense – you have the responsibility to ensure that your end users and employees go home safely at the end of a working shift. Therefore, you have to make use of compliant products,” says Vorster. Solution-centred “We assess the customer’s application needs and then offer the customer an array of products to get the job done. Our focus is not only on a specific item, but rather a group of products to make life easier for the customer. We have specialists in network branches who oversee projects by going out to the end user to ascertain the An example of an autonomous synchronous hoist system from Enerpac Heavy Lifting. application and customer needs for themselves,” elaborates Vorster. “We provide tools and products that suit a customer’s application. For example, marine and offshore products and machinery have a high IP and ED rating. In this instance, our products handle environmental conditions offering a certain degree of corrosion and moisture. Another example is food-grade, where our KITO food- grade hoists incorporate a special type of lifting machinery hoist designed solely for food-trade applications such as for fisheries, abattoirs, wineries and so on. Everything in this equipment is sterile – even the grease inside. The plating is a type of silver to prevent bacteria from settling on the parts. These products also have a very high IP and ED rating, so they can withstand vigorous www.plantonline.co.za