Plant Equipment and Hire July 2019 | Page 7

AFRICA NEWS a buoyant order book and, importantly, we are seeing excellent young talent emerging which is more representative of our diverse nation than ever before. Through our parent company, Keller Group (the largest independent geotechnical construction company in the world) we have unprecedented access to international expertise and technologies and, with Keller, Franki has a local presence in African cities stretching from Cape Town to Nairobi, from Accra to Mauritius and many places in between.” Braithwaite says that another important competitive advantage of being part of the Keller group is that Franki has brought world-class technology to the African market: the rigid inclusion ground improvement technique to the Clairwood Logistics Park in Durban, large diameter cluster hammers to the Hass Towers project in Nairobi and deep cased augers socketed into bedrock to the Okavango River Bridge in Botswana. The Nelspruit branch of Goscor Earth Moving (GEM) was not only the top seller of SANY equipment in South Africa last year, but also boasted salesperson of the year for branch manager Jean Botha. GEM Nelspruit has practiced under the multi-franchise Goscor Industrial & Construction Equipment umbrella since January 2019. The branch continues to rack up impressive results, such as the delivery in late February of two SANY SYL956 front-end loaders to Lwandlelethu Business Enterprises. Such has been the success of the relationship with the contractor that it plans to acquire SANY rollers from GEM Nelspruit in the near future. The front-end loaders are deployed at a coal stockholding operation for electricity utility Eskom, Botha reveals. The SANY SYL956 is a versatile five- ton machine that is ideal for a range of applications, from construction to mining. “What clinched the deal for us in this regard was the funding provided by Goscor Finance, combined with our technical support and back-up,” Botha notes. A trained technician can be on-site within two hours of any breakdown, while a comprehensive stockholding of critical spares reduces downtime even further. The SANY SYL956 can be fitted with a 3.2m³ standard bucket or a 4.6m³ bucket specifically for coal-mining operations such as those undertaken by Lwandlelethu. The highly-efficient drive system boosts travel speed by 10% and increases towing force by more than 6%. The rated load is 5 000kg and the rated power is 164kW, while the break- out force is 175kN. Another major benefit is the Cummins QSL8.9 engine, which delivers maximum power for high efficiency and large displacement, is that it complies with international Tier 3 emission standards. www.plantonline.co.za Racking up SANY front-end loader sales Another major benefit of the SYL956 is the Cummins QSL8.9 engine, which delivers maximum power for high efficiency and large displacement, is that it complies with international Tier 3 emission standards. Other key branded components include the DANA axis-shift transmission with electronic control system for automatic shifting, maximum efficiency and a 10 000-hour service life. The high- pressure, load-sensitive hydraulic system makes for a perfect match between speed and power, in addition to a 10% to 15% energy saving. Botha explains that Nelspruit, as a multi-franchise branch, represents all brands and products in the Goscor stable. Not only is this highly cost- effective, it is a major benefit to customers, who can access all the group has to offer under a single roof. “It gives customers insight into how diverse the group is, and how we offer complete solutions for a range of applications and requirements,” Botha adds. SANY is the fifth-largest construction and related equipment manufacturer in the world, with GEM representing a range of front-end loaders, excavators, graders and rollers from the Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturer. JULY 2019 5