Ten Manitowoc cranes are working on the construction of a remote dam in South Africa. The De Hoop (“The Hope”) Dam will be 81 m tall and stretch more than 1 km over the Steelpoort River in Limpopo, South Africa. It is being built for the South African Department of Water Affairs. The Manitowoc cranes on the project are a mix of Potain tower cranes, a Manitowoc crawler crane and Grove mobile cranes. The cranes perform a variety of lifting tasks, which will change as the project progresses. But all work is related to constructing the outlet works of the dam, which will require 930,000 m3 of concrete to complete. Jobs include assembling conveyors and concrete batching plants, placing shuttering and reinforced steel, installing mechanical items in the outlet works, damage recovery and pouring concrete.

The location and terrain are two major challenges on site. The dam sits in the middle of an untouched rural landscape, in a river valley with steep slopes of loose soil running either side. To complicate matters, a river diversion also runs through the site.

Henry Wells, managing director at Crane Load Tech, said the company had to construct roads to ease transport of the mobile and crawler cranes.

“We are used to working on job sites with restricted access, but De Hoop is among the most extreme,” he said. “On the project we’ve built temporary access roads across the slopes and contours so the cranes can travel the undulating terrain. We were able to maneuver the cranes to where they can offer maximum coverage and the most efficient delivery of materials.”

John Baker, chief engineer of the South African Department of Water Affairs, said the wide range of cranes on the job helps the project proceed on schedule.

“We chose a variety of cranes so we could handle any of the challenges of such a difficult terrain,” he said. “Large areas of the site are difficult to negotiate, so the mobile cranes are essential for accessing certain areas. The tower cranes provide the height and reach to cover large areas of the dam and the crawler crane handles the heavier lifts. The cranes work well as a team, and their reliability means this five-year project remains on schedule.”

A 25 t Potain MD 485 B is pouring the majority of the concrete. For smaller lifts, there is also a 4 t Potain Igo 50 self-erecting crane.

Quentin van Breda, executive chairman of SA French, said the Potain MD 485 B is playing a critical role in the construction.

“The special application crane on this project is really at the center of construction,” he said. “It is responsible for such a large part of the dam that it must maintain its performance throughout the contract. Our 30 years of experience working with Potain special application cranes means we can confidently place these cranes on critical projects. Our customers rely on our expertise.”

There are several other Manitowoc cranes on the site as well. From the company’s crawler crane line there is a 90 t Model 10000, popular for its simple erection, reliability and easy operation. The Grove mobile cranes on site include the truck-mounted TMS700E, which has a 60 t capacity and the 60 t RT760E and 30 t RT530E from the rough-terrain crane line. There is also a Yardboss industrial crane, the YB4409XL, which has an 8 t capacity.

The cranes on the De Hoop project have been there since April 2009 and will remain on site for another two years. The South African Department of Water Affairs is building the dam as a bulk storage facility to supplement Limpopo’s current water supply. Its reservoir covers 1,690 hectares. The dam will be complete by August 2012.

The building crane specialist found creative ways to finance its day-to-day workings when the industry downturn and the group’s order of million-rand cranes arrived pretty much at the same time. Since then the group has returned its defunct inventory, is planning a rights issue and started renting out cranes instead of selling them to construction firms in a tight spot. And word on the street is management would consider picking up a few cheap companies and use the current down cycle to make lemonade.

Even though all the large unit trusts have sold off their shares in SA French since it started reporting weak results, analysts speak with something like admiration for the group. Management is respected and the group has a good track record of sticking to its core business since the Eighties. It also missed out on the acquisition spree that so many of its AltX peers embarked on in 2007 and in so doing is sitting with a healthier looking balance sheet.

Last week it announced it found a backer in the form of AfrAsia Corporate Finance for loans worth R7,5m. According to the Mauritius-based bank, SA French got caught up in the construction cycle and is only in need of a good old balance sheet restructuring. The loan will also be used to import cranes for a large new order from one of the biggest construction firms in SA, putting the group back on its front foot. “It’s a sound business: all they need is the cash for its day-to-day running,” one analyst says.

If SA French can break even for the first six months of this year – likely, says AfrAsia – the share will do even better than its leap from 4c to 8c last week after the news of the backer was greeted with a high five from the market.

But let’s not get too carried away with the excitement of finding quality on the AltX in this sector. SA French has been called ambitious for even listing in the first place. It’s small and exposed to a sector where uncertainty about the timing of Government spending has pulled the rug out from under the industry’s giants. Then its rental plan exposes it to a world of bad debts. The group has also only had one set of impressive results since listing in 2007.

Currently trading at 8c after having listed at 100c, Van Breda and his kin can still delist and not have wasted their time completely. Or it can take the high road and commit itself to a smaller piece of a bigger pie through a rights issue. Then train those beady little eyes on the group’s potential rights offer it says it’s contemplating. If successful in finding someone to underwrite it (management will probably underwrite 50%) it will be a further indication it’s committed to sticking it out a little longer.

Crane companies in South Africa have in recent years benefited from the construction of support structures for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and from the building of shopping centres, airports and government’s public infrastructure programme.

However, these same manufacturers and distributors report that these large spends, such as on the nearly R500-billion that State-owned power utility Eskom is spending on new power stations, are insufficient to support the growth of the craning and construction industry.

The head of integrated heavy lifting and rigging services company Sarens says that, in general, the visibility of cranes is not always a good predictor of economic recovery. MD Lance Strachan says that, while there are signs of recovery in demand in the mining sector, this growth has not reached pre-recession levels, while the civils market is simply “quiet”. The petrochemicals industry is also starting to spend again, but at a far more muted pace, having been bitten by the shocks of 2008/9.

Liebherr director Arthur Lightfoot agrees, saying that that there has been a definite dip in construction and notes that enquiries for cranes are decreasing.

“After the 2010 FIFA World Cup many contracts are ending. About 25% to 40% of tower cranes that were used three years ago, are still up at this stage, and 60% to 75% of cranes will be on the ground in the next six months,” Lightfoot, whose company manufactures construction machinery, laments. 

The chairperson of tower cranes and lifting solutions distributor SA French, Quentin van Breda, concurs, noting that there were a lot a positive sentiments in construction industry when the hype for building stadiums was at its peak. “Companies were putting out profitable figures and most contractors bought new cranes and started retiring old ones. This cycle was 50% to 70% of the way when the economy collapsed,” Van Breda asserts.

Boom to Gloom
Van Breda notes that the number of tower cranes visible throughout South Africa started declining in mid-2008, initially owing to Eskom’s power cuts, which caused many approved projects in Gauteng to be postponed. However, weak building market fundamentals and funding is currently an even bigger challenge to sustaining even current levels of crane erection and operation.

“If you put a quotation in on a contract ten years ago, you could assume that the contract was going ahead. Now, new projects are stopped easily, with many developers in cash-preservation mode,” he asserts.

Sarens currently has 75 cranes erected across the country, some of which are still the legacy of the 200/7 boom period, which had been followed by a period of slack demand. “However, two years ago, contracts were still awarded, the lead time just became longer. Last year, was the biggest crisis, and the industry is only now starting to recover,” Strachan notes.

He adds that 2010 has seen a slight but not significant upturn in construction. The market for big capital spends on construction is, currently, notably conservative and is not expected to return soon to 2008 levels.

Liebherr director Geoff Hunt adds that, in 2007, the global demand for the company’s mobile cranes exceeded the supply. This trend continued in 2008; and South Africa suffered because only second hand cranes were available to the local market. New cranes only became available in 2009.

To local manufacturer of cranes and hoists Condra, 2008 was a financially good year and the downturn only affected the company from October 2009, reaching its lowest point in January this year. “Enquiries have increased steadily since March, but we are still only operating at about 60% of our capacity, which is mostly owing to contracts in Africa and South America,” Condra MD Mark Kleiner notes.

He does not believe that the gloomy situation in the crane industry will change soon. “Controlling costs is a significant challenge and I do not think this will change until the fundamental economic problems have been solved,” he adds.

Although the activity in the nonresidential building industry increased by 12,9% in 2007 and by 15,2% in 2008, owing to construction surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) reported in January 2010 that the total value of building plans passed by South Africa’s larger municipalities declined by 23,1%, or R17,4-billion, during the first 11 months of 2009.

Challenging Times
While South Africa and the African continent are still an attractive market for global investment because of the available resources, bureaucracies and governments are limiting factors. Governments are expected to fund at least 40% of a country’s construction activity, but this has not happened in South Africa.

In his 2010 Budget speech, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan outlined plans to spend R846-billion on infrastructure over the next three years. Of this amount, R160-billion to R220-billion is expected to trickle down to the construction industry.

However, Lightfoot notes that most of that money will be spent on energy generation and oil and gas expansion, which places the responsibility of funding civils construction on the private sector.

“Private investment is needed for sustainability in construction. However, Africa is seen as a risky investment because of unstable currencies and governments,” he asserts.

Van Breda points out that there is a significant resistance from banks to provide finance for smaller contractors and some clients that had prequalified for funds, have had those funds withdrawn because of the risk factor.

Further, Kleiner remarks that local manufacturers are suffering under the pressure of rising component prices, such has steel and energy, while import costs are going down, owing to the stronger rand creating a favourable climate for importing companies. 

Inflation is a challenge brought about by the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as everything became more expensive in anticipation of the influx of foreign visitors. “The possibility that prices may not go down significantly after the World Cup is a reality that we must face,” Kleiner asserts.

Market Drivers
There are a number of infrastructure programmes that will drive the market after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, such as wind and solar energy generation. However, Strachan notes that these projects will only be realised in the longer term.

“There are construction opportunities in the mining sector, as well as in oil and gas expansion projects, such as Coega and Sasol 4. The biggest crane in the country currently is a 1 000-t unit at Medupi, but the crane will leave the country again after Medupi is completed,” he notes.

Mines are expected to be the most significant offset points for most mobile cranes. Hunt says that mines are still developing and mining projects are planned well in advance, making these more sustainable projects.

Tower cranes were put to good use in building soccer stadiums and the Gautrain infrastructure, but Lightfoot asserts that there is not much of an appetite for these cranes locally after these projects have been completed, as 9 of the 15 tower cranes used on the Gautrain project will be sold off overseas.

Meanwhile, crane rental has increased because of the economic uncertainty. Van Breda says that rental was 10% of SA French’s business in 2007. “By the end of March this year, rental is 44% of our business. We moved from being a net seller of equipment to being a renter in a short space of time,” he says.

Strachan agrees that second-hand crane distributors and rentals are currently experiencing an upturn, while suppliers of new cranes are struggling. Kleiner adds that cranes are a lagging indicator of economic movement and says that the second-hand crane market has seen definite growth from early last year.

However, Lightfoot believes that crane rentals will not grow significantly, as most construction companies have their own crane fleets and opt not to rent cranes.

Employment & Skills
The labour-intensity of construction makes it one of the most important sectors for South Africa’s economic performance and growth. In recent years, government construction has become the main driver of employment in the sector.

In its ‘Quarterly Labour Force Survey’ for the fourth quarter of 2009, StatsSA reported that around 1 085-million people were employed in formal and informal employment in the construction sector.

However, Strachan asserts that there are not enough skilled crane operators, particularly for the larger cranes. Sarens has a process of identifying operators with potential and trains them at an in-house training centre, as there are no formal training centres for large crane operators in the industry. The company employs about 80 crane operators.

Liebherr also trained crane operators for the stadiums and Gautrain project. However, Lightfoot opposes the view that there is a shortage of crane operators and explains that, as the large projects draw to a close, Liebherr’s trained operators may be unemployed, as no new projects capable of absorbing as many workers are being planned.

Kleiner raises concerns about labour after the 2010 FIFA World Cup-driven projects are completed. “Unskilled labourers want more money, while skilled, motivated labour is scarce. Many skilled workers are still leaving the country, opting for contracts in countries that offer bigger salaries. This results in South Africa losing skills and income that would be circulating in the country,” he notes.

Reality Check
The South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) expects the civil construction subsector to contract by 10% in 2010, with possible mitigation from existing projects.

Safcec says that the unwinding of projects awarded before the global financial crisis set in, in 2008, will cause the contraction. The federation predicts that the unwinding will extend throughout 2010 and the first half of 2011. It adds that the local government elections in 2011 could also be a destabilising factor for the subsector, adding uncertainty to the industry in terms of project pipelines.

In its ‘State of the Civil Industry’ report, published in October last year, Safcec also says that, during 2010 and in early 2011, the subsector will face a market with fiercer competition for tenders and highly competitive pricing, owing to the limited number of big contracts available.

SA French doubts that the activity that the crane industry experienced in 2006 and 2007 will return within the next 10 years. “We are running a break-even type of business, which we do not predict will get better until this time next year. If there is growth, it will not be more than 2%,” Van Breda asserts.

However, Strachan believes that the growth of the construction industry, which also significantly influences local economic growth, is sustainable in the long term. “Larger companies are particularly well positioned to weather the economic downturn and take part in the slow but sure economic recovery.”

He asserts that the longer-term contract market is stable and balanced, although project work is slower with longer lead times. “Cranage is a symptom rather than predictive indicator of the recovering economy. The maintenance market is alive, but construction is, currently, a slow indicator,” he points out.

Hunt is not expecting much growth in the mobile crane industry, although the potential for crane sales to wind farms in South Africa is good. However, mines remain the biggest potential market.

“If the world demand for minerals continues, which I believe it will, there will be a demand for cranes. Cranes symbolise work and progress, so it is not a bad thing to be optimistic when seeing cranes,” he notes.

Although there is uncertainty about the prospects of the craning industry over the short to medium term, crane manufacturers and suppliers are cautiously optimistic about the future of the crane industry and construction in South Africa. “The country has gone through a bad cycle, which means that a good cycle must follow. There is work for cranes, we just have to work harder to find and secure it,” Kleiner concludes.

One of the Merlo DBM 2500 mixers is being used by Sanyati’s telecommunications division in the erection of cellular communications masts. “The Merlo has performed superbly, especially in light of the fact that we are working on very steep inclines on our current project,” Alan Ross, plant manager for Sanyati, says. Available in 2.5- and 3.5-cubic metre capacities, the Merlo self-loading concrete mixers have been field proven by the Department of Water and Forestry (DWAF) in the harsh South African conditions.

“We differentiate ourselves from other construction companies in the sense that we undertake unique and diversified construction projects with tight time constraints and often in remote areas, so obviously ease of use and maintenance coupled with machine reliability is vital to us,” Ross says.

Ross is impressed with the 4×4 capabilities of the machines which make them ideal candidates for the remote and rugged environments in which the company often works. “The Merlo’s are very durable and mobile which is important for our work focus and the 2.5 m3 capacity is perfect for the specialised work we do in the road building, telecommunications, mining and railway sectors.”

The first machine which was acquired by Sanyati is based at the Durban harbour on a long term contract that entails changing the masts for the electrical supply to the trains. “We are working adjacent to the train line and we use the Merlo to construct the foundations required for the electrical poles,” Ross says. “We have a very small window of opportunity of between two to three hours every day in which to undertake the work so it’s a huge relief to us that the Merlo copes so well and is currently producing between 20 and 30 foundations a day. This keeps us on schedule.” The Merlo DBM 2500 unit has an impressive fuel consumption at 6 ℓ/h and is able to batch 13m3  of concrete per hour with a maximum slump of 8 cm.

Ross explains that Sanyati has designed and built a special bogie system whereby the Merlo is hydraulically lifted onto a wheeled trolley which enables it to run on the railway lines. The machine is removed from the rail lines once the day’s work is completed giving access to the trains. “I believe that this is a unique application for a concrete mixer in South Africa and this, together with the fact that the Merlo can pour concrete in any given direction, has given us a winning combination.”

Ross believes that the success of the company can be ascribed to a focused and effective service delivered on a consistent basis with passionate commitment to the success of each assignment. “We regard service suppliers as important members of our team and have developed long term relationships with an extensive collaborative network of service suppliers. In this light, we would not hesitate to purchase further Merlo concrete mixers from SA French should the demand arise in the future.”

Anyone who has worked on multi-storey building will know the amount of time that is wasted in moving people up and down the building. Construction cranes are not licensed to carry people. However, walking up 15 floors of a building under construction could take as long as 20 minutes, particularly if the person is carrying heavy equipment. If the worker needs to return to the ground to fetch another tool, he will waste the best part of an hour.

SA French Operations Director Warwick van Breda explains that while scaffolding is an essential aid, it is primarily a working platform, and not a way to clamber to the various floors of a construction project.
In the mid 80’s, Quentin van Breda, the MD of SA French, was travelling abroad to a construction equipment expo. For the first time, he became truly aware of the advantages that the combination of a tower crane and a construction hoist would offer.

“He realised that the hoist would offer the construction team a much greater level of flexibility. However, although SA French tried to interest the local construction industry in the construction hoist concept, it was slow to catch on.

The safer option
A reason for the slow acceptance might have been that, in decades past, local homemade hoists posed a safety threat. “However, the professionally designed, manufactured and installed Torgar hoist is fully compliant with all South African building safety codes,” says Warwick. In addition, all Torgar personnel hoists are designed according to EN-2159 European Directives and also satisfy the security requirements contained in the Appendix I from the Directive 98/37/CE of machinery.

“Also, using the hoist is much safer than walking up partly constructed, often badly lit stairwells. And the hoist also eliminates the possibility of falling while climbing scaffolding,” says Warwick.
When SA French rents out a hoist or tower crane, they supply an experienced and qualified operator with the equipment, ensuring a professional and safe solution to the customer’s task at hand. There is a trend to use these units in renovation of old buildings as well as finishing on new developments where a simple and cost effective lifting solution is required. The Torgar self-climbing rack and pinion hoist is available with capacities from 0.5 to 2.5 tons and with a maximum reach of 100 metres. The self-climbing rack and pinion material hoist is ideal for conveying materials on construction sites as well as in mining applications. Hoists are increasingly used in the finishing of new developments where a simple and cost effective lifting solution is required.

Simple to use
Using the Torgar hoist is simple. This system comprises a tower which is designed to be erected in manageable sections as the building grows. On ground zero the basic platform is erected in a protective cage with each section being bolted on using conventional tools. The hoist has a free standing height and beyond this height it must be anchored to the building with robust steel stays to ensure optimum operating performance and safety.
Fortunately, the skills and technology SA French uses in tower cranes are the same as those used in the installation and maintenance of hoists.

“Today, in the construction of a tower block, the use of a tower crane is a given. But once the top storey is complete, the need for the tower crane decreases markedly. The tower crane productivity probably falls off by 50%, but it is kept on site as they still need to get bricks and mortar up to the various levels to do the brickwork and other finishes.

“However, owing to the inability to get the crane hook onto completed floors, other than the roof, access to the various levels in a multi-storey building is limited. Thus the use of a hoist – firmly and safely secured to the outside of the structure – affords access both for people and for materials handling to areas that are no longer accessible to the tower crane.

Now, by using a hoist, it is possible to release the tower crane from the building site, possibly two to three months earlier,” concludes Warwick.

“We have seen phenomenal growth in both the range of models available (70 globally and 34 locally) as well as the popularity of this site work horse,” operations director for SA French, Warwick van Breda, told Leading Equipment. “The machines are constantly tested on site and the company pays close attention to the everchanging demands of its customers, to ensure a well-balanced and diverse range.”

SA French not only sells the telehandlers locally, but also has three models (3.5- to 4-ton) in its rental fleet, with boom lengths ranging from 10 to 17 m. “The most popular end user machine is the 3.4-ton, 7-metre boom length variation which users claim is highly manoeuvrable. We have sold these models into the smelter and mining industries,” van Breda said. “Another popular machine is the 101-12, 12-ton capacity machine which has the capacity to lift transformer blocks, making it ideal for installations on mines and power stations as well as for maintenance work.”

A machine which Van Breda said is gaining recognition is the ROTO, which is a slewing (rotating) telehandler that functions much like a mobile crane in its operation. The simpler, smaller ROTO models have a 415° slew angle and fold-out stabilisers and the ‘S’ models have Merlo’s hydro-pneumatic suspension system, permitting travel speeds up to 40 km/h. The top of the line MCSS series adds continuous slew and the MERlin Continuous Slew Safety system, guaranteeing stability in real-time. The huge flexibility of this digital control system allows working with partially extended stabilisers.

STABILITY
Stability plays a huge role in the design of the Merlo telehandlers, with an emphasis on safety coming to the fore. “There’s up to 9° of frame levelling available and axle-mounting the stabilisers makes them completely independent of the frame levelling so that they do not work against one another. In addition, a safety interlock ensures that frame levelling and stabilisers cannot be used once the boom passes a predetermined safety angle,” van Breda explained.

“By using the stabilisers we can further extend the capacity of the telehandlers, particularly at reach,” van Breda added. “Merlo stabilisers are compact and have a minimum effect on the width of the machine. This is an important factor, since the extra capacity is of no use if the machine will not fit into its allocated working space.”

In addition to stability, manoeuvrability is of concern to the Merlo telehandler developers, as many sites are severely constricted and often congested. The Merlo’s can crab crawl (move sideways on all four wheels), allowing them to work in areas previously not accessible to telehandlers. “Add to this the fact that some of the models can lift pallets of bricks up to 25 metre heights when the stabilisers are engaged, and you can see the attraction of using this machine.”

Another safety feature is apparent in the patented Merlo ‘ring of steel’ which very effectively protects the operator. Cold-bent to shape from 70 mm high-tensile steel, the ring of steel weighs 40 kg/m. “It adds the weight required, as a counterweight, around the lowest part of the machine for stability, and also acts as the cab mount,” van Breda said.

ELECTRONIC ACTIVE SUSPENSION (EAS)
The EAS uses the frame levelling cylinders to support the front axle. A series of nitrogen/oil accumulators are controlled by electronics and provide full and reactive axle suspension. “As axle shocks cannot reach the chassis and be transmitted to the cab, EAS has a substantial effect upon whole body vibration dosage as well as reducing payload loss,” van Breda said.

MAKING SENSE
Many Merlo machines have the advantages of a ‘load-sensing’ hydraulic system. “Simpler gear pump driven systems are fine for many low production applications but the increasing size and performance of telehandlers and the use of more and more attachments that require continuous hydraulic flow, has led to a need for greater flow rates,” van Breda said.

“It would be very wasteful to have a huge engine merely to drive the hydraulics, so load-sensing is the answer. A much larger flow pump can be used, which means that speed of operation is increased. However, when a load is applied, a management system reduces the flow rate to match the available power of the engine,” he added.

Other advantages of load-sensing include a smoother, lower engine speed operation and a reduction in fuel consumption, even when idling. A further refinement is ‘flow-sharing’ which matches an electronic valve block ensuring positive and proportional control, whatever the load demands of individual circuits.

HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION
Merlo has used hydrostatic drives since 1987. A variable delivery pump is connected by high pressure pipes to a motor, driving a two-speed dropbox. “This design has resulted in fuel economy and a cost effective machine operation and because of the placement of the engine, the Merlo designers have managed to maintain huge ground clearance,” van Breda said.

PANORAMIC VISION
Merlo was the first to use a side mounted engine, back in 1987, so they have lots of experience in this type of design. “You can’t beat this sort of all-round visibility, as the boom ‘disappears’ completely out of view and balancing the weight of the cab with the engine and transmission, improves balance across the machine, leading to greatly improved stability. Together with hydrostatic drive, mounting the engine along the side of the machine gives easy access from ground level (and decreases the width of the machine),” van Breda said.

GETTING ATTACHED
An attractive feature of the Merlo’s is their interchangeability of attachments. “The toolbar on each model makes it easy to quickly remove and add attachments such as buckets, forks, tyre handlers (for the 7-ton machine), making these machines highly versatile,” van Breda said. 

“Merlo is, in fact, so focused on getting the right attachment for the application that the company launched a separate division known as Tre Emme. An example of the sophistication of technical design ingenuity is the ZM2 fly jib attachment which is rated at 600 kg when used on a 4 000 kg capacity telehandler. The 3.2-metre job incorporates a sensor to measure loading on the jib which connects to the telehandler’s control system to protect the jib against a mechanical overload,” he explained.

Van Breda believes that the telehandler will continue to grow in stature on site as mindsets change. “These are extremely versatile and underutilised pieces of site equipment which, because of their ability to multitask so effectively, can save companies thousands of Rands.”

The ‘superior’ office park is situated on the corner of Corobay and Garsfontein Roads in Waterkloof Glen and when completed will comprise two blocks, one with eight storeys and the other with seven storeys, including office space as well as basement parking.

“The footprint of block A is 3 500 m2 and block C is 2 000 m2, with 1 034 parking bays and a total lettable floorspace of 22 000 m2,” Hugo Neethling, contracts manager at Stablid Construction, says.

“We were awarded the contract in February 2009 and Block A was completed in November and Block C, which is to be a green building, is due for completion in April 2010,” he says.
 
“These are fairly difficult buildings to erect as there are a lot of features within the construction of the buildings, and this has naturally required a lot of attention to detail,” Neethling says. “We have 800 labourers on site at any one time, including sub-contractors, so we have emphasised safety training and as a result our safety record is excellent. Considering that working on a high rise building can be very difficult and potentially dangerous, our zero LTIR (lost time injury record) is something of which we are proud,” Neethling boasts.

“We are using 1.5 million bricks on both structures and 15 000 m3 of ready mix concrete, and due to the fact that we are working on such a tight and busy site, it has been necessary to schedule materials deliveries to coincide with the construction programme, ensuring minimum disruption. Deliveries are scheduled for early morning when the columns are being stripped and then the concrete deliveries start after midday,” Neethling says.

“This has, at times, been a logistical nightmare as there is only one access road onto the site, which is also the access road to the adjacent school. At the beginning of the contract, the bottom section of the road was also open but this has now been closed to allow roadworks on the Menlyn main road,” Neethling says. 

The Torgar hoist is being used for general materials movement on the site, whilst the Potain tower cranes are responsible for moving the heavier materials on site, including concrete and bricks. “The two Potain tower cranes are the perfect choice for this project as they allow us to reach all sections of the site,” Neethling says. “When building on both sites simultaneously we need one crane per building which is why two have been erected on the site.”

Torgar hoists are configured to suit the specific needs of each site and have illustrated that they are ideal for high rise buildings where speed of lifting materials up or down is normally an issue.
 
The Torgar hoist system comprises a tower designed to be erected in manageable sections as the building grows. On ground zero the basic platform is erected in a protective cage with each section being bolted on using conventional tools. Like a tower crane, the Torgar hoist has a free standing height and beyond this height it must be anchored to the building to ensure optimum operating performance and safety.

The rack and pinion drive of the Torgar hoist ensures a completely safe and foolproof means of controlling the ascent and descent. A second safety mechanism is incorporated at the top of the rack and pinion at the maximum height where a limit switch automatically overruns the operation and immediately halts the ascent of the platform on the ungeared section of the mast. The same applies in descent mode where should the drive system fail an integrated limit switch and rubber buffers ease the platform to a safe stop.

“The matching of the Torgar hoist with the Potain tower cranes is a combination that is working extremely well for us on the Menlyn Corporate Park site. The Torgar alleviates crane hook time and allows the cranes to move and lift other components for construction such as formwork and concrete. This means that we save time in terms of materials being moved and we will be able to remove one of the cranes sooner from site, resulting in cost savings,” Neethling concludes.

More About SA French
Established in 1982, Alt-X listed SA French is today one of the leading suppliers of a range of construction equipment. The company is the sole southern African distributor of Potain tower and self-erecting hydraulic cranes, Merlo telescopic handlers, Merlo rough terrain self-loading truck concrete mixers and Torgar material and personnel hoists, and working platforms.

“The major construction companies spent substantial amounts on new equipment over the past three years so they are currently in a position where they do not need to add stock to their fleets,” van Breda said.

“However an interesting development is the increasing number of smaller contractors who, after not initially allowing for the use of a crane in their original budgeting, decided to place a crane on site after we worked with them on finding an affordable solution. They have seen significant decreases in the amount of time required to complete the project as well as increases in productivity and safety. As a result, the costs of using a crane have been more than offset by the advantages in being able to move onto a new project in a shorter time period,” van Breda added.

“By experiencing the tangible benefits for themselves, they are incentivised to choose a crane on future projects in order to capitalise on reduced project timeframes. The theory of this is evidenced in the repeat business we are receiving from these companies,” van Breda said.

Van Breda is adamant that customers need to carefully weigh up a number of factors before choosing a supplier. “It’s not all just about the product, but also about finding a supplier who has the experience to intelligently advise you on the right model for the application. In addition, the supplier should have a solid infrastructure in place in order to provide customers with qualified levels of pre- and post acquisition support.

“This is applicable not only to the sale of equipment but also in the rental of equipment.  Interestingly, the latter market has seen a resurgence in interest levels and we personally find that 80% of our income is generated from rental of equipment as opposed to new equipment sales. Our rental fleet has in fact increased from 15 machines in 2004 to the current level of 40 machines,” van Breda pointed out.

Van Breda said that he knows of at least one client who has adopted and maintained a policy of retaining only 60% of the fleet it would foreseeably require during high periods in the market. “In this way, they rent in equipment for any shortfalls during these upswings and then during recessionary periods they are not faced with a surplus of equipment lying in their yards. Optimisation of available resources is definitely a key factor here.”

With regard to new equipment sales van Breda said that he anticipates these in future will be geared around replacement of older machines rather than as specific purchases for a particular project.

Van Breda said that the more reputable OEMs will invest in R&D during downturns rather than cutting this crucial element out of the mix. “In the past R&D was driven to a great extent by feedback received from customers, however, since rental fleets have increased in size, the policies will be driven by issues such as transportability and ease of erection since the equipment will need to move from site to site more regularly. In this instance, aesthetics cannot be a replacement for practicality and engineers will need to consider this when they create enhancements and upgrades.

“A number of the major companies were probably overstocked with equipment at the start of 2009 but fortunately the situation seems to have been somewhat alleviated and hopefully Government’s R787-billion allocation for infrastructural development will be brought to the table after the World Cup in order to provide an income to those companies who invested in capital equipment to cope with the recent demand.  I do however believe that the recession has made an indelible impression on the structure of South Africa and businesses need to be more flexible and creative in their approach in future to ensure their own sustainability,” van Breda concluded.

Quentin van Breda, CEO SA French says, “For many years we were known as tower crane people, although the lifting and telescopic handler side of the business has, over the years, increased the part it plays.” So too, he feels that the synergies of material and personnel carriers [hoists] dove-tail with the tower crane environment.

He explains, “The material handling hoists and tower cranes are put up by the same people, the electronics require the same skills and people to fix and run the equipment, and in 85% of cases, we are dealing with the same client.” SA French offers a complete solution to the lifting and handling challenge, conducting site visits to assess the viability of any one scenario; rather using an array of suitable lifting apparatus, over the more lucrative prospect of simply selling or hiring out the more expensive option: a tower crane.

Quentin describes how, in the mid-80s he first came across the concept of hoists and working platforms – replacing or complementing tower cranes – while on a trip abroad, attending an equipment expo. He realised the flexibility that using hoists offered, but attempts at introducing the concept to the South African construction sector fell, for many years, on deaf, inflexible ears, while they continued to focus on the use of tower cranes and scaffolding for work at height applications.

He adds, with mild irritation, “Everywhere, all over the world, countries were using the working platforms and hoists – but not here in South Africa!”

Recently however, the scene has changed, as more frequently the use of hoists is being viewed favourably withn the mining and construction sectors.

Hoist benefits
Quentin explains that in the construction of say, a typical office block, the use of a tower crane is a forgone conclusion. “However,” he continues, “once a building has been topped-out, the tower crane is barely used.” He adds, “The tower crane productivity probably falls off by 50%, but it is kept on site as they still need to get bricks and mortar up to the various levels to do the brickwork and other finishes.” However, owing to the inability to get the crane hook onto completed floors, other than the roof, access to the various levels in a multi-storey building are limited, and thus the use of a hoist – firmly and safely secured to the outside of the structure – affords access [by personnel, and for materials handling] to areas that are no longer possible to access with the tower crane.

Quentin continues, “The average time it takes for workers to walk up multiple flights of stairs [often burdened with the materials and equipment of the trade] in a building without a lift system, makes the use of a hoist an obvious solution, as it dramatically improves productivity and impacts positively on cost.”

Quentin uses an example by way of explanation, “When we were involved at Michelangelo Towers, we actually timed how long it took a worker to walk up the tower from top to bottom. An average worker took 20 minutes, whereas with a hoist on the outside, he’d be at his workstation within 5 minutes.

“With this option,” Quentin explains, “on an average building, you release the [costly] tower crane two to three months earlier than normally scheduled.”

The other benefit of using hoists is the improved safety factor. Quentin expands, “With a hoist, the worker is moved safely to the correct level, in a secure environment, with little chance of slipping or falling off rickety scaffolding or semi-constructed badly lit stairwells.”

When SA French rents out a hoist or tower crane they supply an experienced and qualified operator with the equipment, ensuring a professional and safe solution to the customer’s task at hand.