As with any mechanical equipment maintenance of cranes and hoists is vital to ensure a longer and more efficient lifespan. In Africa as countries continue on an upward development trajectory, the growth in demand for heavy equipment has also kept in step both in industrial facilities and construction site.
The uppermost issue when carrying out maintenance is to ensure that the process is organized and not haphazard. A maintenance checklist that includes critical safety components as specified by the manufacturer is necessary along with a maintenance logbook to record problems encountered. The need to follow the manufacturers manuals cannot be overstressed.
The typical things to check for once you start is the wire rope, crane structure and accessories, hydraulic systems, control systems and monitoring devices. Along with inspecting the sheaves and sockets, lubrication of the cable is essential to prevent damage and replacement will be necessary if the rope has increased in length while reducing in diameter as this means it has become defective. Proceed to check the crane structure for deformations, cracks or corroded members in the structure and boom, check the bolts and rivets as well. Ensure that the hydraulics do not have evidence of leakage and also check the level of fluids. Clean or replace the air cleaners. These are just some of the items to look out for but ensure that reference is made to the manuals so as not to overlook anything.
In Kenya one company providing lifting equipment is Europa Infrastructure Technologies. They source their equipment from Europe and other than cranes and hoists they also stock various other equipment used in the construction industry. Amit Raikundalia (Goldie), the managing director says the key advantage of their products is that they are from Europe which in most cases is synonymous with quality.
“We have lots of advantages, the main being that we only deal with purely European products, not that China or India is a bad market but a European product is always built much better and is more reliable and comes with European certification.” He said when speaking to CR.
They have more recently begun providing factory refurbished equipment which are better priced while ensuring quality.
“All products come with a 1 year warranty and we have a full time service team trained in our products and have the best record in the country in terms of servicing. To sell a machine is easy but to keep the client happy and always keep their work running smoothly is the key” says Amit.
Amit advises that when buying lifting equipment it is important to know the weight of what is to lifted and ensure you have adequate space. An experienced operator is essential and Europa provides training on site once installation is done
