Consistently increased demand for medium to large range mobile cranes has seen Johnson Crane Hire strengthen its position as the leading crane hire company by ensuring that these machines are readily available directly from its branch network.

Sales executive at Johnson Crane Hire, Peter Yaman says that the company proactively monitors crane usage at its 14 branches. “Our customer driven focus has always been to ensure that crane hire needs are met in the individual regions we service, and this is only possible by maintaining close relationships with existing customers and understanding the market demands.”

Yaman says analysis of the usage and demand statistics allows the company to plan ahead, and this has seen the company take delivery of one 250 t and two 140 t machines with two 100 t mobile cranes due for delivery mid-2018. This level of planning facilitates the phased delivery of the new machines as well as the reallocation of cranes from the existing fleet to the Johnson Crane Hire branches that need them, thereby facilitating optimum availability.

“It is not unusual to reallocate various capacity mobile cranes to those branches that have shown increased demand, and by doing this we empower our team in those regions to offer an even more rapid response,” Yaman says. “It is all about having the appropriate mobile cranes available where and when the customer needs.”

Examples of the reallocation of machines within the current fleet are the moving of a 440 t unit to Cape Town last year, and more recently a 275 t machine to Durban and a 275 t to Burgersfort.

Commenting on the new machines acquired by the company, Yaman says the Liebherr LTM 1250 mobile crane is not new to the Johnson Crane Hire fleet, however unlike the existing six axle LTM 1250-6.1 machines in the fleet, the new 250 t unit is a five-axle machine making it more compact and lightweight. This provides the manoeuvrability to operate in confined spaces where previously this was not possible. In addition to this, the LTM 1250-5.1 is equipped with and driven by a single engine which drives both the carrier and the upper crane. This translates into a significant weight saving as well as a reduction in operation and maintenance requirements.

Johnson Crane Hire has an established reputation for the reliability and performance of its fleet, and Yaman says that safety underpins all Johnson Crane Hire operations, with comprehensively documented and implemented safety systems that comply with all industry safety standards in place.

“We have a focus on proper crane maintenance at all branches, and this supported by the national workshop in Johannesburg where we have comprehensive workshop facilities,” he says.