MACHINE MOVING Lovemore Bros recently invested in a new warehouse facility to extend its storage and handling capability in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal-based machine-moving and abnormal loads company Lovemore Bros has invested in a new equipment handling and storage facility, which opened in June, on Rotterdam road in the Bayhead area of Durban port.
The 2 000 m2 outdoor facility is designed to handle oversize and abnormal machinery weighing up to 350 t, thereby meeting the increasing demands of clients moving heavy machinery through Durban port.
Lovemore Bros business development manager Peter Lovemore says South Africa is going through an infrastructure development stage, most noticeably with large investments in State-owned power utility Eskom’s new power generating facilities, Medupi and Kusile.
“We are importing modern machinery that is designed to be transported in larger pieces to reduce on-site installation costs for these projects. “Transporting this cargo is a specialised service and requires costly equipment and experience to manage it,” he adds.
Lovemore says the new facility is “ideally situated” for the movement of large machinery, adding that all large pieces generally arrive on the same ship and require a staging area near the port before being transported to site.
The new facility was bought in addition to Lovemore Bros’ existing 8 000 m2 premises in New Germany, also in KwaZulu-Natal. Lovemore notes that the company has developed its warehousing operations over 19 years to offer a complete set of warehousing services including handling, storage, packaging and transport.
Lovemore Bros also has another five warehouses in close proximity to the Durban port, each with differing features to accommodate the range of requirements that machine handling presents.
In addition, the company has an outdoor storage facility of 20 000 m² in the Richards Bay industrial development zone, 500 m from the port.
Meanwhile, Lovemore Bros say clients with commodities other than machinery are starting to call on the company to handle their cargo. Some of the commodities facilitated through Lovemore Bros include steel, granite, rubber and high-value equipment. Lovemore notes that everything is stored on ground-floor level and easily accessible by overhead crane.
Lovemore Bros warehouse division manager Willy Chetty – who has successfully managed the company’s warehouse division since its inception in 1996 – says the company has focused its attention on customer satisfaction and safety in handling, thereby ensuring a zero tolerance in damages to cargo.
“All handling equipment and accessories go through a stringent quarterly service and certification, thereby ensuring our high-quality standards. “We have strived to improve our handling methods to accommodate almost any type of cargo,” concludes Chetty.