Mobile crane hire company Johnson Crane Hire (JCH) has entered the last leg of a R1-billion expansion programme, which it expects to complete by December 14. The company plans to spend R450-million in capital expenditure to replace older cranes and upgrade the company’s fleet with newer models.

“We’ve successfully positioned ourselves as a company that not only operates the largest fleet in sub-Saharan Africa but that also continues to pioneer the introduction of the latest crane technology onto the local market. “We will continue to fulfil this role in the years ahead,” says JCH MD Lalith Senarathne.

The company’s upgraded fleet varies in size and includes South Africa’s largest mobile crane, the new Liebherr LTM 1070-4.2, which was handed over to JCH at the Munich-based industry trade fair, Bauma 2013, held at the Messe München exhibition centre from April 15 to 21.

The Liebherr LTM 1070-4.2 has a lifting capacity of 70 t, with a 2.5 m radius, a telescopic boom of between 11 m and 50 m and a lattice jib, with a maximum length of 16 m.

The crane is powered by a six- cylinder, 270 kW turbodiesel engine, manufactured by Switzerland-based construction machinery manufacturer Liebherr. It has a total counterweight of 14.5 t.

At the handover ceremony, which Senarathne attended with a dozen JCH employees, he emphasised the company’s mis-sion to be the world’s best lifting solutions company, adding that the LTM 1070-4.2 would help JCH achieve this goal.

Meanwhile, the company aims to stay ahead of the market in the future by keeping abreast of the constantly evolv-ing needs of its customers.

“We’re ensuring that we meet their requirements by regularly introducing innovations to the fleet and increasing the fleet’s range and depth,” he says.

The company’s equipment has to be upgraded to meet clients’ safety requirements, as mine and site safety is much stricter currently than what it was in previous years.

Senarathne tells Engineering News that JCH operators have to undergo several medical examinations and inductions at crane-hire sites, while clients adhering to stringent safety requirements require training on rigging from the company.

“Industry is more cost driven and the correct equipment is required to carry out the lift in as short a time and as safely as possible. Reliability is a key factor.”

In its endeavour to always provide a comprehensive solu- tion for its customers, JCH prides itself on having conducted several unique heavy lifts in South Africa, adds Senarathne.

“We operate and continue to strengthen the largest heavy-lift fleet in the country, with more than 20 cranes in our heavy-lift fleet, ranging from 180 t to 750 t,” he says.

Most of JCH’s cranes have been supplied by the Liebherr group. However, JCH has also acquired several cranes from Japan-based crane manufacturer Tadano and mobile telescoping crane manufacturer Grove.

In 2011, JCH acquired its hundredth Liebherr crane, a milestone event attended by representatives from Liebherr’s German and South African operations, including Liebherr Germany MD Christoph Kleiner and Jan Liebherr, who officially handed over the unit to JCH and is the oldest son of the company’s late founder, Hans Liebherr.