Cape Town lifting equipment company BB Cranes has received an order for the 14th bridge crane, which will be installed at the Gamsberg zinc mine in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
The order was placed by Mota-Engil and is related to a contract signed between the Portuguese mining and construction group and Black Mountain Mining for further drilling, excavation and transportation work in Gamsberg. Black Mountain Mining is the owner of the mine.
The 13th crane installed was designed and manufactured in Johannesburg by Condra, BB's parent company. They are installed by BB Cranes. The first 11 units were delivered to the mine during initial development in 2017, and the other two were commissioned as separate orders last year.
There are two 10-ton double-beam bridge cranes, one 40/8-ton double-beam bridge crane, multiple 5-ton single-beam cranes and various cranes and hanging beams.
Gamsberg Zinc's latest crane will be a 20-ton double-girder electric bridge crane designed by Condra, but this time it will be manufactured by BB Cranes at its Cape Town plant.
Delivered in September 2021, it will span 18.2 meters and provide a lifting height of 12 meters during a 40-meter long journey. The crane will be used for maintenance and repair tasks in the Mota-Engil workshop.
BB Cranes will manage manufacturing and then deliver, install and debug its latest order as a turnkey project, and provide technical service and maintenance support from Cape Town. Since the first machine was put into use, the company has managed most of the maintenance requirements for Gamsberg Zinc cranes.
All BB customers can use three to four service teams, one of which is on standby 24/7. The company hired two crane inspectors for certification.
The management of BB Cranes believes that the latest Gamsberg order will reinforce the attributes and advantages the Condra brand brings to the mining industry: robust design, short delivery times, fast service and spare parts backup. For Gamsberg Zinc as a customer, the proximity of BB Cranes is the most important, which makes the application of technical support, knowledge and service expertise faster than in Johannesburg.
BB Cranes has a history of lifting equipment that can be traced back to 30 years and has been part of the Condra Group for the last five years. Condra acquired a majority stake in BB in 2016 to expand its distribution network and establish closer ties with customers in the Western Cape and Northern Cape.
At the time of the acquisition, BB Cranes gained a competitive advantage by locally manufacturing the large and heavy steel beams necessary for bridge cranes, eliminating the cost of transporting these steel beams from Johannesburg, and giving BB a price advantage compared to other manufacturers.
The company uses Condra components and sub-components to complete its cranes as needed.
Last year, BB Cranes moved to a larger plant in the Rivergate Industrial Park to meet the growing needs of the mining industry and local government. Water treatment utilities in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces have recently achieved remarkable success, with orders coming from sewage treatment plants in Cape Town (Zandvliet), George and Knysna.
Industry observers believe that BB Cranes can well meet the growing demand for cranes and cranes in mining, industry and agriculture in various provinces in the future.
Future-oriented engineering growth
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