Mini crane anyone?

As a result of rapidly growing urban centres on the African continent, space is limited and working at heights is now more prevalent. Solutions such as mini cranes are now in the spotlight. CLAIRE RENCKEN reports

Eazi Group, a specialist in mobile work-at-height solutions, offers a technologically advanced, cost-effective and safe solution _ the Maeda mini crane. At first sight, it resembles a robotic spider sitting on long crawls: compact and stable, with a long arm coming out of its core, ready to move into position to get the job done.

The Maeda mini crane is versatile lifting equipment, developed and designed to tackle ambitious tasks in constricted areas.

As one of the largest construction and equipment manufacturing companies in Japan, Maeda has been producing mini cranes since 1980. These are available on a rental basis throughout Africa, through Eazi Access Rental _ a South African-owned company that offers the largest fleet of tele-handlers and work-at-height equipment in southern Africa.

The company has its head office in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, with 13 branches across various provinces in South Africa.

Chad Pope, business director for Eazi Access Rental, says: “The focus right now is to provide South African companies with safe work-at-height solutions that are cost-effective and enhance productivity.”

The Maeda mini cranes are ideal for use in a variety of different industrial sectors. The range offers a lifting capacity from one to six tonnes, with a lift height ranging from 5,5 to 16,7 m.

For specialised applications, such as glass handling or cladding, customers can choose from a variety of below-the-hook accessories. The smaller series can all be operated by remote control, allowing precise lifting. They also work on environmentally friendly electric power with zero emissions.

Maeda offers a wide range of models, starting with the MC104 Mini Crawler Crane. Its body is only 600 mm wide _ well below the size of a standard doorway. The MC104 comes with a lifting bracket for easy lifting into place by a second crane or helicopter. Transmission is hydrostatic.

Customers have the option of choosing white rubber tracks to avoid damage to sensitive flooring. Pressure on the ground is very low. Loads are lifted by a pentagon-shaped automatic four-stage telescopic boom. The MC104 weighs only just over a tonne and can lift up to one tonne.

The next model, the MC174, comes with a lifting capacity of 1,7 t, and the most popular model, the MC285-2, boasts a massive lifting capacity of 2,82 t. All three models are compact machines with the same specs as big cranes, yet easy to load and transport.

The advantage of the various Maeda mini cranes is their versatility. It is possible to position them close to loads. Previously, such applications were dangerous and much larger, more expensive cranes had to be used.

Bo Börjesson, an industry veteran and technical advisor at Maeda Sweden, explains: “Proximity is more important than sales. In Europe, we have learnt that clients prefer to rent equipment first, before committing to buying, but we also know that renting increasingly leads to more sales. Most of our clients are looking for intelligent solutions for complicated tasks.”

Maeda mini cranes are easy to operate, and hands-on training is provided to the customer to ensure that strict safety procedures are followed when using the equipment; something that is becoming increasingly important in the industry.

“Eazi Group offers competitive sales and rental services; with possible leases of three or five years. As the economy is under pressure, clients prefer to work more cost-effectively,” says Larry Smith, managing director of Eazi Sales and Services, the sales arm of the Eazi Group.

Liviero’s site safety earns two awards

Reflecting the group’s continuous drive for the safest sites, Liviero Building was the proud winner of two awards at the 2015 Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) National Safety Competition.

This is the second consecutive year that Liviero has taken top honours in two of the ten categories of this prestigious industry competition, reports CEO Neil Cloete.

The company’s Durban University of Technology site won Category D, for contracts between R10 and R25 million, while its Jelf Taylor project in Durban edged out the competition to earn first place in Category E, for contracts between R25 and R75 million.

Liviero Building was also the runner-up in the competition’s Category F _ for projects between R75 and R150 million _ and in Category H _ for contracts between R300 and R500 million.

The regional competition winners compete for The National MBSA Safety Awards. Liviero Building secured no less than five regional awards, all of which went forward to the national competition.

“We are extremely proud of our achievements in the construction industry’s leading health and safety competition. I must commend the outstanding team effort of our Liviero Building executives and staff that helped us to win these awards,” says Cloete.

The MBSA National Safety Competition saw around 45 sites judged according to strict criteria. MBSA appoints independent, qualified and experienced auditors to assess the sites, using the audit system of the MBSA.

The 2015 awards were presented at a gala dinner in Johannesburg, during the annual Master Builders SA Congress.