Technological improvements over the years have suggested that Midrand-based tower cranes and lifting solutions firm “SA French” has the capability to prepare an asset tracking system of GPS fleet tracking on its crane fleet, promising more efficient operations during construction tasks.
“With our laptop computers or cellular phones linked to the tracking system on the cranes, we can see cranes’ functional activity from the time they are set up for usage to its real working hours. This allows us to successfully prepare for when a crane will require upkeep,” says SA French MD Quentin van Breda.
He explains that crane upkeep abroad has become a ‘needed upkeep’ rather than the typical preventive measure that was used on older cranes (which suggests that only the parts which must be mended are fixed). This system, known as CraneSTAR, which is offered by Potain, for which SA French is the South African provider, can have a module fitted to each crane and through the worldwide system for cellular interaction connection to the desk of a plant manager.
“We prepare our upkeep around our tracker and upkeep issues based upon extended working hours are alleviated, conserving a great deal of arguments with customers. If [they] … call and inform us that a crane isn’t functional, we can quickly inspect it and, on occasions, can find that the malfunctioning crane is not ours,” Van Breda explains.
Together with the South African market now favouring bubble crane and other crane hire for new building and construction projects, rather than buying cranes, he clarifies that SA French can supply any kind of tower crane which a customer may need.
When a client requires a specific crane, SA French will buy the crane that the customer needs, depending upon a budget plan and if they favour brand-new or used. This has made it possible for the company to extensively increase the selection of cranes on offer, with a few clients that lie in Africa requiring cranes and frannas in distant locations. A larger fleet of cranes guarantees a trusted source for the company.
“We provided a customer in the Democratic Republic of Congo a crane 3,000 km from South Africa. It took us 28 days to reach the building site from Dar es Salaam, owing to the stopped roadway facilities. The tower cranes are simple to put together but are rather like containerised Meccano sets which require subassembly then erection; for that reason, they need to be transferred by truck to site,” he explains.
Industry Problems
Irrespective of the technological advancements made by SA French on its own apparatus, Van Breda cites that funding devices providers and the construction and building market have yet to see is a significant part of the R800-billion warranty in 2008 for upgrading facilities throughout South Africa, with numerous apparatus pros and providers reluctant to operate more on government-funded jobs.
He explains that, in 2008, the Southern African national government had an improvement strategy in place to boost facilities throughout the country. Tons of regional construction and construction company and device providers consented to take care of tasks like the construction and construction of football arenas for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, intending to greatly increase the efficiency of facilities across the country later.
But after the arenas were built and associated facilities like the very first phase of the Gauteng Highway Facilities Task had really been developed, the needed facilities updates never saw the light of day. This has triggered a whole lot of neighbourhood facilities advancement decrease, with present sewage, energy and water systems not able to adapt into quick city growth.
The lack of facilities has additionally triggered private organisations to re-evaluate where and strategies to spend money in South Africa, says Van Breda. He discusses that, with centres not being upgraded, the overall building and construction of new structures in the locations away from the primary enterprise zone of South African cities has really diminished.
In 2012, national government presented the brand new National Facilities Strategy (NIP), valued at R827-billion, which ensured to upgrade sewage, electric power and water facilities throughout South Africa before completion in 2017.
He explains that the NIP is an excellent strategy which, if it’s carried out efficiently, the nation will be able to continue construction management and development “with ease”. There are two strategies by the national government, the NIP and the National Advancement Strategy (NDP), through which it plans to increase and upgrade the facilities of the country. Part of the NDP vision is to utilise the present medium-term spending strategy of the NIP to present a complete facilities upgrade by 2030.
