Condra lifts Canadian market share
3rd Quarter 2012
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Local crane company, Condra, has made further inroads into Canada’s market for specialised lifting equipment. The Germiston-based company reports recent sales of one 60 ton and three 10 ton hoists, and three overhead cranes with capacities of 15, 35 and 40 tons. All machines are for mining applications in various parts of Canada, and all were modified from standard models to suit the application. Sales were secured by Indoc Cranes, Condra’s authorised agent in that country. Condra entered the Canadian market at the beginning of 2011.
Kyle Kleiner, manager in charge of sales to North and South America, believes that success in Canada has resulted from quick turnaround on quotations and rapid delivery of drawing revisions. He says that effective commissioning support has also played a part, ensuring that any difficulties encountered during installation are quickly resolved. Above all, Kleiner believes that the main factor behind the success is the reliability, versatility and adaptability of the Condra product itself.
As an example of this, he points to the 60-ton hoist, which has a single-girder underslung monorail design, noteworthy in terms of both its size and configuration. It is the biggest machine of this type yet made by Condra, and was designed to incorporate dual rope-drums and dual bottom-blocks with a separate motor for each, synchronised by variable speed drives to allow perfectly level lifts.
Kleiner explains that the challenge here was to ensure that the drum torque was prevented from entering the rope, which would have resulted in twisting of the bottom-blocks.
“We previously manufactured a dual-drum 30-ton underslung hoist with a very high lift of 100 metres, but this was our first design of this type to such a high capacity,” Kleiner says.
“The lead time was tight. We took just 12 weeks to manufacture this machine, shipped it to Canada in another six, and came in three weeks ahead of the schedule allowed for by the customer. This was exceptional for a unit of this size,” he adds.
The 60 ton machine is to be used as a maintenance hoist for headframe maintenance. Kleiner explains that, whereas headgear maintenance in South Africa is achieved by a double-girder overhead crane for which space is allocated within the headgear design, in Canada the maintenance hoist is not afforded the same degree of importance, and often has to be fitted into the space remaining after the headframe is virtually complete.
“We had to design the 60 tonner in such a way that it would not snag the rope where it passed over the sheave wheels close to the bottom blocks. We achieved this by designing a more compact bottom block to allow a closer hook height,” Kleiner explains. He says that it was the ability to modify Condra’s product to suit any reasonable restriction that differentiated the company from its competitors.
Besides space constraints, Condra had to meet the speed, capacity and high-lift requirements set by its Canadian customers. However, Kleiner emphasises that Condra does not intend to take the high-lift leadership that it enjoys in South Africa across to Canada. Instead, he notes that pricing strategies are being reviewed in order to expand the company’s footprint in the segment for standard hoists, where competition is fierce.
“We are working closely on this pricing with Indoc Cranes, which we see as the Canadian extension of Condra. Indoc is our only agent and will remain so, and we are giving them 100% backing.
“It is an energetic, young and knowledgeable company with a hands-on approach, able to decide on what is and is not possible, and then accurately define the requirement. Both companies are confident of further expanding our share of the Canadian market over the coming months,” Kleiner concludes.
For more information contact Marc Kleiner, Condra, +27 (0)11 021 3712, [email protected], www.condra.co.za
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