Materials handling equipment distributor and service provider Charco Cranes used the KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition, held in February, as well as smaller industry-related events, as launchpads to highlight its recently acquired distributorship of the Italy-based Donati range of cranes and hoists to South Africa and the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Charco Cranes has supplied the Donati range of cranes and hoists locally to a variety of sectors such as the automotive, industrial, mining and marine industries.

“Charco Cranes was awarded the distributorship in 2019; however, a full launch and marketing campaign was put on hold, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and its knock-on effects on the industry,” says Charco Cranes sales engineer Richard Roughley.

He points out that the Donati range has proven favourable among Charco Cranes clients.

“Our clients have been satisfied with the professionalism of the Charco Cranes team, as well as the reliability and quality that the Donati product range offers.”

The Donati range of hoists and cranes includes electric chain hoists with a 125 kg to 4 000 kg lifting capacity, and electric rope hoists and crane sets with an 800 kg to 50 000 kg lifting capacity.

Further offerings include Jib cranes – in either manual or electrically driven execution – with a lifting capacity up to 10 000 kg, as well as profiled small crane systems of up to 1 000 kg.

“Donati also supplies geared motors, wheel blocks and drives to many mobile equipment applications,” Roughley adds.

He stresses that Donati’s confidence in the reliability and quality of its own technology is reflected in a 36-month warranty on the product range.

Additionally, there are many Donati cranes and hoists in the sub-Saharan Africa market, which Charco Cranes has begun to maintain while offering new solutions to existing clients.

Although Donati offers exceptionally fast ex works delivery times for its products, the shipping times from Europe are a challenge, says Roughley.

Charco Cranes currently stores spare parts locally; however, to mitigate long delivery times, it aims to store a number of full crane sets in South Africa in the long term.

“The South African market has welcomed Donati as an alternative crane/hoist brand offering a reliable, high-quality European product backed by an industry-leading warranty.”

Charco Cranes will continue to grow in the crane service sector and looks forward to an increasing market share of new equipment through its partnership with Donati, Roughley concludes.