Overhead gantries, cranes, hoists and related lifting equipment needs to be serviced and maintained regularly to optimise performance, reduce downtime and ensure compliance with regulatory safety laws, says Konecranes and Demag South Africa sales manager Ian Grobler.

“It is important to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to maintenance. While most crane manufacturers provide scheduled maintenance guidelines or recommendations to help equipment perform as expected during normal operation, the most effective preventive maintenance programmes are those that are customised or tailored to the environment within which the cranes operate. Crane usage, the environment, duty classification, and local regulations and compliance should be taken into account along with manufacturer recommendations in order to keep downtime reduced, thereby improving uptime at site,” explains Grobler.

An effective preventive maintenance programme consists of periodic inspections, routine maintenance and repairs in order to ensure regulatory compliance and reduce the incidence of failures that result in unplanned downtime.

The benefits of implementing an effective preventive maintenance programme for lifting equipment include:

• Positive impact on the performance and reliability of cranes and lifting equipment

• Helping identify and address safety issues to ensure employee safety and revenue

• Minimises the frequency and cost of unplanned downtime

• Minimises excessive labour and parts replacement

A maintenance programme can help assess whether cranes are being used correctly and as intended, and can also help identify opportunities for user and operator training.

Preventive maintenance conducted at regularly scheduled intervals helps maintain and extend the lifespan of cranes, while also supporting compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

“All cranes and hoists have a finite service life. To help get the most out of the equipment, it is important to take care of the little things before they become big problems and focus attention away from the rest of the operations. An effective preventive maintenance programme is designed to improve equipment safety and productivity through the systematic application of inspections, routine maintenance, risk assessments and recommendations, remote monitoring capabilities and good maintenance management software,” adds Grobler.