South African crane manufacturer Condra in July completed load tests on two 25 t headgear cranes for copper miner Mopani Copper Mines’ (MCM’s) Synclinorium shaft, in Kitwe, Zambia.

The cranes were manufactured at the company’s Germiston works in June.

An MCM representative witnessed the tests during June ahead of delivery to the Nkana mine, near Kitwe, where the mine’s new shaft is scheduled for commissioning toward the end of the year.

“MCM’s headgear cranes were manufactured as identical machines with significantly high lifts of more than 80 m. The cranes feature high-tensile ropes and incorporate materials of the best quality on critical components,” says Condra MD Marc Kleiner.

He adds that the crane gearboxes, for example, are made of 36B case-hardened stainless steel and that live axle drives have been used throughout.

Kleiner explains that this material is beneficial in extending crane life span. Meanwhile, the hoists are fitted with high-tensile-strength ropes, which results in a reduction in rope dia- meter. This enables the use of a reduced drum diameter and a smaller gearbox and motor, all of which help contain costs.

Condra has manufactured several cranes for MCM over the years, including overhead cranes, high-lift machines and hoists.

The two headgear cranes supplied to MCM are part of a bigger order, valued at more than $1.9-million, that also includes two 70 t maintenance cranes that Condra has manufactured for the project’s winder house. Condra started work on these in August.

Kleiner further highlights the customer’s emphasis on reliability and rapid service response as among the reasons for awarding the order for Synclinorium’s headgear and winder-house cranes to Condra.

Meanwhile, company agent EC Mining, which is based in the Zambian Copperbelt, is able to react quickly to service calls using spare parts held in stock.

Specialised Offering

Although Condra has not focused on the mining industry as such, Kleiner believes the company has been able to satisfy the need for specialised equipment for lifting and handling more efficiently, such as mobile headgear.

He further notes that, competitor manufacturers in the northern hemisphere generally find it difficult to respond promptly to service requirements in Zambia.

“[However,] copper mining companies need maximum production, owing to the currently depressed copper price. As this is dependent on the reliability of all machinery installed in the mines, there is no margin for excessive machine downtime,” Kleiner emphasises.

Kleiner highlights that, in the manufacturing of the MCM cranes, factory production schedules were flexed to meet time-to-site requirements. According to Kleiner, this is something that Condra is accustomed to doing, whereas most rival companies tend not to be as accommodating.

Condra designs high-lift cranes around the company’s durable and robust K-Series hoist range, which have proven to be dependable under conditions of increased mechanical strain associated with high-lift applications.

The modular design of the K-Series allows rapid modification to specific high-lift requirements, resulting in short delivery times.

Condra further uses silumin rotor cores to enhance the K-Series motor-starting torque in the high-lift role, and has developed variable-speed control levels on the drives to enable precise load positioning on lifts of 100 m and more.

Hoist speeds of up to 18 m/min, and travel speeds of up to 200 m/min are possible.

Condra also manufactures to ISO 9000 standards, and complies with the standards of ISO 14000 and ISO 18000.

While Condra’s current orders are for the mining industry, Kleiner notes a marginal demand for high-lift cranes in the materials handling industry, with a few smaller contracts in specific industry sectors. He adds that the crane manufacturing industry also faces challenges in mitigating the effects of cheaper imports and increased competition.

Nevertheless, in May, the company reported an increase in exports to Canada, the result of increasing awareness of product capabilities in that country. The company’s agent in Saskatchewan believes that Canadian engineers are gradually accepting the long-term advantages of installing robust, durable cranes instead of the more delicate machines of some northern hemisphere manufacturers, notes Kleiner.