Refurbishing cranes can be a smarter alternative to buying new units, says Condra Cranes, noting that refurbishment delivers immediate cost savings while keeping machines “as new” and familiar to operators, eliminating the need for retraining.

“Production can continue as before, with no change to established procedures,” says Condra Cranes MD Marc Kleiner.

The cost of a refurbishment to the highest standard, which takes about three weeks, is almost always less than buying a new crane, and the crane can be upgraded to incorporate any modern technology the customer wants.

“We encourage it because new crane prices are about 60% higher today than they were ten years ago. If needed, we can change crane capacity and span. Even cranes 20 years or older can usually be improved by installing variable frequency drives to facilitate easily changeable speeds,” he explains.

Condra Cranes’ refurbishments can produce much faster and lighter cranes, with the ability to automate and upgrade the mechanicals to work with new electrical equipment.

“These options are offered during any refurbishment, from standard 2M workshop cranes to the higher performing machines such as Class 3 and Class 4,” Kleiner adds.

Refurbishments carry a three-year warranty if Condra-authorised agents service the crane, or one year if not.

Kleiner notes that Condra Cranes usually refurbishes only its own cranes, as spare parts from rival firms are not always available and can be expensive to import, whereas Condra manufactures all spare parts locally.

“If the crane is one of ours, then refurbishment is usually worthwhile,” he says.

Meanwhile, Kleiner highlights Condra’s product reliability, built on 60 years of manufacturing and service experience.

In 2026, Condra Crane will celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of its founding as a general engineering company offering a range of locally made, competitively priced hoists. Crane manufacture began in 1971.

While matching the sale price of imported machines – especially without South African tariffs or other protective mechanisms – is difficult, the company sets itself apart through the overall lifetime cost of its crane, as imported parts are expensive and often not readily available.

“We compete on product reliability and durability. Many operators do not factor into their cost projections production losses caused by downtime. The purpose of an overhead crane is to move what the factory is producing. If the crane is not working, the factory is not producing. It is not making money.”

The initial price is not what overall cost effectiveness is all about, Kleiner concludes.