Manitowoc cranes dominate Zambia’s mining sector

A huge fleet of 60 Grove mobile cranes and three Manitowoc crawler cranes is helping expand Zambia’s burgeoning mining industry. The population of Manitowoc cranes in the country is steadily growing and is expected to pass the 100 mark in the coming months.

The cranes which offer capacities from 13.6 t to 450 t were supplied by Crane Load Tech (CLT) Manitowoc’s regional dealer which has its headquarters in South Africa. The company attributes the popularity of Manitowoc cranes in Zambia to their ease of use and versatility as well as the Manitowoc Crane Care support that CLT is able to offer. Henry Wells managing director of CLT explains more:

“Since 2008 there has been a near constant stream of Manitowoc cranes delivered to mines in Zambia ” he says. “They help to grow this very successful market segment thanks to their capabilities and simple operation. With their reputation for reliability and Manitowoc Crane Care’s world-class service the cranes have become the market leaders.”

All of the cranes are based at four huge mines in the country one of which is the largest copper mine in Africa. The cranes serve a mix of project work such as expanding current sites constructing new mines and maintaining plant sites which involves the inspection and general upkeep of machinery. Lifts take place every day and range from small pick-and-carry jobs to intricate three-crane lifts.

To service the ever-growing fleet is a full time job in itself. So much so that CLT has stationed one of its specialized Manitowoc Grove technicians at the country’s biggest mine Kansanshi for 12 months. Warren Wells arrived in Zambia in January and provides on-site service training and general support as well as directing the set-up of new cranes.

“With new cranes arriving all the time it’s important that they are prepared for work quickly and that operators are fully trained on the new machines ” says Warren. “It’s a busy job with four sites to cover and the complete range of cranes to work on.”

The largest collection of Grove cranes in Zambia is at the Kansanshi mine in the north of the country where they are used every day to build renovate expand and maintain structures buildings and equipment at the huge 76 km² site. Currently the mine is undergoing a multi-stage expansion project that will increase annual copper production to 400 000 t and gold production to 120 000 ounces. More than 1 700 people work at the site.

Arnim Schon sales director for Manitowoc in Africa who oversees the Zambia deals adds:

“Zambia is a great success story for us and shows how perfectly suited our cranes are to the most demanding of jobs and locations. We will continue to deliver cranes into the country as we look to expand our sales in other key African markets as well.”

The Grove cranes in Zambia cover almost the entire range of all-terrain rough-terrain and industrial cranes from the company. The largest mobile crane is a 450 t capacity GMK7450 which is predominantly used to build giant dump trucks that transport the excavated aggregate.

The three crawler cranes include two 272 t capacity 2250s and a 200 t capacity 14000.

Two of the mines Kansanshi and the new Trident mine project are operated by First Quantum Minerals. The other two sites Mopani and Iumwana are owned by Barrick.

Established in 1988 Crane Load Tech is one of southern Africa’s leading crane suppliers. As well as supplying the entire range of Grove mobile cranes and Manitowoc crawler cranes the company provides comprehensive Manitowoc Crane Care support including maintenance training and repair services. The company is also a certified EnCORE supplier allowing it to conduct Manitowoc—approved rebuild and refurbishment works on Manitowoc brand cranes.