a 5 ton overhead crane for Everflo and a 16-metre-span 20 ton overhead crane for a local power station

Cape Town crane manufacturer BB Cranes has upgraded its manufacturing capacity as part of plans to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Condra group of companies.

The acquisition, last month, is expected to increase BB’s share of the Western Cape market over time.

Johannesburg-headquartered Condra manufactures custom-designed overhead cranes, portal cranes, jib cranes, hoists and general crane components for countries throughout central and southern Africa, as well as North America, South America, Asia and Eastern Europe.

According to BB Cranes director Barry Brink, the additional resources of the Condra group will expand his factory’s manufacturing and refurbishing capabilities, increase capacity and improve productivity.

“We will be able to manufacture more cranes more quickly and efficiently than before, and we will be able to more energetically serve the Western Cape market. Our focus will continue to be on the Western Cape Province. Our intention is to reach additional customers and to expand our base of over 400 successful installations,” said Brink.

He added, the first of the factory upgrades resulting from the changed shareholding, a girder jig, had already been installed and commissioned to enable quicker, more efficient manufacture of cambered girder box sections, reducing production time by some 75%.

BB Cranes’ staff and branding will remain the same. The company will operate independently within the Condra group, and existing staff will continue to service the customer base.

a 5 ton overhead crane for Everflo and a 16-metre-span 20 ton overhead crane for a local power station
a 5 ton overhead crane for Everflo and a 16-metre-span 20 ton overhead crane for a local power station

A condition of the acquisition is that all staff retain their jobs. The management team is to remain in place, and the expertise of founder Barry Brink, now in semi-retirement, will continue to be available to all customers whenever needed.

BB Cranes was originally formed in 1992 to marry crane girders and electrification systems manufactured in Cape Town to technically complex hoists, crabs, end-carriages and other crane components supplied by Condra, saving customers the cost of transport between Johannesburg and the Mother City.

Majority-owned by Condra since 2016, the company is currently working towards the ISO 9000 certification of the parent group.

Cranes made by BB have shown a steady increase in size over the years, from the 11-metre-span overhead gantry cranes manufactured in the original Paarden Eiland factory, to the 25 and 26-metre spans of recent orders made at the current works in Rivergate Industrial Park. Though the majority of new deliveries have spans and capacities of around 20 metres and 50 tons, the company has the ability to deliver cranes with spans of any length, and capacities of up to 250 tons.

The majority of orders are for single and double-girder electric overhead travelling cranes, and for portal machines.

There are four service teams to supply installation services, load testing, commissioning and maintenance capabilities.

Recent contracts have included a 5-ton portal crane for Everflo (refrigeration systems), a 16-metre-span 20-ton portal crane for a local power station, and two 5-ton container handling portal cranes for Bumbo (baby products).

Ongoing work is provided by orders for overhead travelling cranes placed by wastewater treatment works. BB Cranes enjoys a competitive advantage in this market because of the shot-blast zinc metal spray paint specification, supplied in South Africa by only one company which is also based in Cape Town.

BB Cranes Upgrades Manufacturing Facility