{"id":8811,"date":"2025-11-19T14:02:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/condra.co.za\/?p=8811"},"modified":"2026-01-21T14:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:23:19","slug":"cash-prizes-highlight-lifting-durability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/condra.co.za\/en\/cash-prizes-highlight-lifting-durability\/","title":{"rendered":"CASH PRIZES HIGHLIGHT LIFTING DURABILITY"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83c\udf89PRESS RELEASE<\/p>\r\n

\ud83d\udcc5 NOVEMBER 10, 2025<\/p>\r\n

\"\"\ud83d\udcb5\ud83d\udcb5\ud83d\udcb5 Condra is running a competition to find the company\u2019s oldest working crane, showcasing product durability and offering cash prizes for the three longest-working machines discovered.<\/p>\r\n

The contest is part of the run-up to diamond jubilee celebrations, aiming to reinforce a core company concept of delivering value over time. Open to hoists, original cranes and refurbished machines (to highlight the viability of upgrading veteran cranes to modern, fit-for-purpose standard), entry is free.<\/p>\r\n

Condra will turn sixty in 2026.<\/p>\r\n

Managing director Marc Kleiner said that buying new is not always the best option.<\/p>\r\n

He listed the two principal advantages of crane refurbishment \u2013 an immediate realisation of cost savings, and the continued use of an as-new machine already familiar to operators. This avoids any need for retraining, he said. Production can continue as before, with no change to established procedures.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe need about three weeks to refurbish to top standard,\u201d said Kleiner. \u201cThe cost is almost always less than buying a new crane, and we can upgrade to incorporate any kind of modern technology the customer wants.<\/p>\r\n\u201cRefurbishments carry a three year warranty if Condra-authorised agents service the crane, or one year if not.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nKleiner explained that Condra usually refurbishes only its own cranes because spare parts from rival firms are not always available. They are also expensive to import, whereas Condra manufactures all spare parts locally.\r\n

\u201cIf the crane is one of ours, then refurbishment is usually worthwhile,\u201d he said. \u201cWe 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 twenty years or older can usually be improved by installing variable frequency drives to facilitate easily changeable speeds.\r\n\r\n\u201cBy refurbishing, we deliver back to the customer a crane much faster and lighter than before, and we can automate it, too, upgrading the mechanicals to work with new electrical equipment.\r\n\r\n\u201cThese options are offered during any refurbishment, from standard 2M workshop cranes to the higher performing machines such as Class 3 and Class 4,\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\n\r\nKleiner added. Turning to the market for new cranes, Kleiner pointed to worrying examples of end-users buying cheap cranes from rival firms, then finding it impossible to timeously rectify breakdowns when they occurred.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n
\u201cI believe it\u2019s fair to say that the Condra product not only works, but also lasts because it has 60 years of manufacturing and service experience behind it.\u201d\r\n\r\nKleiner admitted the difficulty of competing with the sale price of imported machines in the absence of South African tariffs or other protective mechanisms.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s not easy,\u201d he said, \u201cbut where we are more than competitive is in the overall lifetime cost of the crane, because imported parts are expensive and often not readily available.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe compete on product reliability and durability. Many operators don\u2019t 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 isn\u2019t working, the factory isn\u2019t producing. It isn\u2019t making money.\r\n\r\n\u201cInitial price is not what overall cost effectiveness is all about.\u201d\r\n\r\n <\/blockquote>\r\n

2026 will mark sixty years since Condra\u2019s formation as a general engineering company offering a range of locally made, competitively priced hoists. Crane manufacture began in 1971. Today the company is headquartered at a 22 000m\u00b2 factory site in Germiston, with a second factory in Cape Town. There are subsidiary companies in Bulgaria and Chile.<\/p>\r\n

Full details of the contest to find Condra\u2019s oldest crane can be found at the company website: www.condra.co.za .<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n

ENDS\r\nPHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Oldest Condra crane? (When it was still new, of course.)<\/p>\r\n\ud83d\udccdVisit Condra\u2019s website: www.condra.co.za<\/a>\r\n

______________________________________________________________________<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Issued on behalf of Condra (Pty) Ltd\r\nFurther information: Marc Kleiner (managing director)\r\nTelephone: +27 11 776-6000\r\nFax: +27 86 669-2372\r\nE-mail: sales@condra.co.za\r\nP O Box 2639, BEDFORDVIEW, 2008, SOUTH AFRICA\r\n\r\nIssued by The Press Agency\r\nFurther information: Alan Thrush\r\nTelephone: +34 633 01 8008\r\nE-mail: thrush.elpajaro@yandex.com\r\nCalle V\u00e1zquez de Mella 18 4-D, Alicante 03013, Spain<\/pre>\r\n
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