Housing in Southern Africa June 2015

Infrastructure & Mixed Use

Crane trucks at R3,4 m each The City of Cape Town’s Electricity Services Department has taken delivery of three sophisticated new vehicles – each able to do the work of three normal trucks – which will significantly boost efficiency and reduce costs.

times not easily moved or lifted due to environmental constraints. The new trucks, however, are function- ally designed to legally transport transformers, mini-subs, ring main units, concrete slabs and six-foot containers. “Previously, this would easily have required the efforts of two or three trucks for a single project. The new trucksmean lower fuel consumption, fewer drivers, less maintenance and a swifter operation in general,” said Sonnenberg. The crane component of the truck has a 24,5 m reach with a lifting ca- pacity of 55 tons / m and is equipped with the latest electronic devices in the field and control systems which constantly monitor the varying envi- ronmental and operating conditions. This is a sophisticated stabilisation system that aids accurate mobility. In older suburbs, it is very tricky to access transformers. Staff find themselves having to park on the street and access a transformer on a property on the other side of a fence. These cranes are able to lift themover these obstacles. While the trucks are no slouch when it comes to heavy lifting, they tread remarkably lightly on the en- vironment. The engine exhaust emissions are Euro 3 compliant, which exceeds the country’s legislated Euro 2 require- ment thus contributing to a remark-

able reduction in the vehicle carbon footprint and fuel consumption. The load body design is such that it contains any oil leakage from transformers that may arise during transit and therefore guards against environmental pollution as well. ‘They are also very comfortable – the driver and passenger seats are fully adjustable and air-suspended, and able to accommodate a variety of operator weights. Increased comfort means reduced driver fatigue, and ultimately a higher level of safety. As the vehicles are highly special- ised, fleet management staff have embarked on an operator driver skills development programme. This will ensure that adequate internal com- petency and skills exist to operate them at optimum efficiency levels. ■

T he crane trucks from the FASSI factory in Italy cost approxi- mately R3,4million each. “With the strain that Eskom’s load shedding places on infrastructure, it ismore im- portant than ever for the City to pro- vide a vigilant systemof maintenance with the best resources possible, in line with our commitment to being a well-run city,” said the Mayoral Com- mittee Member for Utility Services, Ernest Sonnenberg. When the Department’s existing fleet neared the end of its economic lifespan and needed replacement, the City saw an opportunity to en- hance its performance by replacing it with superior technology models. The vehicles’ primary function is to perform maintenance on electricity services infrastructure, comprising the installation, removal and reloca- tion of hefty components such as transformers, mini-subs, and ring main units. These units are some-

Ernest Sonnenberg

June 2015