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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JUNE
2017
professional teams. This bodes very well for
sustainable energy for the country and the
larger region,” Davis says.
One of JG Afrika’s strengths in the market
is the range and depth of its technical
service offering. This has positioned it as
a single point of contact for all engineering
services associated with the development of
these power stations.
Meanwhile, the firm has also succeeded
in gaining a significant head-start in the
maturing waste-to-gas market, following its
extensive involvement in the first large-scale
waste-to-energy plant in Africa that started
operating in Athlone, Western Cape, earlier
this year.
JG Afrika was part of the team
that comprised project initiators and
developers, Clean Energy Africa and New
Horizons Energy, as well as Fountain Civil
Engineering, the engineer, procure and
construct contractor. The firm was involved
in site-development planning, traffic and
transportation, as well as the civil and
structural contract and design elements of
the project.
In addition, JG Afrika was tasked
with the integration of certain designs,
with environmental and building plans,
plus essential stormwater and effluent-
management planning, while serving as the
lead consultant in the mechanical, electrical,
IT, ventilation and fire teams, as well as for
architectural and building plan approvals.
Participation in this project has also
bolstered the engineering and environmental
firm’s capabilities in biomass projects,
definitely a highlight of this next round of
Commenting on this Peter Yaman, sales
executive at Johnson Crane Hire, says that
it is the ready access to a range of mobile
cranes that positions the company well to
undertake lifting in remote regions such as
this. Johnson Crane Hire has an established
branch in Kathu and while servicing the min-
ing sector it can support the lifting require-
ments of the solar power contractors.
“The power of dealing with the largest
privately owned mobile crane rental
company in Africa is that through our vast
branch network, we are always able to draw
additional resources from other branches,
should this become necessary,” Yaman says.
“Planning of lifting activities is one of our
strengths and we dovetail the lifting with
the individual construction programmes so
as to ensure optimum productivity for the
the REIPPP that will also help the country
optimise the use of its vast forestry and
sawmilling residues.
Examples of these biomass projects
are those using wood-waste to produce
electricity, or other forms of energy, and
JG Afrika has already engaged with
Scandinavian investors and developers of
such technology.
Both Davis and Davidson are extremely
proud of their involvement in helping South
Africa secure a sustainable future that is in
line with the growing international “green”
consciousness, as well as JG Afrika’s own
ethos regarding infrastructure development
on the continent.
Tim Davidson,
a director of
JG Afrika.
Lifting solar power contractors up
Johnson Crane Hire has an established reputation for handling small lifting
on a wide range of construction and utility projects sites. This skill and
experience has resulted in the company securing a number of contracts from
solar power projects, especially in the Northern Cape region.
individual solar power contractors.”
Lifting the components, including the
imported sections which make up the
composite panel structures, needs to be
done with care. This is where pre-planning
and the use of skilled and experienced
operators plays a major role.
Johnson Crane Hire has a team of highly
skilled and trained operators. Not only are
the operators well versed in the actual
operation of the cranes, but they are also
completely familiarised with the application
on the solar power farms.
“We differentiate ourselves by providing
all customers throughout South Africa and
neighbouring countries with a total lifting
solution delivered through our ‘SMART’ –
Safety, Maintenance, Availability, Reliability
and Total Cost Effectiveness – brand
promise,” Yaman says.
Safety underpins all Johnson Crane
Hire operations, with comprehensively
documented and implemented safety
systems that comply with all industry safety
standards and thorough risk assessments
conducted before each lift. There is also a
primary focus on proper crane maintenance
at all branches, supported by the company’s
national workshop in Johannesburg.
Comprehensive workshop facilities, tech-
nical expertise and superior systems have
earned Johnson Crane Hire the reputation
of owning the most well maintained lifting
equipment in Africa, and Yaman says this
could be the primary reason why solar pow-
er contractors are favouring the company
when it comes to lifting.