CONDRA managing director Marc Kleiner says pre-assembled components sold to other manufacturers now account for 12% to 15% of annual revenue. Some 70% of these are sold into South Africa, the rest to export markets.
“We’ve sold end-carriages and other components into England and Spain where the big European crane brands dominate,” Kleiner said, explaining that customers use Condra components to lower input costs and simplify manufacturing processes.
“It saves them the time and trouble of transacting and liaising with many different suppliers, enabling a better focus. We see pre-assembled components as a major growth opportunity despite the high cost of electricity and raw materials here in South Africa,” he said.
Kleiner pointed to Condra’s factory in Bulgaria, which he said is actively pursuing additional opportunities across Europe as it drives component sales into that continent.
He said that there are also opportunities in the Americas. Last month, Condra took an order for a hoist unit from Santiago-based Mantex, a machinery company in Santiago, Chile. Sales through Canadian agents remain steady.
All Condra components are available on short lead times direct from the company’s main factory in Germiston, a 22 000 m2 site with an under-roof area of 8 000 m2. Some 200 different constituent parts are stocked there, ready for assembly into completed components ahead of rigorous testing and despatch.
Local manufacture accounts for about 90% of these components, with Condra itself accounting for some 30 percent of the volume. Ropes and electric motors come from Germany, and hook forgings from Spain and Italy.
“We focus on adaptability and robust design,” said Kleiner. “Long production runs keep our prices competitive. Lead times are usually shorter than those of rival firms because of large inventories.”
The majority of Condra’s component sales comprise hoists, end-carriages and cable loop (festoon) systems. There are also crabs, bottom blocks and enclosed conductors. Drives come with single, dual or variable speeds. Bogies are available with wheel diameters from 125 mm to 630 mm. Hoists capacities go all the way up to 500 tons.
Component assemblies can be tailored to customer specification. All of them carry a 12-month guarantee.
Condra has a pedigree going back to 1966, when the company was founded as a consultancy and drawing office with general engineering capabilities. Crane manufacture began five years later in 1971.
Today, the company is an acknowledged leader throughout sub-Saharan Africa in robust and enduring overhead and high-lift cranes, portal cranes and jib cranes.
There are factories in Johannesburg and Cape Town, with a third facility in Dryanovo, Bulgaria.
