Local crane supplier Crane Link Zoomlion, which sells and services Zoomlion truck, rough-terrain and crawler cranes, is the sole agent for Zoomlion in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia.

MD Mark Bates, who owns 100% of the company, started importing Zoomlion cranes into South Africa in 2007, which led to the establishment of a new, consolidated company, Crane Link Zoomlion, in 2010.

The company provides full-time crane servicing and maintenance at customers’ premises, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Crane Link also sells safety crane equipment, such as outrigger pads and chock blocks, as well as electronic equipment, such as wind meters and camera systems for cranes.

Crane Link Zoomlion concluded several big-purchase contracts in recent months, including one for developing rental firm, Viking Crane, which bought four rough-terrain cranes – worth R13-million – for first use on a WBHO Construction project.

Crane Link also recently sold five cranes – worth more than R24-million – to newly established crane hire company Concord Group, the holding company of consolidated crane hire firms Anglo V3 and Elcon.

Since its 2010 inception, Crane Link Zoomlion has sold 180 Zoomlion cranes in South Africa alone, and boasts an average sales rate of between 50 and 60 cranes a year, making it the largest importer of cranes into South Africa.

With a staff complement of 24, the company’s premises – in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, and in Midrand, Gauteng – are the most advanced in the industry, featuring a full training centre complete with a crane simulator for training operators.

In conjunction with Zoomlion Capital Finance, Crane Link Zoomlion provides instalment-based sales finance on all Zoomlion cranes sold at competitive rates. In 2013, more than 50% of the company’s cranes were financed through Zoomlion Capital.

With a turnover of R140-million a year, Crane Link Zoomlion currently boasts an order book value of R25-million and owns R7-million in fixed assets.