Crane manufacturer and refurbishment specialist Condra is urging customers to carefully weigh the pros and cons when considering replacing or refurbishing an overhead crane that is nearing the end of its lifecycle.

With advantages to both full replacement and refurbishment, customers need to consider the estimated price difference between new and refurbished equipment, the age of the crane and the potential benefits of increasing crane speed.

“Refurbishment allows the customer to immediately realise a cost saving over buying new, and carries the additional advantage of providing an as-new machine already familiar to his operators, avoiding any need for re-training. Production can continue as before, with no change to established procedure,” says Condra MD Marc Kleiner.

Condra, which refurbishes competitors’ machines as well as its own, notes an uptick in competitor crane refurbishment as it circumvents delays caused by long component lead times of up to 18 months or the re-engineer or re-manufacture of any parts that are no longer available.

He points out that Condra offers the option of changing both crane capacity and span during a refurbishment by fitting new hoists, changing the rope and modifying the gear reduction.

The productivity of cranes of 20 years or older can usually be improved through increased speed and easier acceleration and deceleration, all achieved through the installation of variable frequency drives, Kleiner explains, adding that enhancements, such as a digital read-out on the load or remote control, can also be fitted.

“So with refurbishment, we can give back to the customer a crane that is much faster and much lighter than it was before, and we can fit a frequency drive on the long travel to speed it up, and we can incorporate in the refurbishment any kind of modern technology that he wants, including hoists of different capacity.”

Overhead cranes are sent back to the factory for refurbishment anywhere between 15 years and 30 years after commissioning, depending on the operator’s maintenance policy and how hard the crane has been working.

However, refurbishment is not always the better option, with the cost sometimes outstripping the benefits, such as when a crane is very old – 35 years or more – or when a crane has been working in the open and rust has established itself inside the girders.

Further, acquiring new equipment unlocks rapid advantages, such as lower operating costs, a reduction in projected overall lifetime cost and more efficient operation as a result of newer cranes’ increased speeds, lower weights and lower electricity consumption.

“Hoists today are as much as 50% lighter than they were 30 years ago, and the consequent reduction in crane weight also reduces the rate of wear on the overall factory structure,” Kleiner comments.

Recent refurbishments of Condra’s own overhead cranes have included an 80-t machine for Sishen and two hoists and a 25-t, 20-m-span crane for Implats.

Besides its own machines and competitors’ cranes, Condra also refurbishes overhead machines originally supplied by companies that have recently closed.