Johnson Crane Hire takes 100th Liebherr

South African crane rental company Johnson Crane Hire (JCH) celebrated the purchase of its 100th Liebherr crane and has ordered four more.

The occasion was marked with a celebration at Liebherr's East Rand premises attended by representatives from Liebherr's German and South African operations including Christoph Kleiner, managing director Liebherr-Werk Ehingen, and Jan Liebherr, eldest grandson of late founder Dr. Ing. Hans Liebherr, who officially handed over the unit. JCH subsequently ordered four more Liebherrs.

"Our company has grown from strength to strength over the years and, despite the effects of the global economic crisis, we are today running at about 80% crane utilisation. Liebherr has made a significant contribution to this success and we are very positive about the future," said Martin Bekker, JCH managing director.

JCH is Liebherr's biggest customer in Africa. It bought its first Liebherr crane in 1995 and has added 103 more units to its fleet in 16 years. The fleet of wheeled mobile and crawler cranes is the largest in Africa, according to the manufacturer. The company operates throughout southern Africa, from 13 local branches and a subsidiary in Botswana.