WHETHER it’s packing up a factory and moving it overseas, transporting a prefabricated steel plant to a mine in Africa; or delivering a gigantic boiler from the port, Lovemore Bros has the specialised team and equipment to tackle the task.
Started by brothers Rob and Bruce in 1989 with a fleet of just three, the machine moving and rigging company currently operates a fleet of 44 heavy-duty rigs, a range of internationally-recognised specialised equipment and more than 10 000 sqm of custom-designed warehousing.
With established warehouse handling facilities in New Germany, Richards Bay and Boksburg, the company expanded its warehousing capabilities in 2021 to include an additional 3 600 sqm of covered space at the Cato Ridge Dry Port.
“Having specialised equipment at our warehouses sets us apart from competitors,” says warehousing manager, Quinton Latchman. “We specialise in the handling of machinery without wheels. Our overhead gantries deal with loads of up to 45 tons, and then we deploy mobile hydraulic gantries for any cargo up to 400 tons. Our machine handling facilities are well located close to the ports. The combination of well-maintained equipment and purpose-built handling areas being readily available makes for a winning formula.”
“Warehousing became an integral part of the business because customers often need somewhere to keep machinery and equipment while they move to new premises. If equipment is being imported or exported, it needs to be properly prepared, packed and safely stored until the customer is ready to receive it,” says Latchman.
“It also helps that we have bonded warehouse facilities. For example, a customer in Africa that we are bringing a lot of mining equipment in for at the moment, will use this facility to delay duty payments,” he says. The facility is licensed and fully compliant with customs regulations.
“Cato Ridge is a strategically placed expansion facility,” explains Latchman, who is eager for the dry port operation to progress as this will be perfect for rail freight inland.
Warehousing services
Latchman says running the warehouse operation takes a lot of planning. “We don’t just pack and stack standard containers. Our customers tend to have specialised needs – their equipment is lightweight and very fragile, or heavy, abnormal and awkwardly shaped. Lifting, moving and access is carefully pre-planned.”
He says that the company has many repeat customers who know they can trust Lovemore Bros with their expensive equipment. “It’s the kind of business where guys think they can do something until one or two important details trip them up.”
When equipment requires specialised crating to travel overseas, the company designs and custom-builds internationally-compliant timber crates to protect the cargo.
“Where equipment is sensitive to the elements, we plastic wrap, heat-shrink and use desiccant bags to keep it protected and as moisture-free as possible,” he says.
At the warehouses, loading ramps are conveniently positioned to ensure safe handling of cargo at low risk. Containers are packed and unpacked using specialised heavy-duty forklifts that are able to drive inside the containers.
“Our warehouses often play an important role in the company’s machine moving and rigging operations,” says Latchman.
