Zoomlion cranes lift solar and stadium projects in Africa

Zoomlion knuckle-boom and crawler cranes at work on African energy and stadium projects

A purpose-built Zoomlion ZTK45000 knuckle-boom truck crane is lifting on a solar-plus-storage site in South Africa, while in Ethiopia a Zoomlion crawler crane has placed the first major steel roof module of the new national stadium in Addis Ababa.

The two jobs, reported by the Chinese manufacturer this week, illustrate how far its lifting equipment has spread across the continent since the company entered the African market in 2007.

Knuckle-boom crane on South African solar site

In the Meyerton area of Gauteng Province, a renewable energy facility combining solar generation with battery storage is going up at speed. Working with local partners, Zoomlion is supplying lifting support with its ZTK45000, which the company describes as the industry’s first knuckle-boom truck crane built on a dedicated chassis rather than a standard truck.

The ZTK45000 carries a six-section telescopic boom with four double-push sections and a proprietary frame-type turntable, chosen for low weight and high rigidity. The dedicated chassis brings all-wheel steering and crab-walking, giving a turning radius of just 8.5 metres – useful on photovoltaic sites where the crane must thread its way between rows of panels and containerised battery units.

First stadium roof module set in Addis Ababa

On the East African plateau, a Zoomlion crawler crane has completed the first critical steel-structure lift for the roof of the Ethiopian National Stadium in Addis Ababa. The MD25 assembly – 42 metres long, 22 metres wide and weighing 77.74 tonnes – was landed in a single lift in Zone A of the project.

The module is the core control unit among 46 large trusses that make up the outer ring of the stadium roof, so its positioning governs the progress and quality of the entire roof erection. The site sits at high altitude, where strong, shifting winds and thin air place unusual demands on crane stability and fine control. Zoomlion says the lift set a new local record for large-span steel-structure construction in Ethiopia and moves the project into its main steel-erection phase.

Two decades in Africa

Zoomlion has built up ten wholly-owned subsidiaries in Africa along with primary and secondary service outlets in key countries, and says its coverage now extends across more than 80 per cent of the continent. The manufacturer intends to keep expanding its local presence on the back of Africa’s green-energy transition and infrastructure programmes.