Maintenance Engineer -Cranes - Africa

Maintenance Engineer - Africa

COMPANY

Sanghvi Movers Botswana Limited (SMBL)

LOCATION

Southern Africa

REPORTING TO

Country Manager - Africa

Role Purpose

The Maintenance Engineer is responsible for keeping cranes and related equipment safe, reliable and ready for deployment through disciplined inspection, preventive maintenance, breakdown diagnosis and repair.

In the early stage of SMBLs Southern African operations, the role will be hands-on and will support both depot and customer-site requirements. The incumbent must maintain accurate technical records, coordinate spares and specialist support, and help build practical maintenance systems suited to a lean operation.

Key Responsibilities

Preventive Maintenance & Inspection

• Prepare and execute preventive-maintenance schedules for cranes, vehicles, generators and related equipment based on operating hours, condition and manufacturer requirements.
• Carry out routine inspections, servicing and functional checks, and ensure identified defects are recorded and closed before deployment.
• Maintain equipment history, maintenance checklists, job cards, service records and breakdown reports for each asset.
• Confirm that cranes released for mobilisation are mechanically fit, safe and supported by valid inspection and certification records.

Breakdown Diagnosis & Repair

• Respond to workshop and site breakdowns, diagnose mechanical, hydraulic, electrical or control-system faults and carry out authorised repairs.
• Coordinate specialist or OEM support where the fault cannot be resolved internally and provide complete technical information for remote diagnosis.
• Track breakdown duration, root cause, parts used and corrective action, and recommend measures to prevent recurrence.
• Escalate any condition that may affect safe operation, equipment reliability, mobilisation commitments or repair cost.

Workshop & Site Maintenance Support

• Plan tools, technicians, consumables and spares required for scheduled maintenance and site support.
• Support crane assembly, dismantling, commissioning and pre-dispatch checks in coordination with operations and logistics teams.
• Ensure workshop tools, lifting appliances, test equipment and service vehicles are maintained, calibrated or certified as applicable.
• Maintain good housekeeping, waste segregation and safe storage of oils, parts and maintenance materials.

Spares & Technical Documentation

• Identify required spares accurately, prepare technical specifications and coordinate requirements with stores, procurement, suppliers and the India team.
• Monitor critical spares and consumables, report shortages early and avoid uncontrolled cannibalisation of equipment.
• Maintain access to manuals, parts catalogues, service bulletins, drawings and equipment configuration records.
• Check parts received against technical requirements and record consumption against the correct asset and job card.

Performance Reporting

• Report preventive-maintenance compliance, equipment availability, breakdowns, downtime, repair status and maintenance cost to the Depot Manager.
• Identify recurring failures and practical improvement opportunities that can increase reliability and reduce downtime.
• Provide accurate handover notes for open jobs, pending parts and equipment restrictions.

Preferred Experience

• 8-10 years of maintenance experience in cranes, heavy equipment, mining equipment, construction equipment or plant-hire operations.
• Exposure to telescopic, crawler or rough-terrain cranes is preferred.
• Experience in hydraulic, electrical and electronic fault diagnosis, including use of diagnostic tools.
• Experience working with OEMs, suppliers and remote technical-support teams.
• African market or remote-site experience is an advantage.

Education

• Diploma or Bachelors degree in Mechanical, Automobile, Mechatronics, Electrical or a related engineering discipline.
• OEM, crane-maintenance, hydraulic, electrical or safety certification is an advantage.