Name

Morris Material Handling

Legal name

Morris Material Handling SA (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://morris.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Cranes and Hoists

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)

akta.pro primary industry

Overhead (Bridge) Cranes (IMAHAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hoists (Electric, Manual & Pneumatic) (IMAHAJAG), Crane & Hoist Safety & Monitoring Systems (Limiters, Anti-collision, Load Monitoring) (IMAHAJAL), Crane & Hoist Installation, Inspection & Maintenance Services (IMAHAJAM), Cranes, Hoists & Rigging Equipment MRO (Mobile/Tower Cranes, Winches) (TLAKAHAE)

Keywords

• Overhead travelling cranes
• Electric chain hoists
• Wire rope hoists
• Crane maintenance services
• Lifting equipment manufacturer

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Crane and Hoist Sales: Design, manufacture, supply and installation of electric overhead travelling cranes, wire rope hoists, jib cranes, and chain hoists. Includes both standard ABUS products and custom-engineered solutions for heavy industrial applications.
2. Maintenance and Service Contracts: Crane Aid service division provides ongoing maintenance contracts including minor services (quarterly), major services (annually), load testing, and 24/7 breakdown support. Revenue generated through recurring service agreements.
3. Spare Parts Supply: Supply of ABUS OEM spare parts including rope drums, wheels, shafts, variable speed drives, pinions, gears, and gearboxes. Also offers reverse engineering for discontinued spare parts manufacturing.
4. Training Services: Overhead crane maintenance training courses validated by LEEASA for 5 CPD points. Courses held at Morris Training Centre with pricing at R13,500 per delegate excluding VAT.
5. Crane Refurbishment: Refurbishment of older cranes to extend equipment life at fraction of replacement cost. Includes mechanical, structural and electrical engineering to update technology to present day standards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Morris Material Handling designs, manufactures, supplies and installs electric overhead travelling cranes (single girder, double girder, underslung, portal, semi-portal, jib and HB Systems) and electric hoists (ABUS wire rope hoists 1-120 tons and chain hoists), supplied under sole Sub-Saharan agency for ABUS Kransysteme GmbH Germany. The Crane Aid service division provides maintenance contracts, statutory load testing, refurbishments, spare parts and operator training through a 12-branch network across South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia.

Product overview

Morris Material Handling SA (Pty) Ltd is Southern Africa's largest crane company, operating as a manufacturer and supplier of lifting equipment. The product portfolio centers on the ABUS range of lifting equipment sourced from ABUS Kransysteme GmbH in Germany, supplemented by Morris-branded products. Core offerings include electric overhead traveling cranes (single and double girder, underslung configurations), portal and semi-portal cranes, jib cranes, and HB Systems for flexible hoist-based solutions. The hoist range comprises ABUS wire rope hoists (1-120 tons) and electric chain hoists (up to 4 tons), alongside Morris electric chain hoists (500kg-25 tons). Specialized explosion-proof (ATEX/IECEx certified) cranes and hoists serve hazardous environments in pharmaceutical, oil, chemical, petrochemical, mining, and offshore sectors. Supporting accessories include DSL/conductor systems, lifting tackle, and radio remote controls. The company operates through two divisions: Morris Cranes (product supply and manufacture) and Crane Aid (nationwide service, maintenance, refurbishment, and spare parts).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crane Aid: Morris's nationwide service division providing maintenance, servicing, modernisation, load testing, refurbishment and spare parts for all makes of cranes, hoists and lifting equipment.
• ABUS Wire Rope Hoists
• ABUS Electric Chain Hoists
• HB Systems
• Morris Electric Chain Hoist

Products and services

• Process and Heavy Duty Cranes Engineered heavy-duty overhead traveling cranes custom-designed for demanding industrial applications such as steel mills, mining operations, and power generation facilities, handling high capacities and specialized lifting requirements.
• Single Girder Cranes Overhead traveling cranes with a single girder design for light to medium duty applications, available in ABUS ELK configuration with spans and capacities configured to customer requirements.
• Double Girder Cranes Overhead traveling cranes with dual girder configuration providing higher load capacities and spans, including ABUS ZLK models for medium to heavy industrial applications such as ArcelorMittal slab handling and Hulamin furnace lid lifting.
• Underslung Cranes Cranes that run on the bottom flange of runway beams, providing optimal hook height for facilities with limited headroom (ABUS EDK configuration).
• Portal Cranes Gantry-style cranes with legs running on ground-level rails for outdoor applications and facilities without overhead runway support, used for container handling, dam maintenance and other heavy-duty applications.
• Semi-Portal Cranes Cranes with one leg on ground rail and one running on elevated runway, suitable for applications requiring partial ground-level movement with overhead coverage.
• Jib Cranes Pillar and wall-mounted jib cranes providing localized lifting coverage, including ABUS LS, LSX, VS pillar jib cranes and LW, LWX, VW wall jib cranes with slewing ranges from 180° to 360° and capacities up to 6.3 tons.
• HB Systems Flexible hoist-based crane systems combining stationary hoist effectiveness with overhead crane mobility; includes monorail, single girder (EHB, EHB-X, EHB-I) and double girder (ZHB, ZHB-X, ZHB-3, ZHB-I) configurations.
• Lightweight Mobile Gantry Portable gantry cranes with steerable wheels for flexible, mobile lifting capability, with capacity up to 2000kg, maximum height 5000mm and maximum width 7900mm.
• ABUS Wire Rope Hoists Electric wire rope hoists with SWL range from 1 ton to 120 tons, sourced from ABUS Kransysteme GmbH Germany, in multiple configurations (Type E monorail, Type U twin trolleys, Type S side-mounted, Type D standard crab, Type DA low headroom, Type DQA ultra low headroom, Type Z twin barrel heavy duty).
• ABUS Electric Chain Hoists Electric chain hoists in ABUCompact range for up to 4 tons SWL, including GMC (up to 200kg), GM2 (up to 630kg), GM4 (up to 1.25t), GM6 (up to 2.5t) and GM8 (up to 4t) models with lifting speeds up to 20m/min.
• Morris Electric Chain Hoist Heavy-duty Morris-branded chain hoists with lifting capacity from 500kg to 25 tons, featuring FEC80 ultra heat-treated alloy steel chain suitable for rain, seawater and chemical environments, manufactured to BS3243/1990 standards at 380V standard voltage.
• Explosion Proof Overhead Cranes ATEX and IECEx certified overhead cranes for hazardous areas where explosive atmospheres may develop, equipped with anti-explosive, non-sparking motors and compliant with Zone 1, Zone 2 (gas) and Zone 21, Zone 22 (dust) requirements for pharmaceutical, oil, chemical, petrochemical, mining and offshore maritime sectors.
• Explosion Proof Jib Cranes Explosion-proof jib cranes certified for hazardous environments with explosive atmospheres, designed for use in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas.
• Explosion Proof Wire Rope Hoist ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU certified wire rope hoists for hazardous areas, operating temperature range -20°C to +55°C with TEFC IC 411 motors, motor duty S4, bronze-coated hooks and safety rope coefficient 5; available in IECex, EAC, Norsok and UL/NEMA compliance versions.
• Explosion Proof Electric Chain Hoist Explosion-proof electric chain hoists designed for hazardous environments in Zone 1 or Zone 2 areas with temperature rating IB T4 (135°C allowed temperature around hoist).
• Inspection and Preventative Maintenance Crane Aid service offering including minor services every 3 months and major services annually for all makes of cranes, hoists and lifting equipment; enables customers to focus on core production while trusting overhead crane care to Morris.
• Corrective Maintenance and 24/7 Breakdown Service 24/7 breakdown support via the 0800 015 659 hotline, with technical teams dispatched from the nearest of 12 nationwide service centres for quick response times on urgent breakdowns of cranes, hoists and lifting equipment.
• Crane Rail Alignment Specialist crane rail alignment service as part of the Crane Aid service offering, ensuring safe and efficient crane operation.
• Fabrication Specialist fabrication service with a reputation for professional expertise in design, fabrication, machining and assembly of light, medium and heavy engineering products.
• Crane Maintenance Training Overhead crane maintenance training courses validated by LEEASA for 5 CPD points, equipping maintenance personnel with the skills required for overhead crane service; run from the Morris Training Centre at R13,500 per delegate excluding VAT (or R15,525 including VAT, with 10% discount for >5 delegates).
• Spare Parts Supply Supply of OEM spare parts including ABUS rope drums, wheels, shafts, variable speed drives, pinions, gears and gearboxes, plus reverse engineering for discontinued spare parts manufacturing.
• Crane Refurbishment and Modernisation Refurbishment of older cranes to extend equipment life at a fraction of replacement cost, including mechanical, structural and electrical engineering to update technology to present day standards; all refurbishments guaranteed with a 12-month warranty backed by the country-wide service team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 cranes supplied across South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and across the world
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ABUS Kransysteme GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSole Sub-Saharan agency for ABUS Kransysteme GmbH products for over a decade. ABUS is a German manufacturer of crane and hoist equipment. Products are manufactured to highest European Standards and have proven themselves in thousands of applications throughout South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gorbel: US-based manufacturer of bridge cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes and ergonomic lifting systems. Directly comparable to Morris's jib crane and HB Systems product lines for general industrial and warehouse lifting applications.
• Condra Cranes: South African overhead crane and hoist manufacturer based in Johannesburg. Directly competes with Morris in the local market for EOT cranes, hoists, and material handling equipment, serving overlapping mining, steel and general industry customers.
• KITO Group: Japanese manufacturer of manual and electric chain hoists, lever hoists and crane components with global distribution. Comparable product mix to Morris's ABUS and Morris-branded chain hoists across industrial and service channels.
• Columbus McKinnon: US-based designer and manufacturer of hoists, cranes, rigging and lifting solutions (including Yale, Shaw-Box and Duff-Norton brands). Directly competes with Morris in electric chain hoists, wire-rope hoists, jib cranes and bridge cranes globally.
• Stahl CraneSystems: German manufacturer of explosion-proof and standard wire-rope hoists, chain hoists and crane components. Closely comparable to Morris's ATEX/IECEx product line and competes for hazardous-area lifting projects in mining, chemical and offshore sectors.
• Konecranes: Finland-based global leader in overhead cranes, hoists, and lifting equipment with a strong service network. Directly competes with Morris in industrial overhead cranes, port cranes, and lifecycle service, including in Africa.

Others

• ABUS Kransysteme GmbH: Morris's principal technology partner and sole Sub-Saharan product source. Listed as OTHERS because ABUS is the OEM relationship rather than a direct market competitor in Africa; comparable as a European overhead crane and hoist manufacturer for benchmarking.

Broad incumbents

• Demag (Terex Material Handling): Demag (now integrated into Terex MP) is a heritage European overhead crane and hoist brand with global reach. Directly competes with Morris/ABUS in industrial EOT cranes and wire-rope hoists, particularly for engineered heavy-lift applications.
• Terex Corporation: US-listed diversified industrial equipment manufacturer encompassing Terex MP (cranes, hoists, aerial work platforms) and Genie. Competes broadly with Morris in overhead cranes and material handling within Africa mining and infrastructure projects.

Regional players

• RGM Cranes: South African overhead crane manufacturer and service provider focused on smaller capacity cranes and refurbishments. Regional competitor to Morris primarily in standard industrial and light/medium duty crane segments within Southern Africa.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MorrisMaterialHandling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/morris-material-handling
• Xx.com/MorrisCraneAid

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Morris Material Handling