FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020 R20.90 (incl. VAT) ISSUE NO. 121ISSN NO: 1562 -5702Connect with us on :

RICHARDS Bay-based mining and indus-trial mobile equipment maker ETT is poised for major growth into Africa

after signing a partnership agreement with Australian mining equipment heavyweight, Austin Engineering.

The deal will see them jointly marketing, sell-ing and supporting their products through one company across Africa. The joining of the two southern hemisphere industry mining equip-ment powerhouses follows months of discus-sion and planning.

ETT, a 25-year-old privately owned South African company based in Richards Bay, man-ufactures open pit mine support equipment and specialised mobile industrial equipment. Its products are distributed in more than 20 countries around the world.

It has made a name for itself in mining and industrial operations with its range of rear load-ing mining lowbed trailers, mining water trucks, fuel and lube trucks.

Managing Director Andre McDuling said, “ETT’s proven record of manufacturing excel-lence and product innovation underpinned by our strong after sales support in Africa is one

of the key reasons why this partnership was formed.

“We are confident that the industry is ready for a partnership like this that will provide the widest range of mining attachments and sup-port products in the world from one source.”

Austin Engineering, an Australian Stock Exchange listed company with headquarters in Brisbane, has more than 50 years’ experi-ence in engineering and manufacturing equip-ment for the mining industry with operations in Australia, Asia, North and South America, and now South Africa.

It makes customised dump truck bodies, buckets, water tanks, tyre handlers and other ancillary products provide compelling produc-tivity gains for its clients in the mining industry.

Austin Engineering Managing Director Peter Forsyth said, “The importance of this partner-ship for Africa is that Austin now has a solid and reliable platform through which customers can be offered a world-class product sup-ported by world-class service.”

Austin does not currently have a presence in Africa.

Mega mining deal for KZN equipment maker

INSIDE

Tech-know - page 3

Pumps, Valves, Pipes & Fittings -

page 7

Packaging - page 11

Power Generation - page 15

Instrumentation, Measurement &

Control - page 16

Engineering & Allied Supplies - page 17

Company & Product News - page 19

JSE listed freight logistics heavyweight, Grindrod Limited, has begun construction of what it describes as a “state-of-the-art

AutoPort”, just off the N3 in Camperdown.According to the company, the 270 000sqm

property is ideally situated between Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg.

“The Natcor rail link between Durban and Johannesburg runs adjacent to the property and provides for rail siding opportunities - for rail options both to and from the AutoPort. Transnet Freight Rail are making good progress on the integration works,” Grindrod said in a statement.

This first of a kind facility for finished vehicle logistics in South Africa, includes reticulation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EL/PHEV), metal roofing to mitigate fire and hail, fully equipped workshop and fitment centre, smart repairs facility, clearing and forwarding activi-ties, bonded and duty paid storage, storage for trucks, light motor vehicles and other rubber tired vehicular equipment.

According to the company, the emphasis has been on the ergonomic design of the facility to

ensure efficient and effective vehicle flows.Phase 1 of the development will accommo-

date the undercover storage of 2 400 vehicles and is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2020. Phase 2 will commence in the second half of 2020 and accommodate storage of a further 2 300 vehicles.

Options to increase the capacity beyond the first two phases are in place and will be developed in line with market demand. These options will increase the capacity of the facility to accommodate a further 12 000 vehicles.

“Grindrod understands the importance of moving towards a circular economy and has planned features such as solar panels, rain-water harvesting, wash water recycling and plastic recycling systems as part of its Vision 2025,” the company said, adding that plastic wrappings removed from vehicles will be trans-formed into bricks and plastic roof sheeting and used in commercial applications.

Mayor Eric Ngcongo of the Mkhambathini Local Municipality said: “We are very pleased with this exciting development which will con-tribute to growth

Work starts on R105-million KZN AutoPort

From left: Mayor Eric Ngcongo and Cllr Nonhlanhla Maphanga of the Mkhambathini local municipality, Xolani Mbambo CFO Grindrod Limited, Andrew Waller CEO Grindrod Limited and

Grant Bahlmann General Manager Grindrod Automotive ... continued on page two

Forestry, Pulp & Paper - page 13

Consulting Engineers & Project

Management - page 18

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in the community. Thank you to the church lead-

ers, members of the business forum and my esteemed colleagues for your support in this development and to our hosts from Grindrod for celebrating this milestone with us.”

Grindrod Limited CEO Andrew Waller said the facility would bring revenue and employment to the local community.

“This investment in key infrastructure supports our strategic focus of unlocking trade corridors. Our management team has worked tirelessly and in collaboration with business partners to ensure that the design specifications provide our customers a unique competitive advantage and contrib-ute to delivering a sustainable, cost effective and efficient hub for strategic growth along this corridor,” Waller said.

continued page one

Work starts on R105-million KZN

AutoPort

TODAY’S supply chains are more complex and volatile than ever before. Despite this, however, many organisations are

using material requirements planning (MRP) systems that still plan the same way that they did 50 years ago.

That’s according to Kea Mpane, president of SAPICS, the professional body for sup-ply chain management in Southern Africa, who said that to enable African businesses to benefit from the latest research and cut-ting-edge ideas in Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP), SAPICS would host the first ever Demand Driven World Africa Conference in Cape Town this year.

“This event is an exciting addition to the annual SAPICS Conference, Africa’s leading event for supply chain professionals. We are delighted to have joined forces with the Demand Driven Institute (DDI), a United States based global organisation that is changing the way that businesses plan, operate, think and evolve,” Mpane expands.

She says that Demand Driven World Africa 2020 would be a showcase for the emerging Demand Driven methodology and

will feature case study imple-mentations from Africa, including powerful success stories from Coca-Cola Beverages Africa and Protea Chemicals.

“It will also include ‘Demand Driven Alley’ in the exhibition, featuring DDMRP compliant software and service provid-ers. There will be educators on hand to discuss the vast array of education options, from Demand Driven Sales and Operations Planning to DDBrix, the hands-on simulation workshop and

training solution.”Founded in 2011, the DDI’s mission is to

advance and proliferate Demand Driven strate-gies and practices in the global industrial com-munity. Co-founders Chad Smith and Carol Ptak (pictured) literally wrote the books on the Demand Driven method. Together and individually, they have written and co-authored numerous articles and books on Demand Driven principles, finance and information and planning systems.

“Demand Driven essentially means sensing changing customer demand, then adapting planning and production while pulling from suppliers – all in real time,” Smith said. His co-

founder, Ptak will be speaking at the event.“This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for

African supply chain professionals to learn from a leading authority in the use of ERP and Supply Chain tools to drive improved bottom line performance,” Mpane said. “Carol’s expertise is well grounded in four decades of practical experience as a suc-cessful practitioner, consultant and educator in manufacturing operations. Her pragmatic approach to complex issues and dynamic presentation style has her in high demand at events worldwide.”

Now in its 42nd successful year, the annu-al SAPICS Conference is Africa’s leading knowledge sharing and networking event for supply chain professionals. It takes place in Cape Town from 21 to 24 June 2020.

Demand driven success stories to take centre stage at conference

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AS water scarcity and rising costs loom large, indus-try is starting to sit up and

take note. That’s according to Helen Hulett, Strategic Director of Pietermaritzburg-based sustain-able water and wastewater solutions company Talbot, speaking to key clients at an information session in Durban recently.

She added that many players have realised that for the economic sustainability of their businesses, emerging technologies must be embraced.

Hulett opened the Durban session and one held by the company in Johannesburg by quoting President Cyril Ramaphosa who recently noted in an open letter that South Africa’s water crisis would make the nation’s electricity problems look small.

Key risks identified by Talbot include increased water supply failures, double-digit tariff hikes and reduced investor confidence. Furthermore, communities and not

industry would take priority in man-aging constrained supplies during ‘water shedding’.

She said the company was help-ing a growing number of users to take control of their water by identify-ing and implementing suitable tech-nologies that reduce dependence on external water sources and at the same time increase their profitability, secure continued investment and achieve true business sustainably.

Attendees included leaders in min-ing and metals, food and beverages, forestry, pulp and paper, healthcare, FMCGs and cosmetics.

Golden era

Talbot economist Mike Smith said the good news was that the 2020s would be a “golden era” for water, with many untapped opportunities thanks to rising innovation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“While the digital transforma-tion has been slow in the industrial

space, significant opportunity exists in the short-term for readily avail-able and affordable technologies to assist with demand side efficiency improvements, water consumption and demand management,” Smith said.

“As industrial water users, the opportunity to get ahead of the pack is ripe. Sound sustainability choices and management practices make businesses all the more attractive to investors.”

Smith added that some commen-tators believe green-minded inves-tors should be looking at water and wastewater projects in Africa and, in fact, some had already started.

“At Talbot, we are working with sev-eral financiers that already have the appropriate funds for green, water-focused projects. Wastewater from industry is an opportunity and by tak-ing advantage of it, we will be making businesses more robust so that they can navigate the crisis we find our-selves in,” he said.

If its not INVAL, it’s not Invincible

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THE latest forecast released by South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) points to a

somewhat optimistic outlook for the agricultural sector as seasonal con-ditions turned positive.

That’s according to Paul Makube, Senior Agricultural economist at FNB Agri-Business, who said the current estimates point to a sharp recovery

in output of summer crops with the total maize planted area coming in up 10% year-on-year (y/y) at 2.54 million hectares (ha) and a potential 13.64 million tons using an average of 5.4 tons per ha for a relatively good season.

“Not only is this positive from a GDP perspective, the estimated sup-plies may help tame food inflation

which has been relatively contained below 3% for the better part of 2019.”

Makube said the 2019/20 agri-culture production season began on a negative note with delays in Spring rains and concerns over the weather outlook as forecasts indi-cated potential dryness across the board.

Agriculture performance was also weak as the sector fell into recession following three consecutive quarters of negative growth of 16.8%, 4.2%,

and 3.6% respectively in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter of 2019.

“Optimism in the sector was sub-dued and another bad season was going to be catastrophic for the whole value chain and the country as food inflation was likely to breach the dou-ble-digit level. Fortunately, this was avoided as good rains replenished both soil moisture and dam levels although dryness persists in parts of the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape.”

He said the rebound in production conditions afforded farmers to plant more area relative to the previous year and the summer grain and oil-seed crops are in good shape though more follow-up rains are needed in some areas to ensure a good finish.

“The current crop estimates if real-ised together with a carryover stock of about 1.67 million tons could bring supplies beyond April 30, 2020 to 14.31 million tons.

SA water outlook: risks aplenty, but golden opportunities too

Tech-know Samsung South Africa CEO Sung Yoon takes National CoGTA Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on a tour of the new ICT innovation hub at Adams College in Amanzimtoti, south of Durban. The South Korean

tech giant funded the R2.5-million facility and will continue to support it going forward. This is not Samsung’s first investment in the province. It

already has a TV manufacturing plant at the Dube Tradeport.

Optimistic outlook for agriculture

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THE protection of loss-making ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) is irrational

and crippling the local steel indus-try downstream, writes Gerhard Papenfus, Chief Executive of the National Employers’ Association of South Africa (NEASA).

The steel industry is in de-industrialisation mode and the price of steel plays a significant role in this regard. Businesses in the steel downstream are down-sizing and closing at an unprece-dented rate due to them not being competitive, partly as a result of government’s policy of enforcing

import duties to protect AMSA.Recently, a fire broke out at

AMSA’s Vanderbijlpark plant. This caused a backlog, increas-ing AMSA’s inability to supply. Strangely, instead of suspending the duties, AMSA even declined an application to allow companies to import steel, at least for the duration of AMSA’s inability to supply the downstream.

The situation has already been aggravated by the envis-aged closure of Saldanha Steel. Incidentally, the closure of Saldanha Steel, and the conse-quent job losses, is in contraven-

‘Irrational’ import duties are crippling SA steel downstream

tion of one of the undertakings AMSA made in exchange for the introduction of duties.

AMSA’s financial results for 2019 reflected an astronomical loss of R4.6 billion. This is just further proof that duties cannot, and will not, save AMSA. It, however, delays AMSA’s eventual demise while its protection is causing havoc in the rest of the Industry.

AMSA’s financials clearly state that there is “a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to continue as a going concern”. It further states that the international parent company will have

to assist if the scenario of probable failure is to be reversed.

ArcelorMittal International (AMSA’s parent body) has indicated its desire to invest elsewhere by committing sub-stantial funds to more than five other countries, but none in South Africa. As an example, an amount of R40 billion is in the process of being invested in Mexico and India.

ITAC’s refusal to allow for duty-exempted imports, in the case where AMSA cannot supply, is a mystery. We consequently request the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) to clear up the confusion sur-rounding this decision.

AMSA’s argument that the duties are needed to level the playing field, is utter nonsense. How can they even suggest this knowing full well that the duties protecting them cause the play-ing field not only to be uneven, but unplayable for the steel downstream.

The DTIC, however, buys into this AMSA-driven notion which perhaps explains why AMSA’s latest request for additional duties on nine new tariff codes has not been rejected outright.

Be that as it may, the steel industry will do well to commence with prepara-tions for life after AMSA.

Papenfus writes in his personal capacity.

Today, customers demand more than ever before from brands, includ-ing fast, personalised, reliable and free two-way communication, writes

Shaun van Rooyen, Strategic Accounts and Partnerships Manager for Infobip Africa.

Harnessing the business power of WhatsApp ORGANISATIONS that have

realised how important it is to reach their customers

where they are and on a commu-nication channel that they know and trust, are increasingly look-ing to WhatsApp Business API (Application Program Interface) as their preferred platform to facili-tate this communication, and with good reason.

WhatsApp currently boasts 1.5 billion active subscribers, across 180 countries, making it the world’s most used chat app. Unsurprisingly, it is also the most widely used chat app on the African continent, as well as in South Africa, where nine out of 10 Internet users are active on WhatsApp, according to research findings.

Aside from the ubiquitous nature of the chat app, WhatsApp Business API has the potential to connect businesses with cus-tomers in a familiar and privately secure way. By providing servic-es over the channel, organisa-tions can expect to increase the likelihood of customer engage-ment and consequently loyalty due to convenience, trust and familiarity this chat app provides.

As a result, they can ultimately move their business in a new direction by introducing a ‘pull

strategy’ that is engag-ing, interactive and fun and move away from a more costly low ROI (Return On Investment) traditional ‘push strategy’.

The channel allows organisations to lever-age rich and branded content, such as imag-es, sound, documents and video, as well as conversations initiated by themselves or by their customers. Using WhatsApp Business API, a brand can build a rich multimedia two-way communication channel with its cus-tomers at an enterprise scale.

The benefits to mid-sized to large enterprises, is that they can use WhatsApp Business API for a wide range of customer-cen-tric communications and queries that automate processes which include applications, and regis-trations, status confirmations and updates , location services, trans-action alerts, one-time pins , two-factor authentication (2FA) and payment reminders, among others.

Essentially, it is the ideal com-munication channel for companies

that have a large customer base and a large volume of business to consumer (B2C) activity, and whose call centres or offices are routinely inundated with repetitious queries.

WhatsApp Business API is perfectly posi-tioned to take over this form of communica-tion and provide a self-service channel that is easy to use and can be automated without frustrating the customer.

Increasing automation to deal with critical issues

The benefit of introducing automation via a channel such as WhatsApp Business API into a call centre is that it frees up call centre agents to deal with more intricate and urgent queries.

A recent example of this is a local bus tick-eting company that handles a call volume of about 10 000 calls a week, with about 80% of the queries being about whether a bus is leaving for a specific destination on a par-ticular day, what the price of the ticket is and what the time departure is.

The company’s call centre agents had to repeatedly go through the same process, which was time-consuming,labour intensive and in some cases demoralising. Automating this communication via WhatsApp Business API, would take a massive load off the call centre and allow agents to deal with critical issues, such as attending to customers who have bought the wrong ticket, or those trying to trace a refund.

These are typical issues that need human intervention, however, a team of real-time chat agents and the customer can continue to use WhatsApp to chat rather than speak-ing to an agent telephonically.

Hence, there is no need to fear that chat apps will make humans redundant but could in fact create new positions for those who will need to become real-time chat agents, man-age the system and teach the chat agents or Chatbot the required language to use.

Security is key

It is also worth reiterating that WhatsApp communications are end-to-end encrypted to extremely strong standards. In fact, the chat app’s messages are more secure than many other digital channels and are just as well suited to confidential messages as SMS or email.

Innovative and forward-thinking compa-nies, that are bold and agile enough to seize the opportunity, are upping the stakes on conversational commerce by enabling the customers to use WhatsApp Business API to communicate and transact with them. Can your organisation afford to be left behind?

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REPRESENTATIVES from the private sector, corporate CEOs, leaders from over 20

economic sectors and from govern-ment met in Sandton recently to discuss the progress made on vari-ous Public Private Growth Initiative (PPGI) projects and action plans.

At the meeting, economic sectors as diverse as manufacturing, for-estry, tourism, agriculture and chemi-cal manufacturing reported a closer working relationship with the South African government. These improved relationships have led to shared pro-jects and the resolution of several bottlenecks to doing better business.

Michael Peter, Executive Director of Forestry SA said, “Water use licences are finally being sorted out, we have made progress with Transnet on freight and for the first time in six years we are seeing movement on the recapitalisation of state forestry.”

Representatives at the PPGI

meeting discussed several areas of progress. The Business Process Services Sector reported that as a result of an agreement between the sector, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Harambee Youth Accelerator, over 20 000 net new jobs have been cre-ated since January 2018.

The sector has attracted invest-ment and has grown revenue and employment year-on-year, with ambitious plans to grow the sector by 100 000 net new jobs by 2023.

The Automotive Sector, in turn, reported on the establishment of the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund, which has already received R6 billion in investment commitments to apply towards the development of an inclusive supply chain.

In the same vein, the representa-tives from the Agricultural Sector signalled that they would launch an Agricultural Development Agency on 18 February 2020. This Agency will

manage a development fund of R12 billion for the development and sup-port of emerging black farmers.

“I am very pleased to hear from so many different sectors that they are making positive connections with various people in government,” said Dr Johan van Zyl, one of the founders of the PPGI, who is the Chairman of Toyota SA and President and CEO of Toyota Europe. “These new con-nections will help unblock constraints and support economic growth.”

A number of sectors reported that they were organising themselves in response to the PPGI’s approach. For

instance, the Water Supply Sector is in the process of establishing the Water Chamber SA. The Creative Industries and the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) sectors indicated that they would be working closely together to create a strategy for South Africa in the Digital Age.

The meeting also highlighted a number of ongoing inhibitors, rang-ing from policy incoherence, conges-tion at the ports, rising crime and skills constraints.

In a specific example, Simphiwe Hamilton from the Defence Sector spoke about the potential growth in export revenue and employment if government improved its process for product certifications and contract approval.

In another example, representa-tives from the Construction Sector appealed for fit-for purpose procure-ment frameworks within government, while the Tourism Sector indicated

that while some progress had been made on visas, the proposed e-visa was a key requirement to enable tourism.

A number of sectors also pointed to the constrained state of the econ-omy and its impact on sales and business growth.

Closing the meeting, Roelf Meyer, another founding member of the group, spoke about the importance of systematically addressing inhibi-tors and challenges. “We will address ongoing challenges identified in certain sectors and assist where possible through our key points of contact with Minister Ebrahim Patel and his team, as well as with the Presidency.”

Meyer, a former cabinet minister who played an important role in South Africa’s transition to democ-racy, said that the PPGI would report on sector progress and new catalytic projects to the Presidency.

Growth initiative signals progress despite difficult conditions

Photo Credit: Harambee Youth Accelerator

THIS year’s sixth running of the Deloitte Challenge KZN will take place on 15

March as planned, albeit on a new route, due to catastrophic flood damage to the M4 highway.

And great news for runners looking for a good qualifying time for the Comrades or Two Oceans Marathon is that the new flatter route, which starts and ends on the Durban beachfront, is even faster than the old one.

Race organisers, who have been in constant contact with the Department of Transport and the M4 construction team, were forced to make the change by ongoing repair work to the arteri-al road so integral to the Ballito to Durban route in previous years.

“We’re pleased to confirm that the Deloitte Challenge is defi-nitely on this year,” said Paul Swainson, chairman of the Dolphin Coast Striders running club which is hosting the event. “While it’s unfortunate that we’re unable to use the traditional route so beloved of race regu-lars, we believe the new route is an excellent compromise under the circumstances.”

Race director Arthur Bertram concurred: “With valued cooper-ation from Durban Metro Police, we’ve secured an out-and-back route from our iconic finish at the Amphitheatre on Durban’s gor-geous beachfront,” he said.

“This means there are no nasty inland or uphill diversions which would have been inevitable had we sought a new Ballito to Durban route. This new route will take runners through a short loop of the Kings Park area then out to Umhlanga on the M4 under road closure, with a straight shot finish

down the promenade.“If anything, this format will

be flatter and faster than our traditional point-to-point route, avoiding the Tongaat, Umdloti and Umhlanga lagoons,” Bertram said.

As with previous Challenges, the 2020 event will comprise a Marathon, Half Marathon, Ten-K, and 5km fun run, but the 40km cycle sprint has had to be shelved for this year.

“For safety reasons, we’ve no choice but to suspend the cycle race for 2020 as we cannot have runners and cyclists in contra-flow on the same route,” Bertram said. “Any cyclists who have already entered will be contacted for a full refund, and we hope that if you’re one of those affected, you’ll understand that we do so with great reluctance, apprecia-tion for your support in past years and a hope that you’ll understand this is beyond our control.”

He added that organisers were retaining the full number of water points planned for the point-to-point route, situated strategically to the left and right ensuring that runners don’t need to cross over the road and assisting those who are chasing fast qualifying times or personal bests.

Full details of the 42km mara-thon route are available on popu-lar running and cycling tracking platform Strava, where entrants will be able to check out a flyover of the route. The shorter events will follow the same route, but with earlier turns.

Deloitte KZN’s Office Managing Partner, Ruwayda Redfearn said the Challenge had become an integral part of Deloitte’s stated purpose.

M4 flood repairs prompt new route for

top KZN marathon

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THE rising popularity of drones and their rapid adop-tion for commercial use is

largely due to the ever-expanding number of applications that these unmanned aerial vehicles can be used for and the benefits they bring to business.

However, warns Pieter Scholtz, DSM Expert: AO/Data Centre Services at T-Systems South Africa, “as with any technology, while drones are predominantly being used for good, the flipside of the coin is that their capabili-ties can be exploited for nefarious purposes and their proliferation poses a growing threat – both in physical and cyber terms”.

Research reveals that around 3 000 drones are currently being used commercially in South Africa, but fewer than 1 000 have been properly licensed, meaning that most are flying outside the law. It

is estimated that only about 600 have been registered for business use – current regulations stipulate that drones that are used for com-mercial, corporate and non-profit purposes need to be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

There are currently 46 Remote Operator Certificate (ROC) holders, which is essentially an approval issued to an organisa-tion in order to operate a drone for commercial, corporate or non-profit operations and many more applications are in the pipeline, according to Dale McErlean, Operations Director at NTSU Aviation Solutions.

“We are seeing a huge change in the market. Drone technology itself is changing rapidly, as well as what can be done with this technology, which is ushering in new demand and services, and

Drones – friend or foe for your business?new people who are using drones for different applications,” McErlean said.

Scholtz said, “Currently, most drones in South Africa are being used by the mining industry, with about 80% being used for security pur-poses, while the remainder is being deployed in the areas of engineering, surveying and the film industry.”

Meanwhile, other sectors are also exploring the use of drones, such as agriculture, law enforcement and emergency services. As part of the trial phase, the South African National Blood Service are conducting tests with a drone pilot and medical tech-nician with the objective to use a drone to deliver blood to remote areas where conventional transport is often a challenge.

Even government is using drones, with Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development achiev-ing unprecedented monitoring of the infrastructure development and con-struction projects that it is executed with the help of drones.

Drones have already been success-fully deployed in urban settings, most recently during the Tshwane protests, where they were used for monitoring and surveying, as well as giving police a perspective of individuals and vehi-cles involved in the strike, says Jaacie

Visagie, Business Development Manager at UAV & Drone Solutions.

“We are currently working on a project where we are implementing Internet of Things (IoT) devices, with trigger sensors. Besides following a normal flight path or grid flying, we’ll be flying on triggers or alerts. For example, if there is a trigger (secu-rity breach) in a particular area, we’ll direct the drone to that spot,” said Visagie.

“IoT devices and hardware integrat-ing with drones is becoming a real-ity going forward, so we are already integrating that technology into our operations.”

However, with drones will come additional security threats, and these will be physical, as well as cyberthreats.

Scholtz said drones can easily be used to trespass on a property, as they can bypass all current security measures, when coming in by air.

Furthermore, weaponised drones can be used to commit terrorist acts and there is already evidence that drones have been used to smuggle drugs, weapons and other contraband in and out of South African prisons, he added.

“Regulations were only promul-gated in 2015, by which time the drone industry was already fairly well developed. That brought about a lot of challenges for the CAA, which had to regulate an industry that is not new,” said Sam Twala, Business and Technical Director at NTSU Aviation Solutions.

Despite the rapid uptake of drones across so many industry sectors, regulations are still being fine-tuned. Nonetheless, South Africa can boast about having the strictest drone regu-lations in the world.

“We need to keep in mind that 99% of drones will be used for good, while 1% will be used for bad. The problem with drones is the magnitude of the damage that one can cause. Drone technology is easily accessible and not always traceable,” Scholtz said.

– GeekWire.co.za

IF you own your own business, stay-ing ahead of the competition by keeping your skills sharp and cur-

rent goes without saying. The only problem, says Jacqueline Raw, Owner and Founder of Ycagel, is that our time is often limited and wading through modules of irrelevant theory just isn’t high on our priority list.

This is why she regards online learning as every entrepreneur’s sil-ver bullet. “It’s self-paced, self-driven and because it’s online, is accessible anytime and at any place.

"It’s so important to stay current and keep your skills relevant, and frankly, with online learning creating accessi-bility for everyone, we have no excuse not to be taking the time to invest in ourselves.”

She offers four key points to con-sider when selecting an online course or workshop: 1. Make sure it’s relevant

Often, we’re tricked into invest-ing in an online course or work-shop because of great sales ads and impressive titles – then once

we’re engaging with the content, we’re disappointed. Ensuring that you understand what the course/workshop offers is up to you. Take the time to understand the modules/topics that will be covered and what the tangible skills are that you’ll be walking away with, then make the call.

2. Unless the recipe is proven, don’t buy it

There’s a saying that goes ‘Those who can’t do – teach’, and although I cannot disagree with this more, it does help me illustrate a vital point in selecting the right course. Make sure that the entrepreneur promoting the course has leveraged what they’re teaching you them-selves and has proven results. A purely academic course or work-shop is not going to change the game for you – look for courses by people who have the success to back their methods and then duplicate the strategies that worked for them in your own busi-ness.

3. Find real valueThe reality is most of us face unique challenges in our businesses which can’t be addressed in a generic course. Seek out courses and work-shops that allow you access to the course developers or mentors – this is becoming more and more the norm, so don’t feel like you’re ask-ing for too much. This way, you’re able to get relevant insights and feedback on issues facing YOU in your business or career. Now that’s real value.4. Do the work You could find the perfect course developed by a highly successful entrepreneur that offers dedicated one-on-one coaching, but if you don’t do the work of learning and applying, you’re wasting time and money, and you’re just fooling your-self. Cultivating a student mentality and keeping the notebook and pen handy as you go is so crucial in ensuring you create success for yourself over time.

Online learning – the entrepreneur’s secret weapon

THE Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has defended its controversial clo-

sure of the Richards Bay Naval Island last December but has also committed itself to finding a solution that may pave the way to its reopening.

Port Manager Thami Sithole reiterated that the closure of the popular recreational area and surrounding sites was not taken in isola-tion. He said the port followed a process of engagement with the uMhlathuze Municipality in order to obtain cooperation in managing the area.

“Our main intention for these engagements was to mitigate against ongoing incidents and security challenges that have not only disrupted port operations to the detriment of the economy but have also resulted in several deaths and injuries at the site,” he said.

He added the matter is being “addressed urgently” and the port continues to engage with the municipality and security cluster in an attempt to resolve this impasse, with vari-ous meetings and discussions already well underway, including a Ministerial visit on 29 December, led by Police Minister Bheki Cele.

Sithole said TNPA would keep all stakehold-ers including the People’s Voice Organisation and the wider public updated as the process continues.

Ports authority defends Richards Bay Naval Island closure, says it wants to

resolve impasse

Enquiry no: 12

Enquiry no: 11

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

7Follow us on Twitter@kzn_indbiznews

PUMPS, VALVES, PIPES & FITTINGS

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ALLMECH, the sole official agent for Runxin water treat-ment system valves in the

country, is for the first time in South Africa making available a Runxin device – product number F107 – specifically designed to remove manganese and iron from water.

Allmech is a South African manu-facturer of boilers and supplier of water treatment components and is bringing in the valve for a pilot pro-ject in the agricultural food process-ing industry.

General Manager Lionel Maasdorp explaind that iron and manganese can be effectively removed from water using a number of treatment

processes, depending on both the form and concentration of the met-als.

“We are not the first to use these Point-of-Entry (POE) treatment devices, but this is the first time that this specific device is being made available in South Africa and we believe it will help solve the challeng-es of our customers across several sectors,” he said.

“Manganese tends to be difficult to remove from water because removal depends on its state of oxidation, the pH of the water, the presence of other minerals, and the TDS (total dissolved solids) of the water being treated.”

Another complication is that man-ganese often appears alongside iron and hydrogen sulphide. While con-ventional water softeners are some-times effective for removing iron and small amounts of manganese, Maasdorp said high concentrations of manganese can damage the resin in the softener.

“Resin in a softener should last up to 10 years, but with this client we were making replacements every three to six months. Borehole water is often very high in manganese and iron, and this has major cost implica-tions for businesses if they have to constantly replace the resin in their softeners.

“We have suggested the Runxin iron and manganese removal device to our clients as an alternative solu-tion. It’s essentially a pre-treatment device that removes the substances from the water before it reaches the industrial softening system or demin-eralisation system.”

The Runxin F107 iron and man-ganese removal control valve uses a special design that offers a high aeration method. This assures the dissolved oxygen required for man-ganese removal is present. It has an automatic air release valve, which constantly drains the air and carbon dioxide that is formed in the water.

The valve has a simple design

and is made from corrosion resist-ant material, which ensures reliable sealing. When the water is properly pre-treated with air, any good filter medium will remove the manganese.

The device is suitable for water pressure of between 0.25MPa and 0.6MPa, temperatures of 5 to 25°C (and environmental temperatures of 5 to 50°C), and electrical supply of AC 100 to 240V (or 50 to 60Hz). It will be effective for water supply containing ≤25mg/litre of iron, or ≤3mg/L of manganese and water turbidity <15NTU.

Manganese and iron removal device lands in SA

VAC-CENT Services has intro-duced the Vectra Series of liq-uid ring pumps and compres-

sors to South Africa.Manufactured by GD Nash, fea-

tures of the Vectra range include low operating speeds, lobe purges and one moving part, low maintenance costs, with external mechanical seals and bearings and greater efficien-cy thanks to a variable conical port design and patented gas scavenging

According to the company, its com-pact design and single point connec-tions requires less floor space and no manifolds reducing installation costs.

It’s available in ductile iron or stain-less steel.

“The Vectra, which is a single Cone Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump, makes maintaining the pump an absolute pleasure,” the company said in a statement,

“Reliability, efficiency and flexibil-ity, coupled with the comprehensive Vac-Cent Services expertise, service and technical support, provide you with unmatched value in liquid ring pumps and compressors. The Vectra XL ranges from the XL 35- XL 950.”

The stuffing box sealing arrange-ment on the Vectra units are normally

gland packed, however are availa-ble with single or double mechanical seals. It is specifically designed for the higher pressures and performance found in many process applications, including vapour recovery, flare gas recovery, corrosive gas recovery (e.g. VCM and chlorine) and hydrogen compression.

Some of the claimed benefits include:• Single, conical port design• Fully supported rotor/shaft assem-

bly• Single pressure boundary sealing

point

'Non-stick' glue pump restarts without a hitch after lengthy shutdown

ONE of South Africa’s largest independent polyu-rethane and plas-

tic foam manufacturers restarted an important gear pump, used to pump glue to rebound foam chips, without difficulty after the company’s December-January closed period.

Because the piece of equipment pumps viscous adhesive liquid at one of the company’s two chip plants, there was the possibility that it would fail to restart if component parts were immobilised by glue after a long period of inactivity.

“However, with the introduction of Vesconite Hilube polymer bushings in the well-known Viking in-ternal gear pump, the company’s pump restarted with ease,” Vesconite said in a state-ment

“Not only that, the Vesconite Hilube

pump bushings, which were inspected at the time of the restart, showed no wear.”

The statement quoted the foam manufacturer’s unnamed service man-ager as noting that the self-lubricating Vesconite Hilube polymer bushings replaced carbon graphite ones, which had tended to crack in the warm operating environment, in which the viscous glue-like chemicals needed to

be heated to be applied to the foam chips.

“This did not occur with the Vesconite Hilube, which had the added advan-tage of being self-lubricating and being able to move in the high-friction environment.

“You can’t use an ordinary plastic bush,” it quoted the service manager as saying.

“The gum dries out and sticks to the bush if you try. After the December break and after long weekends, the gear pumps ceased to operate before we used Vesconite Hilube.”

The company manufacturers 800 tons per year of chip mattress blocks.

These are used for mattresses, bus seats, gymnasium mats, restaurant seats and in other high-density furni-ture and bedding applications.

The service manager added that the Vesconite Hilube bushing has lasted seven months, and is pleased that it has survived and continued to operate after the holiday period.

“He has installed Vesconite Hilube bushings on several gear pumps at the factory, including several pumps where temperatures can reach 65°C.

“He believes that this is a low-maintenance solution for a challeng-ing operating environment,” Vesconite said.

New liquid ring pumps and compressors• Bolted head/body joint• API-681 compliance

• 316 stainless steel construction• Longer bearing life• Horizontal, self-draining inlet/

discharge nozzles

Enquiry no: 13

Enquiry no: 14

Enquiry no: 15

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

8 PUMPS, VALVES, PIPES & FITTINGS

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BMG’s Fluid Technology division supplies and supports an extensive range of com-ponents for fluid technology systems and

general industrial applications. These products include valves, hydraulic

hoses and fittings, accumulators, cylinders, heat exchangers, hydraulic motors and hydrau-lic plumbing, as well as pumps and reservoir accessories.

Important valves in BMG’s portfolio include InterApp Bianca and Desponia butterfly valves, which are recommended for high efficiency and safe use in demanding industrial flow con-trol applications.

“Robust butterfly valves are designed for dependable shut-off and control of corrosive fluids, as well as high-purity applications,” said Willie Lamprecht, BMG’s Business Unit Manager, Fluid Technology Low Pressure. “Compact butterfly valves, with good flow characteristics and low maintenance require-ments, are extremely versatile and ensure dependable operation, even in the toughest environments.”

He added that unlike a ball valve, the discs of butterfly valves are always present in the passageway within the flow. This means a

pressure drop is induced in the flow, regardless of the position of the valve.

“Ball valves should only be used for isolation, whereas butterfly valves can be safely used for isolation and control of flow.

“An advantage of using quarter turn butterfly valves rather than any other type of valve, is the simple, wafer-shaped design, with fewer parts, for easy repair and minimal mainte-nance.”

BMG’s InterApp Bianca centric butterfly valves, with durable PTFE liners, are built for long service-life and are suitable for aggres-sive and corrosive fluids and for applications where absolute purity is essential.

These high-performance valves, which are available in sizes between DN 32 and DN 900, are manufactured with a ductile iron, carbon steel or stainless steel body, to suit the requirements of all industries. Bianca butterfly valves can be individually configured by BMG to ensure dependable operation and optimum safety in specific applications.

For example, FDA compliant Bianca valves (DN 50 – DN 200) with mirror-polished stainless steel discs and high-purity PTFE liners, ensure safety for the production of

active pharmaceutical ingredients. Bianca valves with PFA-coated discs and PTFE liners are recommended for use in highly corrosive, chemical applications.

Valves in this range, with specially selected conductive disc and liner materials, also con-form with the explosion protection directive ATEX 94/9EG, ensuring safe operation in explosive environments.

Typical applications for Bianca butterfly valves are in mining and slurries for the extrac-tion of acids and solvents, for the processing of additives in the oil and gas sector and for highly corrosive processes in the steel indus-try. This series is also suitable for use in water treatment where the smallest impurities need to be avoided.

BMG’s multi-purpose InterApp Desponia and Desponia Plus centric butterfly valves, with a tough body and robust elastomer liners, are designed for safe and reliable regulation of liquids and gases in diverse sectors.

Desponia valves, which are available in sizes from DN 25 to DN 1600 and pressures up to 16 bar, are suitable for various industrial applications. This range can be supplied with a cast iron and ductile iron body.

T h e Desponia Plus range c o m e s in sizes between DN 25 and DN600, with high-pressure applications up to 20 bar and is suitable for high-temperature or vacuum applications, as well as process automation. This range is available with a body made of ductile iron, cast iron or Stainless Steel.

The Desponia range ensures safe operation in water treatment processes, as well as in power generation and for demanding chemi-cal processing applications. These valves can also withstand operation in the steel industry, where shut-off valves used to gas molten steel, are exposed to harsh conditions.

These valves, with specially coated discs, are also suitable for mining and slurries, for use in extraction processes which require valves with the highest abrasion and corrosion-resistance.

Compact butterfly valves for demanding industrial use

COMPANIES in the wire and cable indus-try are geared to quality and maximum output. The speed of the extrusion line

is what determines production efficiency.With this in mind, Leibinger will be using the

platform of the upcoming Wire and Tube 2020 trade fair to demonstrate a coding system that marks cables, wires, pipes and tubes at speeds of up to 1000 m/min or 60 km/h – as fast as a lion can run.

“With the JET Rapid Wire, the production of extrusion products is no longer slowed down by marking. Thanks to Leibinger’s Sealtronic nozzle sealing technology along with special inks and industry-specific technologies, the industrial inkjet printer ensures high speeds, maximum reliability and user-friendliness – and therefore a measurable overall increase in productivity,” the company said in a state-ment.

Fixed and variable letters and numbers are clearly legible even at speeds of up to 1000 m/min. Immediately after printing, special inks ensure maximum adhesion and abrasion resistance on all common product materials.

“At the heart of the innovative Leibinger printing technology is the unique hydraulic system with Sealtronic – a fully automatic nozzle sealing technology which can seal the

complete ink circuit airtight during production breaks.”

The company claims that this solves com-mon problems of conventional inkjet printers for industrial use at the source. “The reliability of the marking is significantly increased, and labour-intensive cleaning of the print heads is no longer necessary. Dried ink and clogged nozzles are a thing of the past.”

Another clever feature that Leibinger has developed for production optimisation in the cable industry is the speed-dependent output function, which is used to actively moni-tor common pre-treatments such as corona

or plasma and control them by the printer. If the production speed falls below the speci-fied minimum speed, the pre-treatment is actively switched off to avoid production downtimes.

Print heads specially developed for these applications adapt to the shape of the prod-ucts to be printed, thereby enabling even higher marking speeds. Also, the smallest diameters can be legibly marked with the high-speed printers.

And, with the JET Rapid Wire PI, even dark materials can be marked with so-called con-trast inks at speeds of up to 800 m/min.

For flexible applications with frequent prod-uct changes on the lines, a special ink is used that is easily legible on dark as well as light surfaces.

“This all-round solution eliminates the need to purchase several devices for printing differ-ent coloured cables, wires and tubes. At the show, visitors can have cables or other prod-uct samples marked directly at the booth.”

The Wire and Tube 2020, the most impor-tant leading trade fair for the wire, cable and tube industries, will take place from March 30 to April 3 in Düsseldorf at the Exhibition Centre.

Speed record: Printing on cables at over 60km/h

WH E N E V E R flow of gases needs to be

adjusted or monitored, Kobold, represented locally by Instrotech, has a model of UTS, which it is position-ing as a “practical and affordable” vari-able area flowmeter for monitoring gas burn-ers.

“This compact meas-uring instrument can be placed at various loca-tions, precisely where required,” the company said in a statement.

Recently it was tasked with optimising gas burner produc-tion line monitoring in order to achieve a ‘No Product Rejection’ status.

Lighting machine manufacturers generally require several small and one large annual maintenance session on their production lines. This means shutting down (completely dismantling) the production lines. All fail-ures need to be fixed, broken or worn parts replaced, burners and valves refurbished and production lines reassembled.

It is only after such maintenance, that production restarts. Each production phase of the renewed line must be re-sync’d, each burner reset at the correct temperature and the entire production process adjusted in order to manufacture the highest quality product.

“This requires not only precision but is time consuming and involves a significant quantity of reject product. The time consumed and the wasted goods costs money, increasing the final product cost and, also may result in a serious competitive disadvantage in the market.”

The Kobold solution was to equip produc-tion lines with UTS type variable area flow meters.

“One UTS is built into each gas circuit for gas burner control. Retrofitting of machines without major modification even with 10-20 flow meters is easy due to UTS’s compact design and small footprint,” the company said.

“When production line produces a perfect product, the displayed values of the instru-ments are recorded.”

Following the next shutdown of production lines and before starting the conveyor-belt, all burners are set up to the value recorded by UTS. “It takes only a few seconds to then set each burner. Users could re-start continu-ous production in a short time, as the quality of first finished product will be perfect.”

According to the company, the total invest-ment is returned after only a few mainte-nance cycles. Typical examples include monitoring supply to gas burners or engines and the supply of laboratory equipment with different gases.

Optimising production line maintenance for

gas burners

Enquiry no: 16

Enquiry no: 17

Enquiry no: 18

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

9PUMPS, VALVES, PIPES & FITTINGS

WERNER Pumps, a leading manufacturer of high-pres-sure jetting equipment in

South Africa, has expanded its service offering to customers by making one of its combination jetting and vacuum truck units available for rental, with another planned for mid-2020.

“We realise that the long lead times on vehicles affect customers’ busi-nesses,” said Sebastian Werner, MD of Werner Pumps. “Whether you import a unit, or you order one from a local manufacturer like us and have it built to your own spec, you’re looking at a few months before you receive the truck.

“To help our customers bridge the gap, we decided to make one of our Impi Combi units – a premium quality, locally-manufactured unit – available for hire. This means that customers can call on us for a rental unit when their own trucks are being serviced, or while they are waiting on delivery, and their businesses can keep operating as usual, without any down time.”

The Impi Unit offers a tilting 12.500 litre, 304 stainless steel tank, with a hydraulically-driven high-pressure pump capacity of 295L/Min at 135 bar, and a vacuum pump with 1850 m3/hr

suction capability. The high-pressure pump is fitted with a pneumatically operated regulat-ing valve, making infinite pressure adjustment possi-ble, thus increas-ing the safety of the operator during use.

Werner said this first rental unit was part of the compa-ny’s long-term plan to have a small fleet of jetting and vacuuming equip-ment available for hire, as well as a training, mainte-nance and service division.

“We want to ensure our customers can keep operating at all times, so we’re finding ways to help them do that. This includes providing operator training, which is more complex than many realise. It also means being available to fix machines customers have purchased from us when there is a problem and providing a stop-gap machine where required while we

undertake maintenance or repairs.”Werner sees this as an area of

growth potential for the business and believes it also offers room for job creation and skills development. “We want to be a one-stop shop for any-one who requires high-pressure jet-ting equipment, from manufacturing quality truck-mounted units locally to supplying the best spares and acces-sories, and offering comprehensive after-sales services too.”

No more ‘jet lag’ with new truck hire option

THE new Gemü 3240 tem-perature transducer/switch now allows

precise temperature monitoring in systems and piping across an even broader measuring range.

The Gemü 3240 tem-perature transducer/switch supersedes the existing Gemü 3220 prod-uct range with immediate effect. The new sensor’s high-quality measuring cells are able to with-stand media temperatures of between -40 °C and +150 °C and operating pressures of up to 160 bar while maintaining an accu-racy of 0.35% FSO.

“In addition to the considerably broader measuring scope, the new series scores highly in terms of its wide range of features. For demanding acid/alkali applica-tions, all media wetted parts are available with PVDF encapsula-tion, for example,” the company said in a statement.

With an IO-Link interface, the

device can be used centrally to automate and monitor

processes. This is beneficial for system networking, for exam-ple, as it makes com-

ponents compatible with one another and facili-tates parameterization and data transmission.

The rotatable LED display is another advan-

tage: The four-digit dis-play allows the current operating parameters to be viewed in any installation position.

The switch can be used for a wide variety of applications including a temperature measure-ment and control instrument for use in cooling circuits or for moni-toring sterilization processes.

“It is suitable for a huge variety of media, such as highly viscous or contaminated media. In addi-tion, the high-quality material from which the sensor is made means that it is able to withstand even chemically corrosive media.”

Precise temperature monitoring in systems

and piping

VAC-CENT Services has introduced the Vectra Series of liquid ring pumps

and compressors to South Africa.Manufactured by GD Nash, fea-

tures of the Vectra range include low operating speeds, lobe purges and one mov-ing part, low mainte-nance costs, with external mechanical seals and bearings and greater effi-ciency thanks to a variable conical port design and patented gas scavenging

According to the company, its compact design and single point connections requires less floor space and no manifolds reducing installation costs. It’s available in ductile iron or stainless steel.

“The Vectra, which is a single Cone Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump, makes maintaining the pump an absolute pleasure,” the company said in a statement,

“Reliability, efficiency and flex-ibility, coupled with the compre-hensive Vac-Cent Services exper-tise, service and technical sup-port, provide you with unmatched

value in liquid ring pumps and compressors. The Vectra XL ranges from the XL 35- XL 950.”

The stuffing box sealing arrangement on the Vectra units

are normally gland packed, however are available with single or double mechanical seals. It is specifically

designed for the higher pressures and performance found in many pro-cess applications,

including vapor recovery, flare gas recovery, corrosive

gas recovery (e.g. VCM and chlo-rine) and hydrogen compression.

Some of the claimed benefits include:• Single, conical port design• Fully supported rotor/shaft

assembly• Single pressure boundary seal-

ing point• Bolted head/body joint• API-681 compliance• 316 stainless steel construc-

tion• Longer bearing life• Horizontal, self-draining inlet/

discharge nozzles

New liquid ring pumps and compressors

Choosing the best steam boiler for your needs

WITH so many types and makes of steam boil-ers on the market, from

electrode to gas, diesel or coal-fired options, it’s difficult to know which one is best for your specific requirements. Given the safety issues of operating steam boilers, the capital outlay required and the running and maintenance costs, it’s important to understand your options before making a selec-tion.

That’s according to Lionel Maasdorp, General Manager at Allmech, a South African manu-facturer of boilers and supplier of water treatment components, who said the starting point is to understand how much steam your application requires.

“Our recommendation is that if you need anything less than a tonne, your best bet is an elec-trode boiler. If it’s not an option for you – for example if there is no electric power supply – you

can look to diesel or gas-pow-ered options. For applications that require more than five tonnes of steam, you need to look at coal-fired or heavy furnace oil boilers.”

Another important consid-eration is whether your steam requirement is for a constant flow, or if you’re working in a batch pro-cessing environment. Maasdorp cited the example of a client in the glass manufacturing industry who needed a low average steam gen-erating capacity, but when they looked into the production pro-cess, the company realised that significant steam was required at specific intervals. This neces-sitated a bigger boiler size.

On the other hand, a bakery client was able to cut costs sub-stantially by moving away from diesel-fired boilers to electrode boilers because the maintenance and servicing requirements were much lower.

Enquiry no: 19

Enquiry no: 20

Enquiry no: 21

Enquiry no: 22

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

10 PUMPS, VALVES, PIPES & FITTINGS

LIQUID storage tanks are a crucial part of the chemical industry. With different types of chemicals having different char-

acteristics and behaviours – it’s important to find the right venting solution for each chemical.

These tanks play a significant role as part of the plant in the chemical industry. The use of liquid storage tanks for the stor-age of flammable or combustible liquids is a common prac-tice in the chemical industry.

Liquid can be stored as a raw material, an inter-mediate product or a final product of the chemical pro-cess.

Lavenda Sekwadi, Process Engineer for Energas, said it is important to note that the different types of chemicals have different characteristics and behaviours when stored in these tanks. Therefore, breathing of liquid storage tanks is very significant as a safety measure against some of the common acci-dents – such as fire and explosions – associ-ated with the storage of chemicals.

“Storage tanks have different sizes, liq-uids vaporising at different rates and liquid discharge rates and inflow rates. API 2000 standard is primarily used for determination of the suitable sizes of the safety equipment (mainly pressure-vacuum vents and emer-gency vents),” said Sekwadi.

The compatibility of the tank safety equip-ment and the medium stored is of paramount importance as it affects the service life and the performance of the equipment. For haz-ardous vapours (for example, sulphuric acid), the typical materials such as carbon steel, aluminium, stainless are not compatible.

“Fibreglass Reinforced Plastics (FRP) are employed in applications of hazardous vapours due to their ability to withstand corrosion – this is due to their highest level of resistance to chemically hostile environ-ments, yet extremely rugged and durable in construction,” said Sekwadi.

Such applications of hazardous liquids are typically found in petroleum, petrochemical, pulp and paper, waste treatments and food and beverage industries."

Understanding fibre-reinforced

plastic vents

AVOCADOS are now among the world’s most popular superfoods, with much of the global appetite coming from lovers of

pre-prepared guacamole.That’s according Watson-Marlow Fluid

Technology Group (WMFTG), which said MasoSine Certa pumps are helping producers to keep pace with demand.

“As well as delivering high suction capability to handle viscous products, Certa pumps offer many further advantages over alternative tech-nologies,” the company said in a statement.

Unlike traditional pumps with rotors that cut through the fluid, Certa’s sinusoidal rotor gen-tly carries fluid through the pump, which, the company said, dramatically reduces shear. In addition, energy consumption is cut by up to

50% when handling high-viscosity foods such as guacamole,

“In short, the benefits and performance lev-els delivered by proven MasoSine sinusoi-dal technology include virtually no pulsation, superior viscosity, simplicity, reliability, energy efficiency, interchangeable parts and low cost of ownership.”

Fully CIP-capable, Certa pumps can transfer foods with viscosities of up to 8 million cP, at flow rates up to 99,000 l/h.

MasoSine Certa technology is used in two stages of guacamole production. Firstly, the pumps transfer avocado pulp to the mixers, before larger Certa models are deployed to transfer the product to the filling stations.

“At this stage, one of the great benefits of

MasoSine pumps is their ability to maintain the shape and integrity of the avocado chunks – and small pieces of tomato and onion – which are sometimes part of the mix.

“The addition of these soft vegetable and fruit pieces would present a problem for most pump types, however, the low shear and gentle action of a MasoSine pump maintains the integrity of the avocado and additional ingredients and crucially, does not negative-ly affect the viscosity of the final product. The result is much faster production speeds and, thanks to the inherently hygienic design of Certa pumps, process cleanliness is assured. Customers also report reductions in mainte-nance requirements and downtime.”

Having convinced several guacamole pro-

ducers of the benefits a v a i l a b l e when using M a s o S i n e Certa tech-nology for transferr ing avocado pulp to the mix-ers and filling machines, the Watson-Marlow team is now talking to the same manufacturers about solu-tions for the next stage in the process – filling individual product portions.

Holy guacamole! Pumps keep pace with avo-ricious demand

A large Northern Cape farming operation recently moved to drip-irrigation to con-serve water. This required cleaner water

from its dams – a challenge that Integrated Pump Rental said it could help solve.

Using its specialised SlurrySucker desilting solution, the company desilted the first of four dams to prove the concept to the customer. Less silt meant not only cleaner water, but higher storage capacity in the dam.

“The customer was so pleased with the result that they have asked us to tackle the other three dams,” said Rental Development Manager Ruaan Venter. “Dirty water would have clogged their drip-irrigation pipes and prevented the whole system from working.”

Venter added that this was the first time that the company’s robust SlurrySucker equipment had been used in an agricultural application.

“Our traditional focus is in the mining industry. But our experi-ence in removing silt from pro-cess ponds on mines was ideal for this work in the agricultural sector.”

In these applications, the SlurrySucker is mounted on a floating barge that is pulled back and forth across a dam. A dewa-tering pump feeds the surface water down to a dredge-head, which agitates the silt using seven bar of pressure through 16 nozzles. The thick, agitated material is then pumped out of the dam using a fit-for-purpose slurry pump.

One of the key advantages of the system

is that it does not damage the clay lining or geomembrane that lines the dam. Previous efforts to desilt these dams had been conducted with trac-tor-loader-backhoes (TLBs) and this punctured the lining and was unsuccessful.

“We make sure that our agi-tation heads are operated at a suitable distance from the floor of the dam. We also use spe-cially designed hose floats to keep the hoses and electrical cables on the water surface. This avoids any possible dam-age caused by submerged hoses being dragged across

liners.”

There was vegetation rooted in the silt, which had the potential to clog the suction heads. The company used a vortex impeller solution to deal with this.

The efficiency of the SlurrySucker meant that an 80-metre long, 25-metre wide and about two-metre deep dam could be desilted in just one week. And this was despite a high slurry content of about 60%.

“Using one 37 kW submersible slurry pump on the barge, we were able to pump at about 250 cubic metres an hour through a six-inch pipeline. This converted to between 50 and 60 dry tonnes an hour.”

Venter said the customer had entered into a maintenance contract with Integrated Pump Rental to ensure that the dams are regularly desilted.

Mine proven desilter makes successful farm dam debut

SKF has released the world’s first com-mercial load sensing bearing based on its proprietary fibreoptic sensing technology.

The first product streamlines the creation of rotating products such as pumps, using angu-lar contact ball bearings. In it SKF enables real-time measurement of bearing loads using fiber optic sensing.

According to the company, the bearing takes the guesswork out of product development for pumps and compressors, helping to speed up the design and verification process, by giving instant access to a variety of bearing data. This includes for example axial vs. radial loads, polar lots of the bearing´s internal strain field, strain spectra, load directions, speed of rota-tions and temperature.

The bearings, which are interchangeable with conventional bearings, offer several ben-efits to designers and test engineers, including, optimised design, lower development costs,

shorter design cycle and the ability to digitalise the design and verification process.

OEMs and end-users can use the tool when testing and installing new equipment, to check that the correct load and lubrication requirements have been defined and are not exceeded in the real installation.

“Understanding bearing loads is essential in the design of rotating equipment such as

pumps,” said Lars Kahlman, senior applica-tions expert at SKF’s Drives Competence Center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“Over the past few years SKF has, through extensive testing campaigns and simulations, developed algorithms that makes the tech-nology really accurate and robust. Our Load Sensing Bearing gives access to data that has been very difficult to access so far because it takes accurate strain measurements directly within the bearing.”

The new sensing bearings are safe to use in hazardous environments as signal data is transferred at high speeds by low power in optical fibres rather than as electrical signals, making the system also immune to electro-magnetic fields. It also enables robust remote monitoring where wireless technology cannot be used as the optical fibres can transmit sig-nals over very long distances.

Load sensing bearings with fibreoptic sensors

Enquiry no: 23

Enquiry no: 24

Enquiry no: 25

Enquiry no: 26

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

11

PACKAGING

THE plastics and pack-aging industries of South Africa have wel-

comed the announcement Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, to scrap the existing Section 28 plan for developing an Industry Waste Management Plan.

Although the develop-ment of this plan had already been more than three years in the making, Creecy announced in December that she would be starting an entirely new process under Section 18, as this would allow for an industry-managed plan as opposed to a government-managed plan.

Packaging SA Executive Director Shabeer Jhetam (pictured) admitted that the announcement had come as a surprise and said that the organisation welcomed the minister’s decision.

“Despite the fact that a considerable amount of time, money and effort have been invested to prepare and submit our Federation of Plans which repre-sented the entire packaging industry, we believe the minister has made the right decision. Through our engage-ments with her over the past few months, we were able to introduce her to the excellent work done by the various packaging streams through their various Producer Responsibility Organisations.”

He said that as a result of their “con-sistent and concerted efforts” South Africa had managed to grow its recy-cling figures on a yearly basis over the past 10 years to become one of

the world leaders in mechanical recycling. “We are sending less material to landfill thanks to lightweight-ing and progress in developing a circular economy for each industry.

“A government-managed plan would have had the poten-tial of nullifying these achievements and

making it more difficult for these organ-isations to access the funds needed to fulfil their mandates,” Jhetam said.

Commenting on behalf of the plas-tics industry, Plastics|SA’s Executive Director Anton Hanekom said they too were relieved to learn of the minister’s decision to develop a new plan under Section 18 of the Waste Management Act, in close consultation with industry representatives.

“We have always advocated for an industry-managed plan where the pro-ducers of packaging materials are held responsible for managing their waste through belonging to industry bodies that represent their interests and drive their own recycling and col-lection efforts.

“The failure of previous initiatives such as Buyisa e-Bag and Redisa trig-gered serious warning bells for us and highlighted the need for proper gov-ernance, transparency and credibility. For this reason, we agree that the industry be left in charge of their own funds and projects, albeit with very close cooperation and direct account-ability to Government,” Hanekom said.

Department Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Director General Nosipho Ngcaba provided clarity on why none of the submitted plans were approved. She also reported that according to Treasury, there were no funds available for a Government plan.

“A total of 13 industry plans were submitted to the Minister for con-sideration of which the Paper and Packaging industry submitted seven, the Electrical & Electronic industry submitted five and the Lighting indus-try one.

“The Minister has sent letters to each of the parties who submit-ted plans, spelling out the reasons why she rejected the specific plan. However, throughout the entire pro-cess it has become abundantly clear that none of the plans meet the criteria of a Government Managed Model, and that a Section 28 plan is therefore no longer the best route to take.”

Ngcaba said that in order to expe-dite the process, the minister wanted to return to the drawing board as soon as possible to develop a workable plan. “Receiving the support and buy-in of the industry is vital if this plan is to succeed,” Ngcaba was reported as saying.

She said a framework needed to be developed that would include clear targets for each sector, with quarterly and annual reporting, the minimisa-tion of waste and encouragement of recycling. The first of these engage-ments was set to take place early in February 2020 and will require input in terms of a possible structure and future cooperation between industry and government.

Packaging and plastics industries hail govt U-turn on waste plan

LEADING dairy brand Parmalat SA has a new name. From 1 February 2020, it is known as

Lactalis South Africa.According to a statement from the

company, this is a name change only and it will not impact the company’s existing range of products, brands, projects or business operations.

“Lactalis South Africa will remain the home of quality and trusted brands such as Parmalat, Melrose, President and SteriStumpie, as well as Bonnita, PureJoy, Galbani, and Aylesbury,” the company said in a statement.

These familiar brands hold strong positions across several dairy prod-uct categories, ranging from cheese, yoghurt, milk, and custard, to flavoured milk, cream, drinking yoghurt, maas, fruit beverages, butter and ice cream.

Parmalat SA has been been part

of the international Lactalis family for the past nine years since the Lactalis Group bought Parmalat in 2011. The local name change to Lactalis South Africa is the final step towards fully integrating the South African business with its international parent company, a family business that has a rich his-tory and tradition in bringing the enjoy-ment of dairy products into people’s lives.

Although the company name has changed to Lactalis South Africa, the existing company registration num-ber, VAT number, banking details, site addresses, and telephone numbers remain the same.

The Lactalis Group is a family-led company founded in 1933 by Andre Besnier in Laval in the west of France, the heart of French dairy country. The Lactalis Group is the world’s number

one dairy group with 250 production sites in 50 countries and more than 90 000 team members in 94 countries.

Marek Warzywoda, Lactalis South Africa General Manager, said “the change of name in South Africa is an exciting step for the local dairy indus-try and shows that our global dairy group has confidence in the business opportunities in this region.

“We are committed to continue providing quality products under our well-known local and global brands. Lactalis South Africa will build on the many successes and hard work of those who came before us. Locally the roots of this business can be traced back to the early 1900s. This accu-mulated South African expertise now joins forces with a proud French family heritage also dating back to the early 1900s.”

New name for top dairy brand

IN line with the Shoprite Group’s commitment to ensure that 100% of its plastic packaging is reusable and/or recyclable by 2025, it is

now using the 4 000 tons of plastic returned annually to its distribution centres to produce its 100% recycled and recyclable plastic shop-ping bags.

Since the beginning of November 2019, plastic from the retail group’s Centurion, Canelands and Cilmor distribution centres is being collected, converted into pellets and used to manufacture the plastic carrier bags for its supermarkets.

“This is the latest among the growing num-ber of circular economy practices we are putting in place,” said Group Sustainability Manager, Sanjeev Raghubir, adding that while packaging protects and preserves products, the retailer recognises that it is a key driver of environmental degradation when not handled responsibly.

The Group plans for 100% of its plastic packaging to be reusable and/or recyclable by 2025, with an average of 30% recycled content to be used in all plastic packaging.

Suppliers are already being provided with reusable, returnable packing crates to mini-mise packaging.

“Consumers are increasingly expecting recyclable packaging and they expect trans-parency from retailers regarding the environ-mental impact of their end-to-end operations,” Raghubir said.

In 2013 the Group became the first South African retailer to produce a verified, 100% recycled shopping bag. Shoprite, Checkers and Usave supermarkets introduced the “plan-et” bag in late 2018. Made from 100% recycled plastic, the sturdy reusable bags entitle cus-tomers to claim 50c off their total spend each time they present the bag at the till.

New standardised recycling instructions, as

published by WWF-SA earlier this year, have been introduced to the 650 million recyclable plastic bags made from 100% post-consumer recycled material that the Group sells per annum. These On Pack Recycling Labels will be included on all new products and as packaging designs of existing products are updated, to equip customers with the correct recycling information.

Among its many initiatives, Shoprite launched Africa’s Biggest Cleanup in July 2018. It continues to encourage community cleanup events hosted by its employees and the general public via actforchange.africa. The online platform allows any organisation to reg-ister cleanup events and to submit their waste collection data. In the past financial year, more than 800 cleanup events have been registered and 40 150 participants have collected 30 935 bags of waste.

Its Packa-Ching partner project “buys” recy-

clable materials from communities in exchange for credits which can be used to buy goods at many stores, including Shoprite, Usave and Checkers stores. More information is available in the Shoprite Holdings’ 2019 Sustainability Report .

In the last financial year Shoprite:• Sold 645 million recyclable plastic bags

made from 100% post-consumer material, diverting 7 095 tons of plastic from landfills;

• Sold 855 000 of its R3 “planet” bags and paid out more than R200 000 to customers in rebates for reusing the bag;

• Recycled 3 995 tons of plastic and 33 658 tons of cardboard through its distribution centres;

• Reused 2 781 tons of cardboard packaging in partnership with another retailer.

Packa-Ching! Supermarket group fights plastic waste

SOUTH African bottling part-ner, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has

introduced a 2L returnable bottle made of PET plastic.

The returnable bottles are made of PET plastic and are labelled with a new paper label, with ‘RETURNABLE’ appearing in green on the front of the bot-tle. These new returnable bot-tles can be reused up to 14 times. Thereafter they can be recycled and made into new bottles.

“Through innovation and our infrastructure invest-ment in this packaging line, we are providing consum-ers with greater value for money, whilst introducing a PET plastic bottle that can be reused,” said Velaphi Ratshefola, Managing Director of CCBSA.

The recommended retail price for the 2L Coca-Cola Original Taste – Less Sugar bev-erage is R15, which excludes a R9 deposit. Other brands, like Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite and Fanta, are also available in the new 2L returnable PET plastic bottle at a recommended retail price of R12 excluding the R9 deposit.

“The launch of these returnable PET bottles is one way in which we are investing in innovative and more sustainable packaging,” said Ratshefola. “The new returnable 2L PET plastic bottle also sup-ports The Coca-Cola Company’s

global commitments to address the world’s waste problem.”

Once a bottle is returned to Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, it will go on a looped journey to be cleaned to Coca-

Cola’s stringent measures and requirements, then refilled and start its next life-cycle. When the bottle reaches the

end of its 14 useable lifecy-cles, after being returned to Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa it will be recycled and turned into another PET plastic bot-tle.

“We’re committed to increasing recycled material in our packaging and ensuring more pack-aging is collected and recycled. The launch of the Returnable PET plas-tic bottle is another way

we can use innovation to unlock the value in waste and

support a circular economy in South Africa.”

In 2018 more than 98 000 tonnes of post-consumer PET was collected through the PET Recycling Company (PETCO), which Coca-Cola supports, and diverted from landfills in South Africa. They were given a sec-ond life through recycling, saving 612,000m2 of landfill space.

The new bottle is currently being trialled in the Eastern Cape. If the pilot is successful, it is expected to be extended to the rest of the country.

Beverage giant trials 2L returnable plastic bottle

Enquiry no: 27

Enquiry no: 28

Enquiry no: 29

Enquiry no: 30

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

12 PACKAGING

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MARKEN label holders, which were launched in South Africa by Conceptainer about three

years ago, have been well received by the local market, particularly the automotive, warehousing and distribu-tion sectors.

That’s according to Ian Gallie, Sales Manager at Conceptainer, specialists in the custom-design and manufac-ture of packaging systems. “Marken label holders are perfect for attaching control documentation to bins, crates and racking in diverse industries, to prevent data inaccuracies,” he said.

“These sturdy label holders are re-usable, hygienic and easy to keep clean .These high impact-resistant label holders are unaffected by ultra-violet rays and challenging weather conditions and are also designed for non-absorption of contaminants, offer-ing extended service life, even in tough environments, as well as the food sector, which demands pristine conditions.”

He said Marken label holders replace conventional clear plastic holders used to fix control documenta-tion to rotor moulded bins, canvas and PVC material containers.

“The conventional means of fix-ing control documentation, using adhesive cards or clear pouches, is often unsightly, uneconomical and has a short operational lifespan. Conventional pouches easily disfigure and eventually tear or break. Added to the inconvenience of this, unsight-ly adhesive residue can be retained on the container or racking when removed.”

Conceptainer’s durable, lightweight label holders are manufactured to the

required size, using Polypropylene (PP) which can be re-cycled, as a contribution towards reducing carbon footprint. They are available in blue, black, grey and also in specified cor-porate colours to enhance a com-pany’s brand. The vertical chamfered edges of the holder are adaptable to suit most packaging designs. This labelling system can also be attached to trolleys, containers, racking and shelving.

Marken label holders allow horizon-tal and vertical movement of packag-ing when labels are in position and by inverting the label holder, it can accommodate an A4 sheet vertically. The replaceable plastic document clips can be moved to various posi-tions on the label holder to suit stock control sheets. This system enables scanners to read card information eas-ily, eliminating data inaccuracies.

Self-tapping screws or blind rivets fix the Marken label holder securely to the bin.

Reusable label holders making their Marken locally

PRINT-and-apply labelling offers great advantages for production operations, par-

ticularly because it’s consider-ably faster and more reliable than manual applications. It also reduces waste, labour and possible operator errors, as well as running costs and downtime.

That’s accord-ing to South African product identification company, Pyrotec PackMark, which added that print-and -apply labellers eliminate the need for employees to print and stick labels onto prod-ucts and packaging.

Instead, labels carrying barcodes, serial numbers, QR codes, personalised message and even graph-ics are applied directly to packaging. This means manufac-turers can print-and-apply labels on demand, reducing storage needs for stock and product vari-ant labels.

“The 2200 Series of print and apply labellers from Markem-Imaje, and locally available from Pyrotec PackMark, builds on the proven concept of provid-ing reliability, efficiency and ease of use with thousands of units installed in demanding 24/7 envi-ronments,” the company said in a statement.

“The 2200 Series takes print and apply to the next stage of evolution, giving customers a wide range of interchangeable applicators, optimised operation-al intervention and unparalleled application rate.”

According to the company, the main benefits of the 2200 Series is its print and application rates of up to 125 packs/min regard-less of the data’s complexity or

content.“Each unit comes with a stand-

ard 18-month warranty with up to a five-year warranty exten-sion, and its simple media path allows operators to reload label

and ribbon rolls in less than 40 seconds. The 560m ribbon and label rolls outclass market standards of 450m, which means line stop-pages are reduced by 25%.

“When operated in conjunction with M a r k e m - I m a j e ’ s CoLOS software solu-tions, product data

integrity is ensured, as is an easy connection to

central data management and enterprise databases.”

A new colour touch screen CoLOS Terminal enables easy selection of labels to be printed, and data management through an intuitive user interface.

Labellers are designed to be over 95% recyclable, they have a built-in real-time clock, 10 indi-vidual programmable counters and a choice of thermal or direct thermal print methods. The 2200 Series also supports all major lin-ear barcodes and 2D barcodes.

Applicators come in a choice of tamp, blow, wipe or tamp blow for top, side and front applications. The also offer corner wrap for two adjacent side applications.

Pyrotec PackMark’s service offering includes a comprehen-sive range of coding and label-ling equipment, on-pack informa-tional and promotional devices, software that ensures product integrity, optimises coding activi-ties and helps secure centralised data management systems, label tracking systems.

Speed up production with print-and-apply

labelling

INSTROTECH is offering the Siko AP20 position indicator, which it says is ideally

equipped to detect the position of spindle adjust-ments in machines.

According to the com-pany, it displays the cor-responding positional data to the operator and passes it on to the machine control system. “Simple system integra-tion in combination with modern interfaces is all that is required,” the company said in a statement.

“On the one hand, this ensures the shortest possible downtimes, on the other the interfaces pro-vide loss-free data communica-tion between the position indi-cator and the machine control system.”

It added that the compact system is particularly suitable

for flexible manufacturing with production machines such as packing machines, woodworking

machines, printing machines and machines for further processing of printed prod-ucts.

“Wherever manual adjust-ment is carried out on pro-duction machines, bus-com-patible Siko position indica-tors are able to optimize the

production process in such a way that costly refitting times during product changeovers are kept to a minimum.

“Once installed, position indi-cators provide 100% process reli-ability. During product and size changeovers, incorrect machine settings and the associated risk of damage to tools or batches with defects can be eliminated consistently with the AP20.”

Electronic position indicator for absolute spindle adjustments

THE media separated solenoid valve VYKA from Festo is

suitable for use as a dos-ing valve for contactless dispensing or as a control valve for continuous flow applications.

“With a width of just 7mm, this compact pow-erhouse doses small quantities very precisely,” the company said in a statement, adding that this allows the pre-cise dispensing of fluids and the control of liquid flows in manifold duct plates for continuous flow applications.

“The excellent performance of the liquid valve makes it a suita-

ble choice not only for laboratory applications, but also in the perfume and flavour indus-tries as well as for packaging contact lenses.”

Thanks to a separating diaphragm made of high-performance polymers

FPM and FFPM, the solenoid valve VYKA is also suitable for aggressive media. The low inter-nal volume makes the valve easy to clean.

“The combination with FDA listed materials makes the VYKA ideal for highly sensitive applica-tions. The current control ensures the switching behaviour is highly reproducible.”

Media separated solenoid valve

Enquiry no: 31

Enquiry no: 32

Enquiry no: 33

Enquiry no: 34

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

13

FORESTRY, PULP & PAPER

SAPPI is to press ahead with a R7.7-billion upgrade of its Saiccor mill at Umkomaas on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, this

despite a slump in key product segments which has seen it pull back from other capital projects.

This was revealed by CEO Steve Binnie, commenting after the company released its results for the first quarter of 2020. Sappi attributed its decision to weak prices in the dis-solving wood pulp (DWP) and graphic paper markets.

Sappi’s profit for the quarter fell from the previous $81 million to $24 million, while earn-ings per share were down from 16 US cents to 6 US cents. Sappi’s net debt was up $359 million to $1.91 billion. Ebitda was $139 million, down from $197 million in the same period in the previous year.

“A good performance from the European and North American packaging and speciali-ties segment and satisfactory results from the graphic paper businesses were not enough to

offset the significant impact from the unprec-edented and markedly lower DWP prices.”

Sappi is the world’s largest manufacturer of DWP, with two mills in South Africa and one in North America.

Binnie said DWP market prices fell US$272/ton in the last year as the combined impact of soft global textile markets, excess viscose

staple fibre (VSF) capacity and a weaker US$/Renminbi exchange rate drove the DWP price downwards. “On the supply side, low paper pulp prices provided no relief for swing produc-ers. This significantly impacted both the seg-ment and group profitability levels.”

The company’s DWP products are used to create viscose fibre for clothing and tex-tiles, pharmaceutical products and a range of household products.

Turning to the outlook for the coming year, Binnie said DWP pricing remains under pres-sure, albeit that prices have risen slightly from their lows in the past quarter.

“Given the current low DWP pricing levels, we expect EBITDA in the second quarter of financial year 2020 to follow the trend experi-enced in the first quarter.”

He said the ramp up of packaging and speciality grades at both Somerset PM1 and Maastricht Mill were continuing, which would ensure improved mix, price realisation and machine efficiency.

“Consumers and brand owners are driving the shift from plastic to paper in many pack-aging categories and this is driving demand growth and leading to new innovative products being developed, including those incorporating our barrier technology.”

He said the South African containerboard market remained “challenging”, driven by high inventory levels and a weaker domestic econ-omy and graphic paper markets remain “diffi-cult”, with demand decline rates exceeding that of recent years by some margin.

“Capital expenditure in 2020 is expected to be approximately US$460 million as we complete the Saiccor Mill 110,000t expansion project and various smaller European pulp mill debottlenecking projects. We continue to manage capital expenditure, working capital and costs tightly. Apart from the… Saiccor Mill expansion, no material capital projects have been committed.”

Pulp giant’s profits plummet, but R7.7bn KZN mill expansion continues

FORESTRY South Africa (FSA), the country’s largest forestry organisation representing

timber growers, has enhanced its web pres-ence under www.forestrysouthafrica.co.za.

Its Research and Protection Director Dr Ronald Heath said the new new corporate website would allows the industry to better position itself as a significant contributor to the South African economy, society and the environment.

Its popular Forestry Explained pages have been absorbed into www.forestrysouthafrica.co.za as one complete website, with www.forestryexplained.co.za remaining as an active URL.

Apart from presenting an overview of FSA’s roles, functions and structures, the new web-site provides useful information and case studies, while showcasing industry initiatives, such as environmental partnerships, commu-nity outreach and forestry-related recreational activities.

The website also provides users with access to the latest industry statistics, links to other forestry-related websites and forestry news.

In addition, FSA has introduced a ‘members only’ login section comprising a database through which members can access FSA documents, including annual reports, audited financials, forestry statistics, presentations and position statements.

New website for forestry bodyPAPER and packaging multinational,

Mondi, has announced the appointment of Andrew King, as its new Group Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from 1 April 2020. King, the current Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and a director, will succeed Peter Oswald who announced in January that he would be stepping down as CEO and leaving on 31 March. The decision surprised industry analysts as he had played a significant role in simplifying the group’s operations and setting it on course for a sustainable future.Mondi Chairperson David Williams said, “I am

delighted that someone of Andrew’s calibre has agreed to succeed Peter as CEO. This appointment follows a formal review process, assess-ing both internal and external can-didates, which convinced the board that he is the right person to lead the group. During his time with Mondi, Andrew has consistently demonstrat-ed considered and effective leader-ship."He added that King’s 17 years’ experience with the group in various strategy, business devel-opment and finance leadership roles would

benefit it enormously. “He has been instrumental in defining the group’s strategic direction since listing and I am confident he will bring significant insight and leadership to the role of CEO.”Reacting to the news, King, said, “I am excited to accept the role as CEO of Mondi. We have a clear strate-gic focus, robust business model and many talented and dedicated people.”

A formal process to recruit King’s successor as CFO is underway and, according to the group, will include external and internal candidates.

New boss for packaging and paper group

GLOBAL packaging and paper manufac-turer Mondi announced recently that it has improved its scores in sustainable

forestry and water security, placing it among the industry leaders for both.

Mondi achieved an A-minus score for sus-tainable forestry and an A for water security by CDP, a sustainability benchmarking platform for environmental disclosures.

“Our rating from CDP on sustainable for-estry and water security reflects all the work that we do in managing our forests in Russia and South Africa responsibly to safeguard biodiversity and ensure that our forests and the biodiversity within them continue to thrive,” said Gladys Naylor, Mondi Group Head of

Sustainable Development.“This will enable us to meet the rising need

for sustainable fibre based products as we transition to a low carbon economy,”

CDP Forests provides a framework of action for companies to measure and manage forest-related risks and opportunities, transparently report on progress, and commit to proactive action for the restoration of forests and eco-systems.

For water stewardship relevant companies are asked to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources.

As it does each year, CDP scores all respondents from A-D, with its Leadership A List comprising companies from around the

world that have been identified as leaders for their efforts and actions to implement best practices.

Mondi was again among the respondents this year and improved its score to an A- rating for CDP’s forest score for timber, which is in the Leadership band.

According to the company, this is higher than the European regional average of B-, and higher than the paper products & packaging sector average of B. Mondi’s water security score also improved to an A rating this year, significantly improving its rating from the previ-ous year.

Timber titan joins global sustainability A list

UNDERSTANDING and modelling the pro-cesses of the wood formation of Eucalyptus

trees is the focus of a newly announced research programme at Stellenbosch University.

Created by the Hans Merensky Foundation (HMF), the Hans Merensky Research Chair in Advanced Modelling of Eucalyptus Wood Formation is a 10-year contract that provides co-funding for new laboratory facilities and research equipment, as well as for a team of researchers and postgraduate students.

Lead researcher for the initiative, Dr David Drew, is the senior lecturer in SU’s Department of Forest and Wood Science (DFWS).

“The process by which trees form wood is of global significance and cannot be underesti-mated,” said Drew.

“Wood formation, technically known as xylo-genesis, is fundamental to the fixing of carbon dioxide into the stable, valuable and beautiful material we call wood, and to the production of our increasingly important renewable timber resources.”

Merensky Timber said the initiative builds on the legacy of renowned scientist and philan-thropist Dr Hans Merensky’s experimentation with Eucalyptus and would advance forestry training and research in South Africa.

The first group of postdoctoral students and fellows to be supported through the Chair is expected to start work in 2020.

Boost for SA Eucalyptus research

Enquiry no: 35

Enquiry no: 36 Enquiry no: 37

Enquiry no: 38

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

14 FORESTRY, PULP & PAPER

Tel: +27 11 201 3200 Email: info@lappgroup.co.za Web: www.lappgroup.co.za

We nowstock

RubberCable!

WHEN the cutting equipment supplier and blade sharp-ener Bremsaw was up for

sale, First Cut saw this as an ideal opportunity to further its presence in the key Mpumalanga timber industry.

Since the acquisition of Bremsaw, First Cut has been focusing on con-solidation and ensuring that all busi-ness processes are properly stream-lined.

“Though the company is doing well, there is always potential for more growth,” said First Cut Director Gary Willis, adding that he would

like to see an expansion of the ser-vices which Bremsaw offers to the Mpumalanga region and the timber industry in particular.

First Cut is busy gearing up its Bremsaw branch with extra staff in anticipation of an upturn in 2020. While wood production in Mpumalanga embraces timber, paper and pulp, Bremsaw’s over-riding emphasis is on serving the timber industry.

“We also carry out services such as collecting and re-sharpening blades,” said Willis.

The branch supplies its customers with a

range of cutting implements includ-ing grinding wheels, planer blades, finger-joint cutters, crosscut saws, multi-ripping saws and paper knives. However, the most popular saw blade supplied by the Mbombela branch is the First Cut-manufactured Predator narrow band saw, which has proved very popular with the

manufacturers of pallets among other industries.

Predator blades have been designed with hardened, tempered carbon steel tips to with stand the harsh usage encountered in the tim-ber industry.

While the Bremsaw business is pri-marily focused on timber, Mbombela is a busy regional town with a popu-lation of some 59,000 with the need for cutting consumables and capital equipment.

“We trust that in the future we will be able to use this branch as

a springboard to service general industry in the area. We would like to promote the use of our Starrett, Eclipse blades and particularly now, our new range of locally manufac-tured Messer welding rods – a top quality product at a very reasonable price,” he said.

“By promoting both Bremsaw’s timber services and supporting these with sales of general retail/indus-trial cutting equipment, I anticipate the branch will flourish in the near future.”

Sharp move! Acquisition aims to take a cut of Mpumalanga sawmill scene

JOHN Deere has updated its E-Series knuckleboom load-ers with new features that

it says are driven by customer feedback and designed to boost operator comfort.

The new 337E and 437E mod-els incorporate a redesigned operator station that is built to reduce noise and heat within the cab, while also including sever-al options that increase comfort throughout the day.

The new features, which build upon the fuel efficiency improve-ments introduced in 2019, provide customers with efficient, comfort-able solutions for the loaders’ operation.

“Since the introduction of the E-Series machines, we continued to speak with customers and col-lect their feedback so we can ensure our machines meet their needs,” said Brandon O’Neal, product Marketing Manager, John Deere Construction & Forestry.

One of the most notable changes on the updated E-Series machines is the removal of the rear and left back windows, reduc-ing the heat load inside the cab and improving operator comfort.

Additionally, the removal of the rear window helps to lower noise levels in the cab. Each cab can be equipped with several comfort-boosting options.

Comfort bump for loader line

VALMET has introduced a range of data-driven Industrial Internet solutions to pulp, board, paper,

tissue and energy producers.The Valmet Industrial Internet

(VII) solutions combine advanced monitoring and prediction applica-tions, Advanced Process Controls (APC), dynamic process simulators and remote services from Valmet Performance Centres.

“The new VII solutions have been created for the specific needs of pulp, board, paper, tissue and energy pro-ducers,” the company said in a state-ment.

“The purpose is to efficiently utilise data and Valmet’s expertise to reduce

energy consumption, improve chemi-cal and environmental efficiency, opti-mize pulp and paper quality, increase process reliability, maximise produc-tion and enable efficient management of the customer’s equipment fleet.”

Remote services from Valmet’s eight Performance Centres are a key part of the VII solutions, making com-pany expertise easily available for customers through remote connec-tions and tools.

Customers can collaborate with Performance Centre experts, access the Industrial Internet applications, follow-up their Key Performance Indicators and see performance reports via the Valmet Customer

Portal.“Our customers’ needs have been

the starting point of developing these data driven Industrial Internet solu-tions,” said Jari Almi, Vice President, Industrial Internet, Automation busi-ness line.

“We have integrated our process, automation and services know-how and extensive Industrial Internet appli-cation portfolio into a value-added solution offering. Ultimately, the aim is to empower our customers to move toward autonomous plants or mills, which will result in significantly more efficient production processes and operations.”

Industrial Internet solutions for pulp, board, paper, tissue and energy producers

SULZER has launched its new Salomix family of agitators, which

it says are designed to operate in demanding applications in various industries.

“The combination of maximum pro-peller efficiency and optimum agitator selection will reduce the overall power consumption of the mixing application significantly,” the company said in a statement.

“The… side-mounted agitators meet the pro-cess requirements in a wide range of indus-tries and applications where clean and slightly contaminated l i q -uids, viscous liquids as w e l l as fibrous and other slurries are agi-tated.”

The company added that smooth

hydraulics and the rigid construc-tion ensure low

vibrations as well as a long lifetime for both

seals and bearings. “The Salomix agitators are easy

and fast to install, and the spare part costs are low due to a high degree of standardisation.”

Taking the aggravation out of agitation

VERSATILE, flexible and combinable for custom-made solutions: AK 315, a

new fine grinder with enhanced equipment, has been launched.

Recycling centres, compost sites and agricultural service are exactly the enterprises the AK

315 is made for: According to the company, the

smallest fine grinder of the AK series is suitable for nearly all kinds of grinding applications on smaller sites. What are the mate-rials concerned?

Waste wood, wooden pallets,

So compact and so flexible

green waste, garden and park waste, bio-waste, pre-shredded log and root timber and refuse-derived fuels.

The new MTU 6R1000 engine with 230 kW has a high torque with low fuel consump-tion and it complies with the latest exhaust emission standard stage V. And: the whole exhaust gas system is made of stainless steel.

Main benefits at a glance:

• Latest engine and exhaust gas technology• Optimum material infeed, high throughput• Resistant to contaminants thanks to free-

swinging flails• Continuous grinding due to load-sensing

material infeed• Short set-up time and maximum acces-

sibility by optional lowerable rear conveyor• High diagnostic capabilities and telematics

control• The discharge height over 3,50 m makes

the material transfer to adjacent down-stream machines or containers even easier now. The AK 315 can be ideally combined with other products in the range such as pre-shredders or screens.

Enquiry no: 39

Enquiry no: 42

Enquiry no: 41

Enquiry no: 40

Enquiry no: 43

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

15

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POWER GENERATION

ELECTRICAL and digital building infrastructure spe-cialist, Legrand, has appoint-

ed Engineering Data Systems SA (EDS UPS) as its official uninter-ruptible power supply (UPS) sys-tems partners.

EDS UPS, with strong techni-cal capabilities in servicing and supporting UPS systems locally and throughout Southern Africa, is now authorised to supply, install and commission single phase and three phase Legrand UPS sys-tems.

According to Legrand, depend-able tier level 1 UPS support - such as downtime responses, critical alarm remediation and the back-up of reliable spares - is an essential requirement for continued operations in many industries. Typical sectors include mining, healthcare, banking and hospitality, as well as data centres and small and medium enterprise servers.

This partnership, which out-sources the service sector in line with Legrand’s global business model, boosts the recent launch of Legrand Data Centre Solutions, encompassing the supply and support of specialist products, including LCS, busbar, transform-ers and now UPS systems.

“Legrand’s commitment to ongo-ing investment – not just in the South African economy, but also to nurturing specialised installa-tion partners - addresses key strategic verticals of the Legrand Group,” the company said in a statement.

It added that its “extensive range of UPS systems ensure maximum continuity of service of essential electrical equipment, by providing reliable performance in terms of power and back up time, particularly during electrical network disturbances like load-shedding”.

New UPS partner for electrical

specialistVERT Energy is well-positioned to assist businesses and man-ufacturers curtail the negative

financial and productivity effects of power outages, through the supply and support of a wide range of glob-ally recognised components and sys-tems.

That’s according to Grant Robertson, Managing Director of the electric power generation company.

“We understand the critical role electric power generation performs in every industry and we know how important it is to have a secure and efficient power supply and a depend-able support facility – especially as load-shedding has returned to disrupt the already struggling South African economic landscape,” he said.

Apart from its extensive distribu-tion reach of electric power genera-tion products to generator Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contractors throughout Africa, the company pro-vides an extended tier of service support.

“Our team of factory-trained techni-cians is able to help with most elec-tro-mechanical breakdown or repair problems with diesel generators and ancillary equipment. On-site services

– which are especially critical for com-panies in remote locations - include annual maintenance and inspections, commissioning of new sets, fault find-ing, as well as the refurbishment and repair of most types of generators.

“We are able to service, maintain, repair and refurbish radiators, diesel engines, alternators, genset controls, switchgear and electric motors in both low and medium voltage applications. Our engineers also have the expertise to assist with re-assembly, installation and commissioning of power genera-tion systems.”

Robertson added that the company has extensive on-site experience in critical power applications, including datacentres, smelters and foundries, power plants, onboard marine ves-sels, offshore oil and gas platforms,

hydro-power plants, mining opera-tions, telecoms base stations and commercial office environments.

Service Manager Johnny Canada underlined the importance of mainte-nance. “Our experience over the last decade shows that more than half of the failures relating to continuous and back-up power systems, can be attrib-uted to a lack of inadequate annual maintenance, or the use of inferior quality generic parts, that are not approved by OEMs,” Canada said.

With this in mind, the company has developed a preventative and emergency maintenance programme, designed to minimise the downtime of either prime power or standby genera-tors. This customised service - cover-ing breakdowns, repairs, remanufac-turing, routine service and mainte-nance - is offered to all companies, whether they operate single units at one location, or fleets of units across multiple sites.

Proactive maintenance manage-ment not only increases reliability of a system, but also upholds consistent procedures and schedules and main-tains the factory warranty coverage of every component. The company uses original spare parts and accessories, according to stringent OEM specifica-tions.

How to a-Vert the worst effects of loadshedding

Back from left: Rudolf Keller (Sales Manager-EDS), Steve Yap (Director-EDS), Johan Bosch (General Manager-Legrand), Marc Naidoo (Business Unit Manager-Legrand), Trevor Wiggett (Sales

Engineer-EDS). Front from left: Mike Worthington (Branch Manager DBN-EDS), Marius Labuschagne (Technical Manager-Legrand), Anthony Louro (Projects Specialist-EDS), Jeff Leonard (Sales

Engineer-EDS)

Local, specialised transformers for renewable energy projects

ZEST WEG’s local transformer manufac-turing facility has supplied 36 special-ised photovoltaic (PV) transformers to a

solar energy generation plant in the Northern Cape.

That’s according to Sales Team Leader Stuart Brown, who said this heralded the company’s entry into the local production of transformers for the renewable energy sec-tor. He added that conventional ‘off the shelf’ distribution transformers were not adequate for these applications.

Distribution photovoltaic (DPV) solar ener-gy transformers and generator step-up (GSU) wind turbine transformers are therefore spe-cially designed.

“This exciting step into the renewables sector was achieved through our technical collaboration with WEG’s extensive research and development resources in Brazil. We see great potential in the future of renewable energy solutions in Africa, especially as gen-eration technologies evolve for the harness-ing of solar and wind energy,” Brown said.

Engineering Manager at the facility Ronaldo Bertoldi said that to ensure the high-est standards, the design had been reviewed by an international independent consultant, says. The dual-system PV transformers were manufactured to the customer’s specification of 3800/1900-1900 kVA and 22/0.66-0.66 kV.

The units were also subject to routine and type testing, including heat run, impulse and partial discharge tests. They were delivered to the project in batches between July and November 2019.

Bertoldi said the increasing use of renew-able energy creates new demands and chal-lenges for transformer design.

“Transformers for wind and solar ener-gy generation have installation and opera-tion characteristics that strongly affect their design. The design must also continue to meet the requirements for quality and cost.”

Among the specific factors affecting trans-formers in distribution photovoltaic (DPV) power generation systems is solar irradiation.

“This directly affects the load profile and the thermal stress in the transformer materials. A wide range in transformer temperature must be accommodated – from minus 25 to plus 50 degrees Celsius.”

Bertoldi said transient overvoltage was also an issue to consider, he says. On the high voltage (HV) side, overvoltage transients may occur due to multi-stage capacitor banks switching, or from the circuit breaker opera-tion. On the low voltage (LV) side, voltages are controlled with high frequency inverters which create harmonics and pulsed voltages.

“An electrostatic ground shield is required between the prima-ry and secondary windings to eliminate capacitive coupling and transient overvoltage transfers. This also filters harmonics of high frequencies and pulsed LV volt-ages.”

Bertoldi noted that the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the

International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRÉ) are working to update standards related to this equipment. A num-ber of international standards already apply.

“These include IEC 60076-16 standards for wind turbines, for transformers from 100 kVA to 10,000 kVA, as well as dry-type and liquid-immersed transform-ers up to 72,5 kV,” he said.

Enquiry no: 44

Enquiry no: 45 Enquiry no: 46

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

16

INSTRUMENTATION, MEASUREMENT & CONTROL

KQ10 for continuous range monitoring of point levels Capacitive sensors

Continuous level monitoring from outside the process

No stress caused by the medium thanks to non-contact detection

Three point level positions in one sensor

Deposits can be detected and signalled to improve quality of the process

Several KQ10 units can be linked via IO-Link

www.ifm.com

International: +27 12 450 0400

www.ifm.com

International: +27 12 450 0400

JHB - 9 to 12 March 2020

Chanpagne Sports Resort 10 - 13 May 2020

THE Optris CSmicro 2W LT, a compact pyrometer equipped with an innovative,

miniaturized stainless steel measuring head, is is ideal for limited or narrow spaces.

That’s according to local distributors, Instrotech, which says the instrument’s high temperature resistance (up to 180°C) without cooling, makes it the ideal measuring device in hot ambient temperatures.

The infrared pyrometer has been designed for a temperature range from -40°C to 1,030°C and is equipped with an LED display for alarm signalisation, target assistance, self-diagnosis or temperature-code display. It can be oper-ated via simple two-wire installation or be plugged via USB.

The CSmicro 2W LT pyrometer was designed

for the measurement of non-metallic surfaces. “Since the IR thermometer offers a tempera-

ture resistance of up to 180°C without cooling, it is ideally suited, for example, to the surveillance of surface temperatures dur-

ing lamination processes in vehicle interiors, typically in temperatures of

about 120°C,” the company said in a statement.

“In the plastics industry, the pyrometer works perfectly for temperature regulation during the thermoforming of foils, where it monitors defined measurement points.”

The company said the instrument would also prove useful in the manufacture of circuit boards.

Mini IR pyrometer measures non-metallic surfaces

EMERSON has added the Radar Master app for the AMS Trex Device Communicator, a development it says is

making it easier for field technicians to safely and efficiently configure Rosemount radar level transmitters.

Radar level devices are critical to help deliv-er accurate, reliable measurements on both liquid and solid materials. The new app allows users to easily bring the radar configuration tools of Radar Master software to the field.

Radar level devices in the field are typi-cally mounted in high, hard-to-reach locations that sometimes do not have onsite power. Technicians hoping to configure these devices typically carry cumbersome laptops and device power sources into the field to perform con-figuration.

The AMS Trex Device Communicator solves these problems by enabling technicians to

carry a handheld communicator that is capable of both configuring and powering radar devices via the Radar Master app.

Dynamic graphics and an intuitive touch-screen interface in the Radar Master app help ensure that users can more quickly configure

tank measurement devices with the correct settings.

Tank geometry is drawn to match the physi-cal parameters of the actual tank, allowing technicians to more easily tune measurement settings to prevent false echoes from static objects in the tank such as ladder rungs, agita-tor blades, and baffles, which can delay the process of obtaining accurate measurements.

According to the Missouri, USA-based com-pany, the compact design of the AMS Trex communicator is ideal for working in the small, and often hazardous, environment of a tank. One-handed operation, NFC-enabled user security, and intrinsic safety ratings enable technicians to work safely and effectively in these difficult areas.

“Now, Radar Master users can leave their laptops behind when they go to the field and more easily achieve accurate, reliable con-

figuration even in hazardous locations by using the AMS Trex,” said the company’s General Manager for Process Radar Anna Olander.

Users can track, view, and trend tank level and alert information to identify issues and aid troubleshooting by using the new built-in historian. Technicians can also view and com-pare snapshots of past configuration data in a timeline, giving better insight to operational impact of changes.

Every configuration change made in the field is automatically recorded and time-stamped, providing an automated audit trail. Changes are updated to the AMS Device Manager data-base whenever the AMS Trex device detects a WiFi signal or USB connection to ensure database accuracy and measurement data integrity.

Appy days for tank measurement technicians

TWO new devices from Jumo – exclusive to ASSTech – provide

simple and convenient mag-netic-inductive flow measure-ment for a variety of media and processors.

The Jumo flow-TRANS MAG S10 is designed for industrial standard applica-tions in nominal widths from DN 3 to DN 2000 and the flowTRANS MAG H10 for hygienic applications in nominal widths from DN 3 to DN 100.

Both devices can be used in liquid, conduc-tive media with different properties such as viscosity, concentration, and density.

The universal transmitter electronics for vari-ous voltage supplies are new. Uncomplicated cabling enables a simple and fast startup. Diagnostic messages can be displayed in plain text on the illuminated LCD display which can be replaced if necessary.

For both versions, the con-ductivity of the measurement medium must be at least 20 µS/cm. The maximum tem-perature is as high as 130°C, depending on the version. Both flowmeters are available either as a compact device or with a separate transmitter.

With the availability of a wide selection of lining materials,

nominal widths and measuring electrode mate-rials, Jumo flowTRANS MAG devices can be used in the CIP/SIP field, as well as in corro-sive and abrasive media or even slurries.

“In any application, the flowmeters will make an impression with their high degree of meas-uring accuracy and short response times,” the company said in a statement.

“As the sensors have no moving parts they are less likely to wear compared to other measuring principles and therefore require less maintenance.”

Simple, convenient flow measurement

Economical magnetic-inductive flowmetersINSTROTECH now offers Kobold’s MIK,

a compact, magnetic-inductive flowmeter, combining a large measuring range, from at 0.01 l/min and currently to 700 l/min, and six different measuring tube sizes, from G ½ male to G 2 ¾ male.

Descibed by the company as perfect for users with smaller to medium-sized measur-ing ranges, MIK measures the flow rates of electrically conductive liquids with a high degree of precision and is not influenced by the medium or its material characteristics (density, viscosity, or temperature).

“Particular advantages include uninterrupt-ed flow of the medium, no moving parts, and installation in any position desired,” the com-pany said in a statement.

MIK has various material combinations for different media in the chemical industry. Flow housings are available in PPS with stainless steel electrodes and PVDF with Hastelloy electrodes. For extremely aggressive liquids, a combination of PVDF and Tantalum is used. A variety of seals are available in NBR, FPM, or the highly chemically resistant FFKM.

THE extremely compact housing of IFM's M8 range has its strength wherever there

is restricted space for sensors or where the additional mass is to be kept low: In factory automation, on machine tools or on fast mov-ing robot arms the miniature sensor scores with a range that is almost as long as that of larger designs. Thanks to its stainless steel housing it is extremely resistant.

With a temperature range from -40 to 85 °C it is also suited for use in the food industry.

The threads are precisely matched to each other to simplify installation in restricted spaces. The sensor can be screwed into the provided bore hole from the front or from the back. Four

LEDs arranged in 90° steps allow visual inspection of the switching state in any

position.

Light, small and tough

Enquiry no: 47

Enquiry no: 51

Enquiry no: 50

Enquiry no: 49

Enquiry no: 48

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

17

ENGINEERING & ALLIED SUPPLIES

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SKF has unveiled a range of hand-held stroboscopes that it says enables the vis-ual inspection of rotating equipment to be

carried out simply, economically and quickly.Product Development Manager Sylvain

Humbert said all rotating equipment needs to be inspected periodically to ensure that it is working correctly. “If visual inspection is not carried out, machine damage can be overlooked, and unexpected breakdowns can occur. With visual inspection, problems can be detected, and preventive measures can be planned and taken.”

However, machinery often must be shut down to allow visual inspection to take place, interrupting vital operations and causing costly downtime.

SKF’s TKRS stroboscopes enable visual

inspections to be carried out on equip-ment while it is rotating. The hand-held devices emit flashes of light timed to coincide with the speed of the running machine, creating an optical effect whereby the mov-ing parts appear to be permanently frozen in place. This allows visual inspection to take place.

Matching the timing of the strobe effect with the machinery to be inspected can be tricky using some stroboscopes. By contrast, all TKRS stroboscopes are quick and easy to set-up and use. Users of TKRS stroboscopes can change the frequency with which the stro-boscope flashes to match with the speed of the rotating machine simply by turning a rotary

control wheel with their thumb. Advanced TKRS stroboscopes,

meanwhile, use lasers to detect the speed of the machinery and fea-ture a built-in trigger input that can receive signals from machines that

express their rotation speed. These features enable their flash frequencies to be synchronised automatically.

Through the use energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the TKRS range of stroboscopes are some of the brightest hand-held options on

the market, which enables the user to view the rotating equipment with a high degree of clarity. Importantly, this brightness is achieved without having to increase the duration of the flashes, which can generate blurriness in the

frozen imageThe compact and ergonomic design of

the stroboscopes ensures that they can be carried conveniently in a pocket or toolbox. Furthermore, they feature large user interfaces that are simple to use yet provide access to a wide range of features and settings.

Jens Kammann, Marketing Manager says: “The TKRS range has been designed so that we can offer our customers an efficient and easy-to-use stroboscope, no matter their budget.”

The TKRS range is suitable for general maintenance tasks, including inspection of couplings, fan blades, gears, belts, chains and more. However, the stroboscopes also may be used for advanced production quality control and visual vibration analysis.

Visual inspection simplified with stroboscopes

LEROY-Somer has announced AREP+, an improvement of its auxiliary winding technology for the TAL alternator

range, a upgrade it says significantly improves the electrical performance of equipped alternators, including gains in motor starting capacity of up to 30%.

The new AREP+ system uses the output voltage of the main stator as H1 and a single auxiliary winding H3 inserted in selected slots of the main stator. The combination of these inputs is then used to power the controller, combining the power of a traditional Shunt system with the reliability and control level of an AREP system.

Under the same conditions, more power is taken to supply the regulator, which increases the excitation capacity.

This excitation system is made possible by the improvements brought by Leroy-Somer to its range of regulators such as the R180 or the D350. The new regulatrors are able to process

much higher voltage than with a standard AREP system without any risk for the excitation chain.

“The AREP+ system improves the electrical performance of equipped machines, especially during transient short circuit, load

shedding or load impact phases,” the company said in a statement.

“As a result, the starting kVA perfor-mances are improved by up to 30% depend-ing on the generator models. This level of performance is decisive in situations where generators are used in an industrial context where electric motors must be started.”

Because of its optimised design, the AREP+ technology also allows other performance improvements including accelerated response time of the excitation chain, with an observed decrease of 20 to 30% and quicker startup of the excitation system, up to twice as fast with a theoretical start possible from 20 Hz.

Better winding tech

BLT World works closely with ScrapeTec, to offer diverse industries in Africa advanced solutions for conveyor systems

used in the handling of abrasive materials with excessive dust.

“AirScrape, DustScrape, TailScrape and SpeedScrape products, which encompass the latest technology, have been developed by ScrapeTec, to provide dependable solutions for specific problems – like dust, spills and contamination - at the transfer points of con-veyor systems,” said Ken Mouritzen, Managing Director, BLT World, distributors for ScrapeTec in Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands and in the USA.

“These highly-efficient systems prevent dust formation, reduce material spill, enable thor-ough belt-cleaning and minimise the risk of explosion at critical sections along the con-veyor route and at transfer points.

“Although conventional dust prevention side-seals do reduce conveyor problems in the short-term, they quickly wear-out as a result of friction and can also damage the belt of the conveyor during extended periods of use.

“Scrapetec’s robust systems, which are virtu-ally maintenance-free, extend the service life of conveyor belts and reduce cleaning require-ments of the entire conveyor system. Apart from cost-efficient operation, these products also contribute to occupational safety, envi-ronmental protection and safety, by minimising dust generation and contamination.

“Correct installation of this highly-efficient equipment ensures optimum performance,

reduced risk of explosion, low maintenance and extended service life of the conveyor system.”

Mouritzen described the contact-free AirScrape conveyor belt skirting system as a highly effective side seal that lies over the conveyor belt, without contact, and creates negative pressure on the belt, due to its spe-cially designed lamella structure. Because this system hovers freely above the conveyor belt, skirt friction and belt damage is eliminated and service life of every component of the conveyor is extended.

Mouritzen said studies had shown that even five years after installation and with continuous use in harsh conditions, the AirScrape system hardly shows any signs of wear. Operational costs are also reduced because there is no need for spillage collection, regular mainte-nance, or replacement parts.

The TailScrape system enhances perfor-mance of the AirScrape, by sealing the transfer tail in the rear area and also works according to the Venturi concept, to prevent dust genera-tion and material spills. The intelligent blade structure on the underside of the system, cre-ates negative pressure in the conveying area, preventing the escape of materials. Dust is kept in the material flow by air intake.

Innovative dust solutions

Enquiry no: 52

Enquiry no: 53

Enquiry no: 54

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

18

CONSULTING ENGINEERS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DURBAN-based Fibertex, a manufacturer of geotextiles and supplier of geosynthetics

in Africa, has attained Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation from the South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE) for its specially developed course on the “Introduction to Geosynthetics and Soil Reinforcement.”

This interactive course is free of charge and is aimed at specialist engineers and architects in various disciplines, including geotechnical and environmental sectors, road and transportation design, as well as tail-ings, mining and landfills.

“Fibertex hosts seminars for com-

panies and professional associations throughout Africa, which form part of their accredited CPD programmes. These geosynthetics courses, which are designed to improve and broad-en the knowledge and skills of pro-fessionals, ensure specialists remain at the forefront of global construction methods and materials,” said the company’s Technical Sales Engineer Meera Govender.

“Although many courses are held at our clients’ premises, we also encourage companies to have semi-nars at the Fibertex head office in Hammarsdale, Durban. This pro-vides an opportunity to host factory tours where engineers can experi-

ence the process of nonwoven staple fibre geotextile products being man-

ufactured from raw Polypropylene (PP) fibres. Fibertex UV-stabilised virgin PP geotextiles are the only nonwoven geotextiles produced in Africa, with certification for durability of over 100 years.”

Govender said the company planned to obtain further accredita-tion for other courses to be present-ed by its technical specialists.

Fibertex presentations cover the application of geosynthetic materials used efficiently in roof top gardens, subsoil drainage in basements and retaining walls, french-drains, soak pits and pond liners – all relevant topics for civil engineers and archi-tects.

Fibertex South Africa supplies an extensive range of environmentally-friendly geosynthetic products from its KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape facilities that encom-passes nonwoven and woven geo-textiles, gabions and mattresses, drainage pipes and fittings and ero-sion control and cellular confinement solutions.

The company also supplies soil reinforcing products, includ-ing geogrids and geocells, as well as geosynthetic clay liners and geomembranes as part of compos-ite lining systems used in modern landfills and for other environmental protection applications.

SAICE my mate! Industry accreditation for geosynthetics course

ROPE-access spe-cialist Skyriders

recently showcased the extent of its inspection techniques by assisting a con-sulting engineering company with tests needed prior to the design of a modifica-tion to a large smoke-stack for a major pet-rochemical producer.

Marketing Man-ager Mike Zinn said rope access was necessary to per-form various concrete inspections and sampling on the smokestack, such as carbonation testing, cover meter testing, and taking core samples for laboratory testing and analysis.

After this, the holes from which the material was removed had to be patched properly. The inspec-tion data was then handed over to

the consulting engi-neer for report and recommendations.

A six-person Skyriders team tack-led the job over three days. “We worked hand-in-hand with the consulting engi-neer, which ensured the right areas where inspected,” Zinn said.

The testing was essential to deter-mine if the smoke-stack was structur-ally sound in order

to be able to accommodate the modifications in terms of wind load, among other factors. The petrochemical producer is also expected to install instrumentation needed for gas monitoring, which should result in additional work for Skyriders.

Consulting engineer ropes in help with smokestack inspection

PROPERTY developers are experi-encing increasing constraints with the availability of suitable electrical sup-ply for new developments. Hendrik

van Huyssteen, MD of Energas, out-lines several solutions.

Developers are buying houses on large properties and convert-ing them into high-density, multi-

storey dwellings. There is not enough transformers and cables available to supply these developments with suf-ficient electrical power.

There are cost-effective solutions, however. Electricity can be generated efficiently by gas-powered generators. The cost of gas is generally much lower than diesel. Various gas options are available.

Piped natural gas

In Johannesburg, East Rand and Centurion natural gas pipelines are available in many areas. A methane-rich gas pipeline runs from Secunda to Durban and from Durban up to Richards Bay. Piped gas is available from Sasol, Egoli Gas and Novo Gas.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

CNG is natural gas compressed into bottles up to 250 Bar. It is available from suppliers in KZN, Johannesburg/East Rand and Witbank. CNG can be delivered in a radius of 200 to 300 km from the base station. The cost of CNG is generally higher than piped gas as it has to be compressed into bottles, transported and then pressure reduced at the end-user.

Liquified petroleum gas (LPG)

LPG is a mixture of butane and pro-pane and has a high energy content. It is retailed in bottles up to 48 kg but is also available in larger volumes, in underground or above-ground tanks. LPG is generally more expensive in Rand per Gigajoule than piped gas and CNG.

Liquified natural gas (LNG)

LNG is abundantly available on the world market and used in large vol-umes, but is not yet available in South Africa. LNG is natural gas that is cooled down to very low temperatures when the gas becomes a liquid. LNG has a higher energy density than CNG and is generally priced higher due to cost of cooling it and then regas-sify it. A plant will be built in northern Mozambique to produce LNG.

Biogas

Biogas is a type of biofuel that is

naturally produced from the decom-position of organic waste. When organic matter, such as food scraps and animal waste, break down in an anaerobic environment (an environ-ment absent of oxygen) they release a blend of gases, primarily methane and carbon dioxide.

Biogas is produced at various plants in South Africa. It can be used to fuel gas generators.

Woodgas

Wood gas is a syngas fuel which can be used as a fuel for furnaces, stoves and vehicles in place of gaso-line, diesel or other fuels. During the production process biomass or other carbon-containing materials are gasi-fied within the oxygen-limited environ-ment of a wood gas generator to pro-duce hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

These gases can then be burnt as a fuel within an oxygen-rich environment to produce carbon dioxide, water and heat. In some gasifiers, this process is preceded by pyrolysis, where the bio-mass or coal is first converted to char, releasing methane and tar rich in poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Energin gas engines

All the above-mentioned gases can be used to fuel Energin gas engines from Schmitt Enertec, a German-based company specialising in gas-powered engines from 140 kW to 500 kW. These are supplied locally by Energas Technologies.

A 12-cylinder Energin engine run-ning at sea level can produce 500 kW electricity at an efficiency of 42,1% running on natural gas or CNG, 42,7% on biogas, and can produce 450 kW

running on LPG at an efficiency of 36% and 250 kW using woodgas at an efficiency of 35%.

The heat of the engine jacket water can be recovered through an engine mounted heat exchanger to produce hot water which can be used for domestic hot water. An Energin engine producing 500 kW electricity can pro-duce 255 kW free thermal power, giv-ing an overall efficiency of 63,6%.

More heat can be recovered from the exhaust gas to push efficiency up to 87,5% and producing 539 kW thermal power.

The Energin CHP engine (for com-bined heat and power) is equipped with all the pumps and heat exchang-ers on a base frame. This engine can be combined with absorption chillers to use the heat for airconditioning in a process called tri-generation.

This is ideal for hospitals and shop-ping complexes. The overall running cost is very competitive with grid power and ideal where grid power is not available due to limited infra-structure. If required steam can be produced from the exhaust heat.

Noise is not a problem with Energin engines. With an optional sound enclosure mounted on the base frame, noise can be reduced to a level below 70 dB at 1 m.

The Energin engines can be equipped with a control unit to run sev-eral engines in parallel mode, without a grid connection, or in synchronisa-tion with the grid.

The Energin engines can be remote-ly monitored and require an oil service only after 2 000 hours (3 months running 24 hours per day). Energin engines are marketed in South Africa by Jetpark-based Energas Technologies.

Electricity supply solutions for power challenged cities

Enquiry no: 55

Enquiry no: 56

Enquiry no: 57

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

19

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

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BRONZESILVERGOLDCHOOSE A CATEGORY THAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS

IN his 2020 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said competition

authorities were working towards a resolution with large mobile operators to secure cuts to data prices across pre-paid monthly bundles. This is to bolster the digi-tal economy and stimulate online businesses.

Jolawn Victor, Head of Emerging Markets at Intuit QuickBooks, said this was great news for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and small to medium accounting firms.

“In order for these businesses to remain competitive they need to have affordable access to the tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), so that they can run their business anytime and from anywhere.

“For this reason, we also welcome the licensing of high demand spectrum for industry via auction before the end of 2020 and agree that the availability of high demand spectrum to expand

broadband access and reliability is vital for business growth.”

Not only would businesses who utilise 4IR tools such as cloud accounting software remain com-petitive, she said, but this would provide them with the opportunity to further job creation by upskilling their employees and establishing new roles as their businesses grow both in size and technologi-cal advancement.

“By providing affordable access to the internet and in turn technol-ogy, it will assist local small busi-nesses to minimise some of the many challenges they are faced with such as managing cash flow, streamlining processes and boosting productivity.

“President Ramaphosa said that this year’s SONA was about inclusive growth, and we believe that providing affordable access to the internet will assist in lev-eling the playing field for small business in South Africa and in turn bolster job creation,” Victor said.

Data price cuts good news for SMEs

ENGINEERING, design, and advisory company Aurecon Africa has demerged from the

global Aurecon brand to position itself as a business aimed at the African market.

In October 2019, Aurecon officially announced the separation of the African business from the Aurecon Group, effective from 1 January 2020.

Aurecon Africa Chief Executive Officer Gustav Rohde said that while being part of a global engineering and advisory firm has helped the company achieve immense success-es and growth over the past dec-ade, the landscape had changed, requiring agile, locally-relevant, and Afrocentric solutions.

“Having all decision-making and ownership in the hands of Africans will increase our agility and capability

to deliver appropriate and relevant offerings,” he said. Prior to his new role, Rohde served as Aurecon’s global Chief Operating Officer.

The company is undergoing many changes, including a total rebranding process, with a new name, Zutari, which reflects the company’s African heritage. The name was derived by combining two Swahili words mzulia (invent) and nectari (nectar). Swahili is the most spoken language on the continent.

Rohde said the new name reflects Afro-optimism and Pan-Africanism and appeals to a global audience. In positioning the new company for success, Aurecon Africa recently achieved a Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) status.

Three recent senior appointments, with Rohde at the helm, will assist

the new entity to nurture its skills, supplier, and socio-economic devel-opment goals. “B-BBEE has always been a strategic imperative for us, and therefore our Level 1 status is an important affirmation,” Rohde said.

Joseph Ndala has been appointed as a Director and Chief Financial Officer for Africa. “The finance role has evolved throughout industry, but engineers are pathfinders in deliver-ing sustainable infrastructure. We are faced with two issues in Africa: Maintaining and upgrading current infrastructure, and at the same time encouraging new build to stimulate economic growth,” he said.

Imraan Mahomed, who has been appointed eThekwini Office Manager, said they were currently repositioning the business for better focus on performance and growth

in Africa, which made it an exciting time to join. He added that the sector was in a major state of flux, and now was the ideal time for the company to capitalise on these changes and provide clients with a new brand for a new engineering industry.

“The advent of digital technology and the gig economy could mean a shift towards commoditised engi-neering design, greater use of modu-lar solutions, and more low-cost, highly-skilled design hubs. South Africa’s high quality of engineering and lower costs compared to cer-tain other parts of the world means that we can use digital tools to sell our services almost anywhere,” Mahomed said.

Bulelwa Leni has been appoint-ed East London Office Manager. Leni joined Aurecon as a Technical Director in its Advisory Unit in May

2018. She was voted National Young Technologist of the Year by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE).

According to Rohde, Leni has been pivotal in the company’s digital transformation, creating a simplified and sustainable approach to infra-structure delivery and maintenance.

“The diversity of people and pro-jects at Aurecon is exciting, chal-lenging, and personally fulfilling. I look forward to helping our clients conceptualise and implement pro-jects that will lead to a brighter future for Africans,” Leni said.

Africa focus: big changes at engineering firm

Imraan Mahomed, Aurecon eThekwini Office Manager

FASTER and better data ulti-mately benefits the entire supply chain, making the flow

of goods and information more predictable, efficient, and sustain-able in times of scarce resources.

That’s according to Michael Schilling, COO of Road Logistics at Dachser, who added that with weakening global economies placing increasing pressure on efficiency and costs, senders and logistics providers needed to work together to bring an unprecedent-ed level of planning certainty, effi-ciency and precision to logistics.

“To ensure a reliable flow of goods and uninterrupted sup-ply chains, Industry 4.0 needs Logistics 4.0, and vice versa.

“In logistics, shipment informa-tion can be almost as important as the goods themselves. When will the shipment arrive? Are there any delays in the supply chain? How do external influences impact transit time? “

He said that on the part of the logistics provider, core systems for transport management paired with special planning tools provide the dispatchers with the information they need.

Beyond systems, the dispatch-ers’ personal experience, own expertise, and reliable contacts play a key role in the day-to-day

planning of deliveries and collec-tions.

“While the logistics industry con-tinues to optimise processes and increase efficiency to an extent that is unparalleled in most other industries, this approach no longer lends itself to overcoming addi-tional challenges like shortages of drivers and loading space, pro-nounced seasonal peaks, restrict-ed access to city centres, and increasing demands for sustain-ability.”

Schilling believes the key to accurate quantity planning and control lies at the very beginning of the logistics process chain—in the shipment data that the sender transmits to their logistics partner.

“In the future, this data will have to be made available digitally and at an earlier stage of the chain than before. Dachser offers a range of flexible options for con-necting to the relevant interfac-es to make this data transfer as straightforward as possible.

Untapped efficiency“If notification on the day before

forwarding was made a standard practice, it would allow companies and logistics providers to harness a great deal of untapped efficiency and sustainability potential.”

Schilling said having data avail-able the day prior to forwarding

triggers a notification that would make it possible to create a scheduling fore-cast, increasing efficiency in all the downstream processes in the grou-page network—from procuring load capacity all the way to final delivery. Earlier availability of such data would also pave the way for AI and predictive analytics applications in the future.

“At Dachser, notification is sent on the day before pickup for around 20 percent of industrial goods shipments in Europe. In food logistics, this figure

is already as high as 67 percent—but even here there is still considerable room for improvement.”

To prepare for the market’s growing requirements profile, the company is investing in its scheduling systems and, as part of the Idea2net Short Distance 2.0 project, systematically orienting their functionalities toward the processing of early planning data.

Following a comprehensive over-haul of its scheduling software tools, the company already rolled some out in 2019. More large-scale develop-ments are set to follow in 2020 and beyond.

The aim is to expand, automate,

and simplify data-driven scheduling. This way, the inbound branch receives information about when incoming goods are expected from the deliver-ing branch in the late afternoon as opposed to midnight, as was the case before.

The software generates an advance, provisional schedule at the push of a button, which the dispatcher can then optimise.

An application that provides infor-mation about opening hours, delivery conditions, and delivery restrictions is also linked to the scheduling tool.

The power of data in logisticsEnquiry no: 58

Enquiry no: 59

Enquiry no: 60

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

20

ChromeARCAL™

ForceARCAL™

SpeedARCAL™

PrimeARCAL™

A 40 MW turbine generator from ArcelorMittal’s Vanderbijlpark works was repaired on a fast track schedule

by Actom Turbo Machines.The emergency repairs were required after

the generator broke down in October 2018, with damage including failed bearings on the generator train. Details of the repair have just been released by Actom Turbo Machines, a division of Actom (Pty) Ltd, which had the generator back in operation by mid-December 2018.

The company first diagnosed all the ele-ments that would require attention during the repair. All four bearings – as well as the rotor sealing elements – were found to be damaged. Other damage, which was unrelated to the

October failure, was also discovered.“The damage involved a crack on the high-

pressure (HP) gland section of the main steam casing, while a second unforeseen irregularity was a malfunction in the starting or auxiliary oil pump,” said Danie Bloem, Actom Turbo Machines’ project manager on the contract.

Other irregularities were an incorrect bolt clearance on one of the HP palms, probably due to faulty installation.

“In addition to repairing the damaged bear-ings, we also had to recondition a spare set of bearings that ArcelorMittal had in reserve. The sealing segments were replaced with new ones manufactured at our Sasolburg works.”

Bloem said the process of repairing the crack in the main steam casing took the team

five days, working around the clock.“A high level of welding expertise was

required here, as the casing is made of a spe-cial material.”

The repair of the starting oil pump was also performed in only two days. This required the manufacture of a new shaft, and also the reconditioning of the mechanical seals.

Once the generator resumed operation, vibration testing confirmed that its performance had improved significantly, Bloem said.

According to ArcelorMittal, its Vanderbijlpark Works is one of the world’s largest inland steel mills and the largest supplier of flat steel prod-ucts in sub-Saharan Africa.

TONS of perishable goods are delivered to supermarket loading docks across the country each day. But unknown to many

retailers, they may also be taking delivery of potentially deadly pathogens.

That’s according to Emma Corder, Managing Director of commercial cleaning company Industroclean, who said employee training, adhering to operating procedures and stand-ard health and safety regulations as well as good housekeeping would help minimise haz-ards, injuries and product loss.

“It may seem like a costly exercise but hav-ing a maintenance team, daily schedule and the correct cleaning products specifically for these areas, will save retailers in the long run.”

These savings come in different forms, from keeping employees safe to improved efficiency of unloading or loading that could lead to finan-cial loss due to loss of product as a result of spoilage.

She cited the Occupational Health and Safety Act’s Environmental Regulations for workplaces, which states that employers are required to keep workplaces clean, orderly and free of anything that will obstruct employees from performing their work.

“This can be achieved by clearly marking floors to identify where walking is off limits, displaying visual dock communication and cleaning the area regularly.”

Due to many daily deliveries, loading areas are exposed to pathogens, which can be spread throughout the supermarket if not stopped at the entry point. “These back of house areas are constantly busy and not usu-ally visible to the public eye.”

Corder said best practice for keeping these areas clean and safe and to prevent the loss of stock is to clean with the correct products and equipment and ensuring regular cleaning and maintenance of these spaces.

Water, or products containing oil or other liquids on floors pose a risk of slips and falls. Liquid spills might include substances that may be flammable or toxic. Even the smallest spill of flammable or toxic sale products can also cause respiratory nuisance.

In the event of any spill, cleaners need to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, aprons and masks. Spills can be cleaned manually with the appropriate equipment.

This includes removing the initial spillage with paper towel or a tool such as a “baggy” whereby the spillage is disposed of directly into a refuse bag. Depending on the spillage type, the area may need to be disinfected once it has been cleaned sufficiently.

Keeping floors clean, dry and in a good con-dition includes several easy steps:• Keep containers, packaging, tools, and

other materials out of pedestrian walkways and driving areas.

• Clean up and properly dispose of waste in the correct disposal areas.

• Have appropriate, closed containers for oily rags or other combustible waste.

• Clean up all spills immediately.• Report any cracked or broken concrete or

other flooring that may cause injury.Corder said equipment, machinery and

chemicals must also be categorised, so that they are not used in other areas.

“Just as you would ensure that your surfaces are clean, ensure that your equipment and machinery are in good condition.

Quick repair puts steel mill’s turbine generator back to work

Germ alert! Why a clean back of

house is essential for retailers

AS the costs of doing business keep rising, especially in constrained eco-nomic conditions, purchasing new

materials handling equipment may be out of question for many, especially when the application doesn’t necessarily warrant buying new.

To survive the tide of such a downward economic cycle, there has been a clear shift towards rebuilt and refurbished equip-ment, both globally and locally.

With that in mind, Goscor Lift Truck Company (GLTC), has identified the need to offer machine rebuilding services for the full range of products in its stable, allowing its customers to extend the lifecycles of their existing forklifts, or buying refurbished or fully rebuilt units that have the same capabilities of a new unit, but coming at a much lesser price.

German company Helukabel’s South African subsidiary, a specialist in the importation and distribution of cables, recently took delivery of two rebuilt Doosan BR16JW forklifts.

Helukabel is one of South Africa’s leading cable companies, boasting an extensive range of cables, wires, special cables, media tech-nology, cable accessories, as well as data, network and bus technology.

Today, the company produces for all markets and a wide range of industrial and infrastructure applications. Its extensive warehouse stock, containing over 33 000 articles, enables it to deliver its customers’ orders within extremely short delivery times. Thus, the reliability of its lifting equipment is of great significance.

“We needed to upgrade our lifting equip-

ment, and these units were the most suited for our warehousing and storage needs. The cost was obviously the main reason for opting for these machines, and also the fact that the type of industry we are in doesn’t necessar-ily warrant us buying new machinery, as they get changed regularly,” said Habib Chagan of Helukabel.

“Buying a rebuilt forklift makes economic sense, especially for our type of warehousing and storage needs. When the rebuilding work is carried out by a credible supplier like GLTC, one can be rest assured that the equipment

will offer the best possible production during its second life,” he added.

Darryl Shafto, MD of GLTC said, “We established a dedicated Rebuild Centre in March 2017, which is purely focused on refurbishing ex-long-term rental units”.

“Our rebuild programme gives cus-tomers the opportunity to save as much as 50% over buying new, while having the assurance that their refur-bished machines will operate at peak capacity.

“When it comes to the lifetime of refurbished forklifts, depending on the original age of the truck and the appli-cation hours worked, one can get an additional 3 years or 6 000 hours from their rebuilt unit. Again, this is only possible when the particular rebuilding job is undertaken by a credible service provider like GLTC.”

Shafto said the customer also had the ability to add site-specific require-ments to the work scope. Additionally,

with each refurbished unit, customers get a standard 250-hour or three-month warranty, whichever comes first.

“Our rebuild programme gives customers the best possible return on investment and the lowest total cost of ownership,” Shafto said.

Chagan said he was happy with the perfor-mance of the machines. “Goscor has given us very good service. I would recommend them anytime to anyone looking for quality, rebuilt forklifts, and will most certainly consider them again on my next purchase.”

Rebuilt forklifts for cable company

Doosan BR16JW handover with Habib Chagan of HELUKABEL SA

Enquiry no: 61

Enquiry no: 62

Enquiry no: 63

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

21

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ZESTWEG_AD_GENERAL_270x170.indd 1ZESTWEG_AD_GENERAL_270x170.indd 1 14/02/2020 06:44:2614/02/2020 06:44:26

THE depressed state of con-struction in South Africa means that tower cranes are

usually rented rather than pur-chased, but there is a chance that this trend may start changing this year.

This is according to Crane & Hoist Equipment SA managing director Brenden Crous. The com-pany is the local distributor for global tower crane leader Potain.

“Rental makes up most of our business at the moment, but customers will start buying again when the sector starts recover-ing – hopefully later this year,” said Crous.

He noted that there are already about 200 Potain cranes active in South Africa, making it an estab-lished brand with a loyal follow-ing. Producing cranes since 1928, Potain has sold over 120,000 cranes into the global market.

Formed in 2017, Crane & Hoist Equipment SA has already had a busy few years. Its rental fleet serves projects with up to eight-tonne lifting requirements and 50 to 60-metre reach. Its appoint-ment last year as Potain distribu-tor is testament to its experience and skills, said Crous.

“Our management team has a combined four decades of hands-on familiarity with Potain cranes,” he says. “Likewise, our staff have been selected for their equivalent

levels of experience with tower cranes.”

Distributor expertise is vital to customers, said David Semple, senior vice-president at Manitowoc, the owner of Potain. The company awards distribu-tion rights only where the depth of product knowledge and profi-ciency has been demonstrated, says Semple.

The region covered by the agreement is South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho and eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). However, experts from Crane & Hoist Equipment SA have already contributed in African countries including Ghana, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

Could tower cranes make a comeback in 2020?

ELEMATIC is well-known glob-ally for hollow core technol-ogy but the company also has

a strong product line for precast wall element production, with three ready layout concepts – the SEMI, PRO and EDGE – depending on the amount of automation and produc-tion capacity needed.

But there are many other solutions available. “We have a wide range of other layout options for different capacities which have been proven to perform well in many existing fac-

tories. Our strength lies in our cus-tomized wall production solutions,” said Toni Koitmaa, Product Director, Wall Technologies and the Finland-based company.

One device that seems to be mak-ing a huge difference in improv-ing the efficiency of wall production lines is the central transfer wagon, especially when the product range includes both simple, fast moving elements and complex panels that require more production time.

“The central wagon moves the

elements that take more time to be fabricated away from the main line so bottlenecks in production are avoided. This allows the elements that are fabricated faster to move forward and makes production very flexible,” Koitmaa said.

Pre-defined processes and prop-er documentation during the whole manufacturing process are important to ensure consistency in production and quality control.

“Table moulds, for example, are a long-term investment. You have to ensure that the moulds can support the requirements set for the wall ele-ment. Table moulds have to be flat and straight and must withstand the load placed on them without bend-ing. It takes a lot of expertise to make mould tables within strict tolerances,” Koitmaa said.

The casting machine is another crucial piece of equipment. Elematic’s Comcaster is, in Koitmaa’s words,

“unique, very accurate and fast,” while allowing for lower water-cement ratio. It can also cast stiffer grades of concrete than conventional casting machines and reduces sur-face finishing time.

Decreasing waste in the precast production process and improving cost-efficiency and safety are goals to keep in mind. “You can use half the usual amount of wood needed for table moulds, battery moulds and column- and pillar production by using the right shutter system. The FaMe system is comprised of push button magnets and aluminium side forms to replace wood and steel, which leads to substantial savings.”

Koitmaa added that the FaMe sys-tem was designed to improve work safety and lower the chances of finger injuries.

Battery moulds, which are used to cast solid load-bearing walls, can likewise have a big effect on effi-

ciency. The cold shutter system, which is offered by very few equip-ment manufacturers in the industry, practically doubles the capacity of a standard battery mould.

By transferring the cold shutter plates to the battery mould after the previously cast elements has been taken out, the casting cycle is significantly accelerated. “The cold shutter system really speeds up the production cycle since only casting and hardening take place inside the battery mould. Using it is a great way to increase capacity,” Koitmaa said.

Digitalisation also goes a long way towards reaching peak efficiency. “Using digital systems can help you get the maximum capacity from pre-cast lines by optimising the process at different stages of production, leading to faster delivery time and saving on resources,” Koitmaa said.

What makes an efficient precast wall production line?

TRAFO Power Solutions, experts in dry-type trans-formers, has recently com-

pleted a contract as part of a sig-nificant upgrade at a Mpumalanga coal mine.

This involved the design, sup-ply and installation of two 200 kVA – 22 kV to 400 V – dry-type transformers, according to Trafo Power Solutions Managing Director David Claassen. Housed in specialised IP42-rated ingress protected enclosures, the units were specified by a design house on behalf of the end-customer.

“The contract demonstrated our application engineering capabil-ity, and our experience in co-ordinating our solution within a larger project,” Claassen said. “This included meeting detailed specifications and ensuring that our design for the transformers and their enclosures matched the requirements and constraints of the site.”

The company also equipped the units with the necessary earth fault protection and surge protec-

tion, as well as vibration pads. “Dry-type transformers are well

suited for the coal mining environ-ment, with its hazardous areas and its regulations to mitigate fire risk. The dry-type technology uses air to cool the transformers, doing away with the need to use oil as a coolant.”

Claassen said the absence of oil has advantages for safety, as the possibility of oil igniting is removed. The units can also be well protected against fine air-borne coal dust.

Dry-type transformers for coal mine upgrade

Enquiry no: 64

Enquiry no: 65

Enquiry no: 66

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

22 COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

THE instability in the electricity grid due to ongoing load-shedding is increas-ing the possibility of overvoltage

events, making it essential to have an effective surge-protection device installed.

That’s according to ElectroMechanica (EM) Product Manager Christo van Rensburg, who warned that while most people asso-ciate surge protection with lightning protection, overvoltage events are now much more common.

“This not only damages equipment but reduces the lifespan of infrastructure and incurs costly downtime for repairs.”

With this in mind, the company is supplying CPT Cirprotec, a respected Spanish range of lightning and overvoltage protection devices

to the South African market. They are avail-able for a range of industries, including transportation, energy, water treatment, commercial buildings, data centres, and

industrial and residential installations.Products include modular plug-in Type

2 and combined Type 1 and 2 surge-protection devices. With the increasing demand in photovoltaic (PV) installa-tions, EM also offers a PV (DC volt-age) surge-protection range from CPT Cirprotec.Latest developments available from EM

include the SAFEGROUND range. “This is thought to be the first protection device

on the market that, in addition to indicating it is properly wired, guarantees an adequate path to ground, which is essential if the protection device is to shunt the energy peaks to ground

effectively,” he said.In addition, the unit can also indicate, depend-

ing on the colour and flashing sequence, whether the installation is permanent under-voltage (<195 V), permanent overvoltage (>275 V), or high potential neutral ground.

“Nobody knows what percentage of surge-protection devices are properly installed to provide effective protection,” Van Rensburg cautioned. Here SAFEGROUND stands to play a vital role, especially as it is based on the impedance loop technology already patented, sold, and implemented by CPT Cirprotec in thousands of protection solutions.

“It is a known fact that electronic equipment is more sensitive to overvoltage (Ue = 1.5 kV). Due to this, it is highly recommended that surge-protection devices are installed in this type of applications.”

Surge-protection tech to cope with grid instability

USUALLY the last contractor on site, elec-trical instrumentation and control (EC&I) specialist ENI Electrical puts extra effort

into helping clients around Africa meet their scheduled start-ups.

That’s according to General Manager Operations Russell Drake, who said that with decades of experience in mining and industrial projects on the continent, the Zest WEG group company understands the challenges that developers face.

Among its mining projects, it is currently involved in a large copper mine expansion in Zambia.

“Large project implementation is complex and is often made more challenging by the logistical constraints that many African projects face. There are invariably delays at various stages, which places more pressure on the EC&I contractor, who must in many ways ‘complete’ the roll-out.”

Drake said the company works extensively with project houses and directly for mining companies and is a preferred supplier to many of them. A key reason, he added, is the proac-tive attitude that underlies its depth of technical expertise.

Calvin Fisher, ENI Electrical overhead lines manager, emphasised the importance of on-time completion, combined with reliable elec-tricity supply.

“With the various issues that may delay stages of a project, there is usually growing urgency as the deadline date approaches. This is normally when ENI Electrical enters the project, so we are accustomed to working under some extra pressure. Our dynamic team actively looks for ways to advance the work,

especially when the previous phases may not be quite ready for us to begin.”

Fisher said the team often does not have all the site access they need, so it requires some innovation to push the job along.

“We may even collaborate with other con-tractors if we have spare resources, for exam-ple, to help them complete their work so that we can start ours. Our focus is on being part of the solution, and this is an approach that really helps clients meet their deadlines.”

The linking up of electrical infrastructure, connections and equipment is one of the final stages to allow any project to start operating. In this role, ENI Electrical installs a wide range of electrical infrastructure including medium and low voltage cable reticulation, motor con-trol centres, lighting, earthing protection and energy management systems.

Its control and instrumentation work ranges from process instrumentation and plant auto-mation, to custom control stations and fibre or copper networks. The company also designs and installs overhead power lines up to 161 kV and substations.

“Our permanent bases in countries like Zambia and Ghana – with significant in-coun-

try investment in technical assets – underpins the efficiency of our work,” Drake said. “We understand our working environment very well, so we can quote accurately and fairly. This is vital to reduce variations during projects, as this can be disruptive to the project and the client.

“We also take pride in developing local capacity in the countries where we are based,” he said. Operating from locally registered enti-ties also ensures legal compliance and main-tains a social licence to operate.

ENI Electrical’s local operation in Zambia – established in 2002 – employs 188 local staff including highly skilled technical teams. In Ghana, ongoing investment in assets and skills gives that office the capability to run up to R300-million in contracts at any given time, Drake said.

Fisher said, “Our success in Africa is built on our specialised expertise and experience, but what clients really appreciate is our willing-ness and ability to ‘take up the slack’ towards the end of their project when time is not on their side. Our close contractor interface and solution-driven approach allow us to do this.”

Delivering at the high-pressure end of African contracts

YOCTOLUX Collieries in Mpumalanga has achieved improved yields and pro-duction throughput with the installation of

a Cavex 500CVXT20 DM hydrocyclone. That’s according to Weir Minerals Africa, which sup-plied the piece of equipment.

Part of the Tala Group, the opencast coal mine was looking to improve the performance of its dense media separation (DMS) circuit in its Wash Plant 1. The existing 610 mm cyclone, installed during the mine’s initial design phase, had an operational life of only six months between refurbishments.

Members of the Weir Minerals Middelburg branch and hydrocyclone product team con-ducted a site audit, revealing that the incum-bent cyclone was operating inefficiently.

“A wash-ability analysis showed that an improved yield could be achieved using the Cavex hydrocyclone technology on the DMS circuit. The customer specified that the prod-uct would have to offer improved separation efficiency, increase wear life and match the existing cyclone footprint,” Weir Minerals said

in a statement. Following a proposal that included dense

media (DM) hydrocyclone simulations, a Cavex 500CVXT20 DM hydrocyclone was installed in August 2017. Manufactured from mild steel, it is lined with 25 mm slip-casted radius ceramic tiles manufactured 92% alumina content.

“To date, the hydrocyclone has achieved

higher separation efficiency through an aver-age 15% yield increase. It has achieved an overall average of 75% yield for both of the mine’s coal types – grains and peas. This compares favourably to the 65% achieved previously by the competitor’s cyclone,” the company said.

There has been a 49% throughput increase in production tonnage, from 78 tonnes per hour to 116 tonnes per hour as a result of the reduced turbulence in the hydrocyclone’s design. Weir Minerals said the mine has also seen significant wear life improvement, with the Cavex DM hydrocyclone requiring only a spigot replacement after nine months.

“So satisfied was the management at Yoctolux Collieries that they placed an order for an additional Cavex 500CVXT20 DM hydrocyclone in May 2018. This replaced the competitor’s cyclone on Wash Plant 2. The replacement was based on the improved met-allurgical and operational benefits obtained by the Cavex hydrocyclones.”

Hydrocyclone boosts coal plant performance

SULZER has launched a new adhesive and sealant dispenser powered by Bosch

Professional’s 18V lithium-ion batteries. According to the company, the COX

ElectraFlow Dual Ultra 600ml two-component cartridge cordless unit is ideal for operators using high volumes of sealant or two-part epoxy products. “The Bosch battery prolongs usage time thanks to extended battery-life and adds convenience for users with compat-ible tools and chargers,” it said in a statement.

“The dispenser will mix two materials in a 1:1 ratio on a precise trigger-pull switch, designed to help end users extrude accurate amounts of adhesives and sealants for pro-longed periods.”

It is compatible with the wide range of the MIXPAC application system, which covers various two- component side-by-side cartridg-es and mixers, including the waste reducing ecopaCC system.

The twin-rack cordless drive technology dispenses fluids from low to high viscosities while ensuring homogeneous mixing, and equal dispensing ratios for the entire vol-ume of both cartridges. The patent pending cartridge locator feature works to locate and retain the cartridges in their correct position during operation.

“Being able to partner with Bosch has meant that we can offer a fully integrated application system, featuring first-in-class cordless technology. This gives our customers the performance and reliability they expect, with the flexibility afforded by the Bosch cord-less technology platform,” said Levi Quinn, General Manager, Sulzer Mixpac (UK).

New dual cartridge cordless dispenser

Enquiry no: 67

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KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

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Enquiry Service

MANY South Africans have recently experienced the frus-tration of mains power out-

ages. While for the private citizen, the lack of electricity for an extended period is an inconvenience, for com-panies such as mining operations the consequences are much more serious.

That’s according to Rand-Air Fleet Manager Craig Swart, who said there were two aspects to consider in renting generators to mines. “First of all, there is the rental of ad hoc temporary power and secondly, and possibly more crucial, is the rental generators for mine plant shutdowns.

“Mining companies, in particular, with the vast sums of capital often invested in them cannot afford pro-duction downtime. Rand-Air is able to respond to such crises with high-quality rental generators and the technical support to ensure an unin-terrupted flow of power,” he said.

The company’s range of genera-tors runs from 20 kVA models right up to 1100 kVA units. All run at 50

Hz but can be adjusted to 60 Hz on request. The power supply can either be single-phase 220 V or three-phase 380 V.

“Importantly, our generators are supplied with all accessories needed for immediate operation,” said Swart. This includes distribution boards, cables, joiner boxes, COC kits and transformers if necessary.

“If required, Rand-Air is able to

advise its customers on the capacity of the generator they need.”

Particularly useful, he said, are the Change-over Contactor (COC) kits. “These are invaluable when a customer needs a generator to be on standby and start supply-ing electricity automatically should mains AC power fail.” To use a COC kit, the generator needs to have an Automatic Mains Failure (AMF)

feature.Rand-Air generators are mounted

on trailers (except for the TwinPower which is containerised) and, today, many have distribution boards mounted on the trailer as well, a factor which simplifies the use of the unit. Being trailer mounted, the generators can be taken right to the point where the power is needed.

Rand-Air has purchased four Atlas Copco TwinPower generators, two 550 kVA generators being installed in each container.

This containerised generator solu-tion gives a very compact footprint, unrivalled versatility, optimised per-formance and excellent fuel econ-omy in demanding modular power plant (MPP) applications. In addition, the two modules inside the container can be synchronised so that it is possible to supply either 1100 kVA or 550 kVA – a versatile and portable cost- and fuel-saving option for the customer.

"Many of our mining customers prefer to have one self-contained

unit on site, as opposed to two individual 550 kVA generators in sync," said Swart. The footprint of the container is smaller than two individual 550 kVA generators; and having the generators in contain-ers protects them against extreme weather conditions.

From time to time, mines need to shut down their processing plant for an extended period of planned maintenance in order to avoid un-scheduled shutdowns. With these shutdowns, on occasion, mines use the services of hundreds of subcon-tractors, all of whom need temporary power.

“Every day a mine plant is out of operation, the financial losses are considerable, so all equipment on site has to be absolutely reliable and well supported. As Rand-Air sources its generation equipment from world leading manufacturer Atlas Copco, reliability is not an issue. Combined with Rand-Air’s superb service, this is a winning combination.

Temporary generators do a ‘power of good’ for mining companies

WHEN it decided to go into the market for its materials handling equipment needs,

Adlam Engineering looked no further than Baoli forklifts, a brand that has gained early traction in the South African market since its launch by Smith Power Equipment (SPE) in late 2018.

Adlam Engineering is a manufactur-er of industrial machine components for the mining and general industrial sectors. The company specialises in the rebuilding of mining equipment, as well as engineering, design and manufacture of alternative and origi-nal equipment (OEM) replacement parts for both surface and under-ground mining.

In October 2019, the company took delivery of two Baoli KBD35+ 3,5 t diesel forklifts from SPE. According to General Manager Christo du Preez, the two units are used for an array of tasks, including materials handling, as well as loading and offloading of stock and customer goods.

He said a major reason for investing in these particular forklifts was “the value for money” nature of the range. “For us, Baoli has proved to be the best value forklift in its price class.”

Du Preez said the two units had performed beyond expectations. He is also happy with the service provided by SPE.

With 3 500 kg lift capacity, the KBD35+ has a turning radius of 2 450 mm and three mast stages. The KBD+ series lift trucks are designed

to provide high productivity and sound performance.

The full suspended cabin reduces vibrations originating from the ground. The large, spacious and easily acces-sible cabin is designed to guaran-tee maximum visibility, consequently increasing safety.

Great attention has been paid to lift truck manoeuvrability, guaranteed by the special reduced diameter steer-ing wheel. Other important driving aids are the pedal parking brake, the electronic driving direction selector, the easily accessible hydraulic levers and the dashboard with multi-function display.

The attention put in all the construc-tion and design aspects of the range is demonstrated by the particular shape of the counterweight, which increases safety by enhancing the visual impact when driving in reverse, as well as the ascent handle and rear handle with a horn activation button for comfortable reverse driving.

Forkin good value seals the dealEnquiry no: 71

Enquiry no: 72

KZN Industrial & Business NewsFebruary / March 2020

24 COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

TALBOT has announced the promotion of Perina Bridgmohan to General Manager for Operations.Bridgmohan, previously

the Operations Manager, has been with the

Pietermaritzburg-based provider of sustainable water and wastewater

solutions, for seven years.

ANDRE Lindeque has been appointed as the new General Manager of Hytec Engineering,

effective 1st February 2020.Hytec Engineering, part of

Bosch Rexroth South Africa, is the hydraulic cylinder specialist for mobile and industrial appli-cations. It's one of Africa’s larg-

est cylinder manufacturers,

HYDRAULIC and Automation Warehouse (HAW) has

appointed Siphiwe Nyalungu as Branch Manager at its

Durban branch.

BUSINESSES can realise significant savings on their total energy costs by replacing older motor starters

with energy-efficient variable frequency drives (VFDs).

That’s according to William Cameron, Product Manager of ElectroMechanica (EM), local supplier of the Delta brand of VDFs, who said this has the added ben-efit of assisting electricity utility Eskom in reducing consumption to alleviate strain on the national grid.

“Energy is always a factor to consider

and should never be taken for granted. We all know the importance of energy efficiency, and the volatility of the sup-ply chain due to the recent spell of load shedding. So now more than ever cus-tomers should be thinking about energy efficiency.”

Cameron said Delta VFDs feature ease-of-use and reliability, which makes them ideal for markets as diverse as refrigeration, agriculture, and manufac-turing.

“Agriculture is probably the area where

we can see growth, not just in the short to medi-um term, but long-term as well. Farmers are under pressure to save where they can and using industrial control systems t o maximise efficiency is a proven way to optimise.”

He said Delta’s range of control prod-ucts such as PLCs and HMIs can inte-grate seamlessly with the VFD range.

Save energy costs with efficient VFDs

Ops GM for PMB water firm

GM for engineering firm

Durban Branch Manager

In the December/January issue of KZN Industrial & Business News we carried a story headlined “Partnership to tap new lubrication markets”. In the caption accompanying

the story, Lubrication Engineers South Africa was incorrectly referred to as Lubrication Equipment. We regret the error.

For the recordAS the world’s 14th largest emitter of carbon dioxide, South Africa has an urgent responsibility to drive a

positive response to climate change by striving for a lower-carbon economy.

That’s according to Francois du Plessis, Operations Director at EDS Systems. “With the Carbon Tax Act, if the activities of companies in certain industries result in emissions above the legislative threshold, they are liable to pay carbon tax,” he said.

“It is therefore crucial to have access to a tool that assists businesses to monitor and understand their carbon emissions in

order to reduce them.”This, he said, was why the company

was offering the Carbon Solution, a cloud-based system that enables organisations to ‘plug in’ their emissions or process data in order to produce a report that breaks down tax liability into the relevant emis-sions sources.

Du Plessis said the wholly South African-developed tool provides visibility into a business’ carbon emissions across the entire organisation. Once, the tax lia-bility status has been determined, the tool calculates a carbon tax liability amount,

taking into consideration any offset reduc-tions.

“The beauty of the solution is that it is so simple. All it takes is someone to input data, and the rest is calculated and auto-mated. Training is provided to in-house resources if businesses wish to manage the solution themselves.” Alternatively, the solution can be offered as a holistic service by waste transformation special-ists, 5Inc.

“We’re confident that this carbon analyt-ics tool is the perfect solution for compa-nies that realise it’s time to shift to a more carbon-conscious mindset, regardless of industry. Why? Because the cost of ignor-ing climate change will be far higher than the cost of reducing emissions through legislation such as The Carbon Tax Act,” Du Plessis said.

Tech takes the guesswork out of carbon tax compliance

REDUCE, Reuse and Recycle is no mere catchphrase at FROMM Packaging Systems, says Denny

Reddy, Managing Director.He said their commitment to sustain-

ability is seen across the complete lifecy-cle of a product, from the environmentally sound use of resources, to not using envi-ronmentally and health-damaging materi-als, and to the efficient use of transport and reducing direct and indirect CO² emissions.

The company’s approach to environ-mental protection covers recycling, green initiatives and actively striving to devel-op and produce more environmentally friendly products.

Reddy said its STARstrap plastic straps, for example, were one of the lightest poly-ester straps available today and have up to 25 % less polyester base material. “The straps are manufactured using up to 98% recycled polyester bottle material on state-of-the-art extrusion lines.”

The majority of this recycled raw mate-rial is produced in FROMM’s own recy-cling plants, with its Texplast GmbH recy-cling plant in Wolfen, Germany being one of the world’s largest.

The FROMM Airpad air cushions offer special HDPE films (25 – 65 microns) with a recycling rate of up to 60%, biode-gradable films or paper alternatives that guarantee a high load capacity. The intel-ligent cushioning system consists of up to 99% air, saving on mass, volume, costs

and raw materials. As a result, transport costs are reduced, and space require-ments minimised.

The FROMM stretch wrapping system combines tear-resistant quality stretch films (8 – 23 microns) and wrapping machines, with a pre-stretch unit of up to 400% to provide highly efficient, materi-al-saving packaging and optimal pallet securing. Up to 5m can be stretched from 1m of film.

According to Reddy, all FROMM prod-ucts are designed for reuse and / or for reclaiming and reprocessing or used as high energy, low emission fuel for waste incineration processes. Returned used PET (polyester) bottles are con-verted in the FROMM recycling plants to high-quality regrinds, regranulates and agglomerates for the production of PET straps, food packaging, textiles and bev-erage bottles.

Airpads can be used multiple times before being recycled or disposed of, while boasting a 95% waste sorting rate, FROMM’s production facilities work towards ‘zero waste to landfill’. Film and strap waste, generated during production, is recovered in a closed cycle, recycled and re-processed in the production pro-cess or used in waste incineration. All FROMM recycled PET products meet or exceed the highest ecological and food industry standards.

FROMM’s plastics production and recycle facilities also strive to achieve

the lowest environmental impact possi-ble, meeting ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and/or ISO 50001 (Energy Management System) require-ments where appropriate. As a result, many facilities make use of solar energy, which is up to 35% CO2-emission-free.

Controlled closed water circulation sys-tems with internal filtration and the use of recycled wastewater minimises the use of high-quality drinking water in produc-tion processes. Waste heat produced by production is used for internal heating and other purposes, while the reduction of noise and dust is part of FROMM’s continuous improvement policy towards an optimal working environment.

“Such commitment to low environmen-tal impact even extends to the tools and machines, which are designed for long service life and low energy consump-tion. Only high-quality materials are used, which are easy to disassemble and easy to recycle, with low-wear, efficient compo-nents, making energy savings of up to 25 % feasible.”

Wherever possible, plastic parts of FROMM tools and machines are made with recycled elements, Reddy added.

Optimisation of truck loads and the shortest possible transport routes for raw materials, recyclates and end products also limit the environmental impact as much as possible.

Packaging recycling: moving FROMM catchphrases to action

INDUSTRY MOVERS

Enquiry no: 73

Enquiry no: 74

Enquiry no: 75

Movables - Prelena 082 340 1001Property - Joshua 072 536 5482

WH Auctioneers (Pty) Ltd011 574 5700

Call for info or to view:Our rules of auction comply with section 45 of the CPA, No. 68

whauctions.comBID LIVE OR ON WEBCAST. SEE CATALOGUE:

Sustainable Fibre Solutions (Pty) Ltd (In Business Rescue)WINTERTON INDUSTRIAL FACILITY & PROCESSING PLANT

TUE 17 MARCH at 1004 Wilde Perde Vlei, Winterton, KZN

Temafa Decortication Fibre Processing Plant

Industrial PropertyDuly instructed by the Business Rescue Practioners, WH sell the following by public auction:

LINE 1 & 2 Comprises: Lattice Feed Tables, Lin Bale Openers, Lin Structural Breakers, Lin Structural Breakers, Feed Tables, Metal Detectors with Conveyor Belt, Lin Breakers with Sound Absorb Hood, Lin Pedal Shakers, Shives Conveyor Belts FIBRE DOSING & CORE CLEANING Comprises: Conveying Fans, Diverter Units, Lin Step Cleaners, Lin Openers, Hammer Mill, Air Separators, Drum Sieve, Screw Conveyors, Dust Filters with Fans, Cyclones, Duvex Conveyor & Core, Fibre Spraying System, Condensers & Crusher Fans.

BALING Comprises: Core Baler, Short & Long Fibre Balers

ALLIED EQUIPMENT Waste Bag Frames, Waste Trolleys, Platform Scales, Hammer Mill & Fan, Compressors, Forklifts, Telehandler, Boom Lift, Trailer Mounted Baler, Farm Tractors, Tractor Attachments & Trailers.

See website for detailed asset list.

•Erf Size: ± 44 Hectares •GLA: 11,186m2

•Location:AlongtheR7410kmOutsidetownofWinterton,KwazuluNatal

•Comprises:2xWarehouses,DryStorageWarehouse,4xOpenStorageSheds,Offices&YardSpace.

•1300kVA,3-phasepower•2x650kVAback-upgenerators•Fire suppression system•Pump Houses, Lighting Masts & Weighbridge

WH

View: Mon 16 March or by appointment. Deposit to bid: Property & Plant R250,000 / Smalls R25,000Time of auction: Movables @ 10h30 / Property @ 12h00