PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES
Masters in fluid control
APE Pumps and Mather+Platt have led the market in South Africa since 1952, building on a proud legacy dating delivered, installed and commissioned the back to the world’s first industrial pump ahead revolution. John Montgomery, of schedule. general manager, speaks to What are your views on Water&Sanitation Africa. promoting local content What sets APE Pumps and Mather+Platt apart from the competition?? JM A major distinction is that we are both an OEM and a CIDB 8 ME registered contractor. In addition, we have one of the few pattern shops left in Africa, where our specialist artisans produce wooden patterns in the age-old tradition, alongside the latest trends in 3D printing. Our unsurpassed skill in patternmaking enables us to produce specialised patterns for our components on a breakdown basis. We have completed major turnkey projects and are currently working on some large-scale installations in South Africa where we are responsible for delivering all the mechanical, electrical and civil components as an integrated turnkey solution. That covers design, installation and commissioning for variable-speed drives, low- and mediumvoltage switchgear, distribution boards, cabling, motors, pipe work and pipelines, and, of course, pumps. Another strategic advantage is our ability to turn solutions around quickly with a combination of project management acumen, technical knowhow and a workshop equipped with the latest technologies. In a recent example, we completed a pump refurbishment for a client during a tight five-day shutdown window. Our team worked two shifts per day to accelerate the repair and
and manufacturing? We are registered as a Proudly South African company. That symbolises our absolute commitment to local fabrication and local industry. Having an extensive inventory of locally manufactured pumps on hand was a vital factor when South Africa entered the Covid-19 lockdown in March. From the onset, we were able to continue uninterrupted operations. Simply put, we were not dependent on imports from overseas territories. Every component we needed was made in South Africa. Keeping our operations running during the lockdown has helped sustain our essential industries, which include the water, wastewater, energy and petrochemical sectors. Keeping the supply chain open has also sustained many of our suppliers and kept their workshops running. Since our local foundries are critical for our business, we ensured that they were kept busy with orders to keep their furnaces on. Are pirate parts posing a threat? Pirate parts pose a business risk, first and foremost, to downstream industries, municipalities and public utilities. It’s also important to note that whether the part is made locally or imported, it’s still non-compliant and unproven. Pirate parts are the weakest link. Most of the time, pirate parts fail unexpectedly and catastrophically.
We’ve experienced many situations where we’ve been asked to intervene after the fact. A case in point was a client who scheduled a critical pump shutdown for emergency maintenance. Once stripped, the technical team discovered that the non-OEM sourced part wouldn’t fit. This is a part that typically takes up to six weeks just to ship if sourced from an overseas OEM. The upside is that we are seeing a major shift back to OEMs. This applies to water and wastewater utilities, power stations, the petrochemical industry and all other critical industries. Predictive and preventative maintenance have become paramount to optimally sustain essential infrastructure. This was already a priority in the constrained macroeconomic environment prior to the Covid-19 lockdown. The deepening crisis has now made asset management and optimum life-cycle costing even more crucial. What is the outlook for the next 12 months? We have an excellent order book, particularly for turnkey projects. We also expect our OEM business to grow significantly in the coming months. As a Proudly South African company, we’re here to add value and we remain committed to sustaining and supporting local industry, whether public or private.
www.apepumps.co.za www.matherandplatt.com J ULY / A UGU S T 2020
37
