GOING GLOBAL WITH SLUDGE DEWATERING EQUIPMENT Sludge dewatering equipment manufacturer Teknofanghi exports 95% of all manufactured units from its factory in Italy. Giampiero Donida, Head of Global Sales, speaks to Water&Sanitation Africa about the business of thickening and dewatering sludge from wastewater sludge treatment.
As an Italian company with an impressive global footprint, do you feel there are differences between the sludge handling industry in South Africa and the other countries you operate in? GD There are no significant differences between South Africa and other countries. There are slight disparities regarding legislation. But if you look at any single country, the dewatering of
coming from the treatment process is sometimes more demanding in certain areas (like big cities) and less restrictive in rural areas. With over 30 years of experience in sludge handling, has the technology changed during this period? Some new methodologies in sludge drying are starting to
Dewatered sludge
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MAR /APR 2021
A MONOBELT plant at the Zeekoegat WWTW
appear. But the most notable trend in the industry is the need to remotely control and monitor sludge handling equipment. Automation is important. Our clients also want equipment that is simple to operate, as they do not want to rely too much on manufacturers and suppliers for training or maintenance. Teknofanghi designs and manufactures equipment based on these demands.
focus on a ‘plug and play’ approach. Our machines are dispatched fully assembled. Technicians are not needed for the start-up and commissioning of our equipment. This means that our equipment is up and running with no delays and lower expenses. Furthermore, it is shipped in standard containers, making transport safer and less costly.
What sets Teknofanghi apart from the competition? We export the majority of our equipment, so it is important that the life-cycles costs in terms of transportation, commissioning, operation, maintenance and service are as low as possible. When choosing sludge handling equipment, one has to take into account these additional costs. Teknofanghi continually invests into research and development, where we
Giampiero Donida, Head of Global Sales, Teknofanghi
