GERMISTON-BASED PUMP MANUFACTURER supplies large parts of Africa

APE Pumps and sister entity Mather+Platt have been designing, developing, manufacturing and refurbishing pumps for over seven decades – and many of these pumps are placed throughout the African continent.

In addition to supplying the Middle East, APE’s network spans many African countries. Here are a few of the company’s water projects:

ZAMBIA

APE Pumps has Zambian offices, as well pump repair and refurbishment facilities, in Kitwe, in close proximity to mines in the area. The entity supplies and maintains mine dewatering pumps to the very wet Zambian Copperbelt, most notably at the Mopani Copper

We have always invested in our people first and foremost, which has paid major dividends for us over the years, resulting in the formation of long-term customer relationships and enabling us to progressively expand our footprint across South Africa, as well as further afield in Africa,” says John Montgomery, GM, APE Pumps and Mather+Platt.

He adds that most work done by the Group (APE Pumps and Mather+Platt) in Africa comes from mining companies or from projects funded by development finance institutions like the World Bank or European Investment Bank. “And in nearly all projects across South African borders, APE Pumps is contracted to provide the mechanical, electrical and civil components as an integrated turnkey solution.”

Mines. Over the years, APE Pumps has entered into vendor-held stock contracts with Mopani for servicing the dewatering pumps. This includes maintaining the stock levels of dewatering pumps and pump spares at the mines, as well as providing maintenance and replacement of the assets when necessary.

Work has also been done at the Lusaka Water Supply & Sanitation board. This includes the overhaul of the Iolanda WTW that delivers a substantial amount of potable water to Lusaka. In addition to the civil works, APE Pumps did all of the electrical and mechanical work, as well as supplied and installed the New River Intake

Pump Station (with APE vertical turbine pumps) and overhauled other pumps and plants.

Malawi

A lot of work has also been done over the years to assist Blantyre Water Board in improving its water security.

At the Mzuzu Water Treatment Plant, APE Pumps supplied and installed intake pipe work and valves, as well as two high-level storage tanks and stands. It has also worked on numerous pump stations, while supplying and installing pipe work (50-600 NB), water dosing equipment and all the electrical, mechanical and instrumentation control systems for the complete treatment works.

APE Pumps installed 35 km of 700 NB pipework at 70 bar working pressure. All air-valve chambers, crossover tees and auxiliary equipment were installed, along with cathodic protection on duplication of pipelines.

It has also supplied spare parts for Mather+Platt pumps and supplied a complete pump set with a three-stage PSV 80LF4 pump.

Other work includes the rehabilitation and completion at the Walker’s Ferry raw water intake and high-lift pumping station, with the installation and completion of part of the existing mechanical equipment with the new supply, as well as the installation and commissioning of electrical

Turnkey solution

This is done through the APE Projects Division that manages and implements the design, installation and commissioning for variablespeed drives (VSDs), low- and medium-voltage switchgear, motors, transformers, valves, distribution boards, cabling, pipe work and pipelines, as well as, of course, pumps. This division takes responsibility for mechanical, electrical and civil works, and is currently graded as an 8 ME contractor by the Construction Industry Development Board. APE’s pumps are only guaranteed if the project team completes the installation.

“With every installation, we have specially trained people that check the vibration, alignment and condition of the pumps, and this is equipment. At Walker’s Ferry, situated alongside the Shire River some 60 km from Blantyre, water is pumped through a water treatment plant to two high-lift pump stations. After transferring water to the purification plant, APE had to work on two further pump stations that each house three operational pumps in parallel (depending on water level requirements) and one on standby. These pump stations pump the water at 750 m3/h and 500 m head to Chileka over a distance of around 26 km.

From there, pipelines carry the water a further 13 km to feed reservoirs to supply the city of Blantyre. These two pipelines were also refurbished during the project works. The offered as a free service to our clients,” states Montgomery.

“What customers especially enjoy about our service is that they can walk through the design, manufacturing and commissioning process with us,” he continues. “This also includes training for the client’s technical personnel.”

As an accredited MERSETA trainer, APE Pumps prepares apprentices

The scope of works at Walker’s Ferry, Malawi, was extensive. Critical infrastructure works included the supply and installation of common header delivery pipes (800 NB), and the installation and commissioning of six new raw water pump sets, each with a capacity of 1 350 m3/h and a head of 35 m scope of works at Walker’s Ferry was extensive. Critical infrastructure works included the supply and installation of common header delivery pipes (800 NB), and the installation and commissioning of six new raw water pump sets, each with a capacity of 1 350 m3/h and a head of 35 m.

The Chileka pumping station received an emergency supply of spares for the existing Mather+Platt, size 9” x 11” HP pump sets. A year later, APE upgraded the entire Chileka pumping station with new high-pressure pump sets, and completed the electrical and civil works. Eight new 750 m3/h in-house manufactured pump sets, including connection pipework to the new suction for qualifications as boilermakers, fitters and turners, as well as patternand mouldmakers.

Patternmakers and quality

The Group is not dependent on imports from overseas territories. Every component needed is made in South Africa. This creates quicker turnaround times for delivery and better customer service. Whatever the age or date and delivery headers, were installed. Among the conditions of the contract was to maintain uninterrupted water supply to the city of Blantyre during all stages of construction. The minimum threshold stipulated was a 70% supply, which was consistently met and there wasn’t a single day without water during the entire course of the project. That equates to between 2 700 m3/h and 3 000 m3/h throughout the approximately 18-month construction programme. At peak, APE had 189 people on-site.

At the Zomba Water Treatment Plant, APE Pumps provided a turnkey service by providing mechanical and electrical upgrades, as well as installing a new intake structure and pressure-reducing station.

Eswatini

APE Pumps supplied Royal Eswatini Sugar Simunye (one of the biggest companies in the country) with a complete drought-relief pump station, with high-flow pumps, a pipeline, as well as all electrical controls and engineering design. The company also refurbished 1 200 NB and 1 500 NB Larner-Johnson valves.

Mozambique

APE built a pontoon pump station with specialised pumps for salt water for Kenmare Resources. The pumps were made from super duplex steel and had specialised coatings.

of installation, APE has the ability to design, fabricate and retrofit.

“A major distinction is that we are an OEM and 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,” explains Montgomery.

When pumps are cast at the foundry, the precise tolerances that need to be achieved can be as exact as 1/1 000 mm but, before this process, work first begins in the pattern shop. This is where the casting models are handmade to technical specifications. In most instances, they are crafted in wood. Metal castings are still common, but more suited to mass production applications, whereas the wooden versions are intended for lower product volumes and unique, custombuilt requirements.

A key factor that defines the Group’s commitment to the industries it serves is that a blueprint exists for every pump model it has manufactured.

“That includes legacy products we inherited as a Group prior to our formation in 1952. A classic example is an approximately 100-year-old pump – imported from the UK – that we remanufactured for Rand

Water based on the original drawings,” Montgomery explains, adding that Mather+Platt’s original lineage can be traced back to Great Britain’s First Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century.

By using a 3D scanner, the Group also has the capabilities to replicate any pump where the original OEM is no longer trading, even where the drawings no longer exist. APE has the capability to supply products from start to finish (all in-house) – from design phase, to the patterns, fabrication, machining, assembly, installation, commissioning and alignments.

The company recently scanned an entire pump station, where the model of the pump that was to be installed was attached to the 3D scanner. This put the pump in a virtual world and allowed APE to make sure the flanges were matching and fit perfectly into the casing. The scanner also helped to plan how the pump would be installed. It is valued by clients who do not have up-to-date plans of their pump stations.

All processes are ISO 9001 accredited to ensure strict adherence to quality. “High-pressure environments like bulk water transfer depend on exact tolerances and there’s no margin for error,” adds Montgomery.

Service level agreements

There are service level agreements (SLAs) in place between APE Pumps and most of its clients in Africa. This essentially means that APE Pumps and Mather+Platt are contracted to service and support their installed systems. “Operation and maintenance type work has definitely been a growing area in the past decade, and we see this trend continuing, especially in other African countries,” explains Montgomery.

When fitted with telematics, APE Pumps can monitor and control pump health and performance remotely, further improving service levels in Africa

“We have some SLAs where we will maintain and bring an APE pump back to its OEM specification at 60% of the pump’s current cost. There are some SLAs where APE keeps stock of brand-new units for a client so that we can implement a service exchange. The client will provide APE with an old pump to bring to OEM specifications and APE will give the client the new pump. Many companies are no longer keeping critical spares in stock, so we do this for them,” he continues.

The Group conducts manufacturerwarranted repairs, and supplies new OEM pumps and valves. Whether it’s an off-the-shelf product, an OEM custom design or a retrofit, all work comes with a warranty.

About Ape Pumps

APE Pumps (Amalgamated Pump Engineers) has been an innovator in the field of fluid transfer solutions aligned with its sister company, Mather+Platt, which traces its own heritage back to England in 1845. Mather+Platt manufactures horizontal multistage pumps designed for highpressure applications and split-case pumps chiefly for high volumes. In turn, APE Pumps specialises in the design and manufacture of vertical industrial turbine pumps, split-case and end-suction pumps for most industries. Both companies are owned by WPIL Limited, based in India, which has manufacturing operations in its home country, as well as Australia, France, Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, the UK, Zambia and South Africa through its Group companies.

When fitted with telematics, APE Pumps can monitor and control pump health and performance remotely, further improving service levels in Africa. “Bearing temperatures, output, vibrations and energy consumption are a few of the parameters that we monitor. This allows APE to identify any pump issues in advance, make sure the pump is operating on the right curve and conduct more preventative maintenance. Many of the SLAs includes the training of a client’s staff. We always encourage our clients to visit our premises and learn how pumps are maintained, stripped and serviced.

“If well maintained, APE and Mather+Platt’s pumps will last a lifetime – across Africa, there are hundreds of working examples. APE Pumps has never discontinued a pump model since inception in 1952, so parts are always available,” Montgomery concludes. www.apepumps.co.za