Ec industrial & business news mar apr 2017 issue 78 by The Media & Events Company

EASTERN CAPE INDUSTRIAL & BUSINESS NEWS

YOUR LINK TO INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN CAPE

issn NO: 1996-9708

March / April 2017

Inside Big award for PE interchange project page 3 Pumps, Valve, Pipes & Fittings page 7

Agriculture - page 9 Hydraulics & Pneumatics page 10 Food & Beverage - page 11

Instrumentation, Measurement & Control - page 14

Company & Product News - page 15

R17,10 (VAT incl.)

issue no. 78

Rural hydro-power scheme - a success

HE Eastern Cape is the location of two recent developments on the alternative energy front which illustrate the enormous differences in the scale of solutions currently being explored as a replacement for coal-fuelled power generation. The first is a rural hydro-power scheme which promises to change the lives of 39 households who’ve never experienced the benefits of electricity. The second is a multibillion-rand nuclear build aimed at bolstering the national grid, thereby impacting the lives of every industry, business or home which draws its power from that network. The KwaMadiba settlement in the rural Eastern Cape has quite literally been “off the grid” ever since families began settling along the picturesque, yet impoverished, banks of the Thina River. They looked set to remain part of the 55% of rural South Africa that will not be connected to the national grid in the foreseeable future. That was until the commissioning last month of the KwaMadiba small scale hydro-power (SSHP) scheme. Effectively powered by the height difference between the Thina Falls and the Thina River, the SSHP plant receives diverted river water that rotates a turbine. This mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy that provides grid quality electricity to the surrounding community. The Banki turbine that is the core of the SSHP plant was sourced in Italy and installed by WEC Projects, a leading South African EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor in the water and wastewater industry. According to the company, local and overseas studies have determined that small hydro-power schemes such as the KwaMadiba facility can serve as stand-alone mini electrical grids providing clean, reliable and affordable energy access in remote areas. Rural electrification has the potential to dramatically improve the standard of living

Eskom signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Coega Development Corporation (CDC) to cooperate in the development of the country’s nuclear new build programme.

Local capacity

Members of the hydro-power project team with Kwa Madiba community members at the downstream side of the Thina Falls taken during a site visit in South Africa, making it a top development priority for the public, private and educational sectors. The SSHP scheme has minimal impact on the environment as only a very small amount of water is diverted towards the turbine and the use of the water is not for consumption purposes. In addition to the full time job created for one community member, 30 temporary jobs have been created.

Green shoots “Electricity will enable the green shoots of economic development quite literally as villagers begin irrigating their crops with an electric pump and the local authority is provided with its first reliable revenue stream,” said Marco van Dijk of the University of Pretoria’s Civil Engineering Department. Van Dijk said the Department of Science and Technology was piloting innovative technology solutions to enhance service delivery through an initiative called the Innovative

Partnership for Rural Development (IPRD). This involves the prioritised needs of 23 district municipalities. The DST is the lead agency steering the IPRD initiative. The DST has contracted two implementation agencies - one of which is the Water Research Commission (WRC) - to test a range of water, sanitation and small hydropower solutions at municipal demonstrations sites. The WRC, in turn, contracted the Water Division at the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Pretoria to conduct research within the IPRD programme on the implementation of small scale hydro-power solutions for rural electrification. One of the study areas is the OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape where it was determined that the Thina Falls within the Thina River system was feasible for a small scale hydro-power development. A second development concerned a vastly bigger project, with

Under the MOU, Eskom and fellow state-owned enterprise CDC will work together in support of government’s plans to build local capacity through supplier development and localisation around the unfolding infrastructure for the nuclear programme. “We are gearing ourselves up in preparation for the nuclear new build programme in order to deliver the project within the set timelines and budget,” said Abram Masango, Eskom’s group executive for group capital. “We want to ensure that South Africans get reliable, decarbonised base load power that will bring sustainable economic growth. In addition, it is critical to lay the foundation for local people to participate meaningfully during the various stages of the project by skilling them for jobs as well as business opportunities. We look forward to a productive working relationship under this memorandum with our counterparts, the CDC.” Christopher Mashigo, the CDC’s executive manager of business development, said the collaboration with Eskom was in line with corporation’s mandate to drive the creation of an industrial complex to promote integration with industry and increase value-added production, while creating employment and the associated socio-economic benefits in the region in which it is located. Eskom said it had applied for environmental authorisation for the first nuclear power reactors. The environmental assessment practitioners recommended the Thyspunt site near Jeffrey’s Bay as the preferred site. Eskom is the designated procurer for the nuclear new build programme. Enquiry No: 1

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Eastern Cape remains a preferred investment destination

OEGA’S forecast for the current financial year 2016/17 is to finish the year well ahead of targets in terms of new investors – proving that South Africa and the Eastern Cape remain a preferred investment destinations even in difficult economic times. That’s according to Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, Head of Marketing and Communications at the Coega Development Corporation (CDC). Since April 2016, the CDC has signed 13 new investors against a target of seven – 186% ahead of target. This would bring the investment value for the current financial year to R11,817 billion – 1032% ahead of the target of R1,145 billion. “Not only will this translate into 6231 direct jobs over the short to medium term, it also reflects the diversification of the Eastern Cape

economy,” said Vilakazi. He added that the CDC is seeing another trend with the type of investors they are attracting: They are not predominantly from the automotive sector.

Current major investors include a lighting plant, logistics operators, green energy companies, pharmaceutical firms and agro-processors. “Of course we continue to cater for the automotive sector, with ground already broken for a Beijing Automobile International Corporation (BAIC) plant and another investor setting up a plastic moulding plant for packaging for the automotive and other industries.” Vilakazi said a number of shipping and logistics-related investments indicated that the port of Ngqura was coming into its own. “Another six projects are in the pipeline and may be signed by the end of the financial year,” said Vilakazi. Enquiry No: 2

SA paper recovery rate beats global average

OCALLY and sustainably produced paper is a renewable resource with recycling featuring as a key component in the lifecycle of many paper products. But how much is actually recovered for reuse by the paper and paper packaging sector? In 2001, the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa (Prasa) reported a 38% paper recovery rate, rising to 59% in 2011. The association projected paper recycling rates to increase to 63% by the end of 2017 but by 2016 the paper and paper packaging industry well exceeded this with its 2015 figure of 66% of the nation’s recoverable paper and cardboard being recycled into new paper products. “The 1.2 million tons of recyclable paper and paper packaging diverted from landfill in 2015 equated to 1 435 Olympic-sized swimming pools,” said Prasa operations director Ursula Henneberry. This means the country is well ahead of the global average of 57.9% as reported by the International Council of Forest and Paper Association (ICFPA) in its 2015 report. The growth in paper recovery rates is a promising trend for the country because of the environmental benefits to recycling. Recycling lessens the impact on already pressured landfill sites since the need for landfilling is avoided. One ton of recovered paper saves three cubic metres of landfill space. Recycling also opens up entrepreneurial opportunities for unemployed or unskilled citizens and provides dignified work for informal collectors especially if residents and businesses separate their recyclables from nonrecyclable and food waste. Henneberry said South Africans can do more by being more disciplined with office and home recycling programmes, and by using free and paid collection services or supporting school and community centres with their fundraising recycling initiatives. “A very practical way to improve your paper recycling habits is to keep paper clean and dry, and separate from wet waste,” Henneberry Enquiry No: 3 said.

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Big award for PE interchange project

HE Redhouse Chelsea interchange and arterial roads project in Port Elizabeth has clinched an award in the Roads and Stormwater category at the 2016 IMIESA/ CESA Excellence Awards. Aecom was responsible for the design and project management for main client Sanral and contractor Basil Read. The road network underpins the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s (NMBM) longterm goal to expand the western areas to meet the burgeoning demand for residential and commercial growth in the greater Port Elizabeth area. The project was fast-tracked by the development of the 92 000m² regional Bay West Mall, completed in 2015. With the proposed interchange on the N2 offering direct access to the area, the commercial development became significantly more viable. As a result, the Bay West City

special purpose vehicle was established to implement the project. “Aecom was appointed for the design, management and supervision of the project, which included management of an extensive environmental approval process, as the site is situated in an extremely sensitive environmental biosphere with a number of plant species on the national Red List. This is a comprehensive assessment of all South African indigenous plants,” said Aecom’s Franclyn Samuel. Hence the road network went though many design iterations before an agreement was reached with the local authorities. “This was the main driver behind the extended design process, as the solution had to have the least invasive impact upon the natural habitat,” said Samuel, who is the company’s , Associate Civil Engineer (Civil Infrastructure) Port Elizabeth Office Lead. The final road layout consisted of a new

Premier’s support for N2 Wild Coast toll welcomed

HE South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has welcomed the support given to the N2 Wild Coast project by Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle (pictured) during his 2017 State of the Province Address. “The Premier’s endorsement is another green light for the road which is at the core of one of the 18 strategic integrated projects designed to rejuvenate South Africa’s infrastructure landscape,” said Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona. “Sanral welcomes the province’s backing for this project that also enjoys overwhelming support from local communities. Its mention in the State of the Province Address suggests it is regarded as strategic in the province’s development agenda,” added Mona. Construction is expected to commence within the next six months and the project is planned to be completed by 2021. Supporters of the controversial toll road say it will help to unlock the potential of the Eastern Cape economy and contribute significantly to job-creating sectors such as eco-tourism,

agro-processing and light manufacturing. Mona said the planned 410km upgrade, which stretches from East London to the KwaZulu-Natal border will enable the Eastern Cape to reach its economic development targets and save road users up to three hours of driving time between East London and Durban. “A world-class freeway is critical to the successful implementation of the Provincial Development Strategy. There is a strong emphasis on tourism, agriculture and the oceans economy. These sectors require a reliable road network to attract new investment.” He said impoverished communities along the Pondoland Coast would benefit through increased access to local towns, faster travel times and lower transportation costs. He cited a survey conducted by the HSRC in 2015 showed 99% support for the project among the local population. Mona said planning for the road was accompanied by a comprehensive environmental impact assessment and conservationists had been assigned to protect the biological diversity and natural heritage of the Wild Coast.

interchange on the N2, with two bridges and 4 km of ramps; the Cyclopia Bridge, extending over an environmentally-sensitive area; two river bridges, extending over the upper Baakens River; a threebarrel culvert servicing an existing watercourse and the outfalls from three major detention ponds; and 6 km of arterial roads, as well as intersections and services. The project included the provision of several bulk services such as water, sewerage and telecommunications for the Bay West City precinct, and street lighting for all roads, including a portion of the N2. Work on the project commenced on 6 January 2014, with Basil Read appointed as the principal contractor.

Due to a delay in the start of construction, the contractor proposed that precast members be used for the bridges. The main beams for the N2 bridges, weighing up to 70 tons, were manufactured in Gauteng and transported to site. The remainder of the precast members were produced on-site. Phases 1 and 2 were ultimately completed on time and Phase 3 completed ahead of schedule. Enquiry No: 4

he Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) continues to make progress in its drought relief programme currently being undertaken in eight provinces. According to the department, interventions have been made in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Mpumalanga provinces with deliveries of pellets, lucerne bales and The Northern Cape Province received its first molasses completed. deliveries on 14 March in the town of Kenhardt National Treasury made R212 million avail- and farmers were encouraged to go to various able for procurement of feed for provinces distribution points to collect their feed when declared as disaster areas. This money has requested by their District Managers to do so. been made available through the Adjusted Only registered farmers will receive feed, the Estimates of National Expenditure (AENE) and department said. is for livestock feed only. “With the recent rains, there are noticeable “To date, R164 258 209.41 has been spent improvements to vegetation in most provon drought pellets, lucerne bales and molas- inces and as a result, livestock conditions have ses. More than 454 222 bags of drought pellets improved. and 4 204 tons of lucerne have been delivered “DAFF remains committed to engage with to various provinces and are being distributed all relevant stakeholders regarding the drought to farmers,” the department said in a state- situation to find solutions for the disaster,” the Enquiry No: 6 ment. V:\!BMG\#Jobs\Adverts\2017\032017\BMG-AGR15032017 - ECBN.cdr department said.

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Taking ownership of our harbours

OWARDS the end of the month of March, an exciting initiative took place in Nelson Mandela Bay. The People’s Port Festival, hosted at the Port of Port Elizabeth by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), is more than just a festival – it is the start of a mind-set where residents of Nelson Mandela Bay are encouraged to take ownership of the harbour and its surrounding waterfront. Long after the excitement of the festival has died down, residents should continue to have this sense of ownership of the Port of Port Elizabeth instilled in their hearts. An integral part of the city’s economic wellbeing, historical roots and a vital linkage with the rest of the world, the Port Elizabeth harbour is a key asset of Nelson Mandela Bay – and therefore each and every resident of the city. As the Nelson Mandela Bay Business

Chamber we wholeheartedly support this specific initiative, the People’s Port Festival, and other similar initiatives where tourism and leisure activities at the Port of Port Elizabeth are encouraged. In particular we welcome the boost that the festival gives to the local economy, as well as the opportunity for all the residents of the city to have an interactive experience in the harbour and learn more about the inner workings of a port and get greater exposure to the trade opportunities of the Ocean Economy. The TNPA’s inaugural People’s Port Festival has been widely supported by our partners and member companies, including the Nelson Mandela Bay Maritime Cluster (NMBMC) and Magnetic Storm, who won the tender to organise the festival. As the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber we remain steadfast in terms of our vision for the Port of Port Elizabeth – mainly

bay view

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the development of the waterfront for tourism, retail, residential and leisure purposes with full access for the community of Nelson Mandela Bay. This can only be achieved by expediting the move of the tank farm and manganese ore facility from the Port of Port Elizabeth to Coega. We will continue to lobby on this very important issue until the dream is realised. Further to the move of the two facilities, it is the position of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber that the land should be rehabilitated accordingly for future use. It is our view that this land must be unlocked for tourism, commercial and retail opportunities associated with the greater Lower Baakens Valley/ Harbour development, in partnership with the Mandela Bay Development Agency and Transnet.

Promising outlook for SA car manufacturing sector

strengthened rand, recovering somewhat against both the dollar and the euro in 2016, has helped in some way to contain new vehicle prices. This has seen South African car sales experiencing a 3.7% year-onyear increase in January. In addition to these economic contributors, 2016 saw the local automotive sector attract major investments from Ford and Chinese state-owned car manufacturer, Beijing Automotive International Corp (BAIC). Dave Everett from Global Key Account Owner at Safmarine - a member of Maersk Group - said that all of these factors bode well for South Africa’s automotive industry - the country’s largest manufacturing sector in 2017. “Some car manufacturers in South Africa export up to 70% of their vehicles and components, mainly to Europe and other parts of Africa, which helps to maintain production growth. Based on January’s figures and current economic conditions, exports, particularly to Europe, can be expected to remain strong, and will likely take up any excess volume there may be from production in SA,” Everett said. The impact that the car manufactur-

ing sector has on import container trade is fairly direct, he added. “Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) volumes, made up of car parts and components, provide regular and largely predictable container flows based on required weekly volumes from suppliers to OEM assembly plants.” Everett said that the R11-billion BAIC plant planned for Coega, Eastern Cape, will further boost South Africa’s container trade activity. “This is the biggest investment in a vehicle-production facility that the country has

seen in some time, and is essentially a commitment from yet another OEM to build vehicles in South Africa. While the majority of supply and shipments will most likely be controlled from China, BAIC will benefit from government’s Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) for manufacturers in South Africa. “Container volumes will be driven by OEM’s competitiveness to build vehicles in South Africa. Every manufacturer is driven to build vehicles at a competitive cost relative to their other plants around the world. If benefits of assembly in South Africa, such as quality, continue outweigh cost and supply chain constraints, then OEM volumes are likely to grow. Each OEM will continue to balance these factors for the models and volumes they produce here.” Everett said the outlook for South Africa’s car manufacturing sector in 2017 was definitely positive, but the long-term future of the industry was not as certain. “For the short to medium term, we perceive the current OEMs are committed to South Africa and continue to invest to greater or lesser degree in assembly Enquiry No: 7 here.”

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Eastern Cape, the rising star of the Southern African citrus industry

keting of the fruit. The industry is the mainstay Mlibo Qoboshiyane of the rural economy in Eastern Cape MEC for the respective producRural Development and tion areas and provides Agrarian Reform the economic base for significant upstream and downstream jobs and he Eastern Cape boasts the business opportunity. most progressive and sucThe Eastern Cape produces cessful black citrus grow- 60% of the lemons, 30% of the ers in the country, accounting for soft citrus, 26% of the oranges more than a third of South Africa’s and 3% of the grapefruit exported exports and is home to 50% of from the country. South African lemons. Government transformation iniThe citrus industry development tiatives and support programmes is spearheaded by the Citrus in cooperation with the Grower Growers Association and the Development Company of the transformation in the sector is led industry has contributed to a 25% by a dedicated unit, the Grower increase in the volume of citrus Development Company. Through marketed formally from black prothe levies from producers, the ducers since 2010. Citrus Growers Association The increase of 272% over this and the Grower Development period from black producers in Company transformation is tar- the Eastern Cape highlights the geted by supporting the develop- potential for expansion in enviment of the current 118 black cit- ronmentally well-suited areas for rus producers in the country and citrus in the province. increasing this to create equity in However, the fact that currently the sub-sector across the entire only 1.7% of formally marketed citrus value chain. citrus is produced by black proWithin the NDP target to ducers remains an indictment increase irrigated production on the rate of transformation in areas by 500,000ha by 2030, the the industry and is a call for a development agenda for the cit- step-change in the transformation rus sub-sector will contribute to agenda. achieving this target. This step-change is to be The Eastern Cape is the rap- addressed in the Eastern Cape idly rising star in the South African through the implementation of citrus industry. After the 46% of a priority agricultural economic South African citrus production transformation strategy for the from Limpopo, the 27% that is province. produced in the Eastern Cape This strategy seeks to position comes from 17,592ha spread the Eastern Cape to become a across the irrigation areas in the food basket for the country and for Sundays and Gamtoos river val- agricultural production to supply leys in Sarah Baartman District, the basis for a re-industrialisation and the Kat and Keiskamma river in the product value chains that valleys in the Amatole District. will open opportunity for young The citrus sub-sector in the entrepreneurs and increased province provides 19,700 jobs in employment in the province. the production and 10,000 jobs in The strategy set out the steps the packing, processing, and mar- to enable land reform farmers

and rural communities, that is targeted smallholder/subsistence and communal farmers, to derive optimal economic value out of their agricultural activity through customised government-supported partnerships with organised commercial partners. These smallholder/communal and commercial partnerships will invest alongside land reform farmers, clustered rural communities and the government to expand agricultural economic activities, technology capabilities, training, employment opportunities and general growth in the sector. The roll-out of the strategy for citrus in the Eastern Cape for 2017-18 encompasses an investment of R9 million from the government. This, together with the investment from the Citrus Growers Association Grower

Development Company, will target the expansion of 50ha new citrus trees and support 100ha of pre-bearing trees, benefiting 32 black producers. The programmes will provide training and capacity development for 36 black farmers, and contribute to the creation of 75 new employment opportunities and an increase, over time, in the capacity for export production by 820,000 cartons. In 2016-17 the department budgeted an amount of R19.1 million and a further investment of R22.4-million (2017-18 financial year) has been set aside for completion of the state-ofthe-art Ripplemead citrus packshed in Ngqushwa that will provide exportcompliant processing and packaging for local black farmers. This will further enable expansion in the area of some

400ha of citrus plantation along the Keiskamma River over the ensuing five years. The water allocation reserved for transformation through the expansion of citrus by black farmers in the Sundays River targets the expansion by 2,000ha over this period. Water right allocations of 750ha have already been granted by the Department of Water and Sanitation. Through strong partnerships and cooperation with farmers, the citrus industry can make a significant contribution to achieving the development targets set in the national development plan. This is an edited version of his speech to the Citrus Summit in Port Elizabeth recently. Enquiry No: 8

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UAWEI, the well-known globH al information and telecommunication giant, has signed a

platinum sponsorship with African Utility Week. The leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals, takes place from 16 to 18 May in Cape Town. The company will also be the lead sponsor of the African Utility Week Industry Awards. Additionally, Huawei will host its 5th Huawei Power Summit, where it will demonstrate its own solutions aimed at this sector.

This summit will be co-located at African Utility Week on 17 May. The main theme for Huawei’s showcase this year is “Leading New ICT, The Road To Smart Grid”. Jerry Ji Xiang, President of Energy Industry at Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, described African Utility Week as the continent’s most influential energy expo. He said his company hoped, through its involvement, to “better understand the needs of our customers and integrate Huawei’s latest solutions Enquiry No: 9 and practices".

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Water crisis: Time for talk is over H ow many of us open the tap and expect water to flow? How many of us are shocked when we do open the tap and water does not flow? Residents of Queenstown and Butterworth find this is becoming a regular occurrence, with outages ranging from mere hours, to days on end. What an affront it is when no water comes from the tap – and the first knee jerk is to blame Government. But is this becoming a regular occurrence and in more and more towns, cities and metros? I think YES. And despite assurances by Government – it seems there is no macro strategy to deal with the crisis. So how have we in 10 short years got to this? I suggest: • Greater losses – some Towns and Cities cannot account for as much as 40% loss • More consumers i.e. connecting too many users onto already limited resources • No macro plan • Little or ineffective punitive measures and penalties • Illegal connections and no enforcement

• Low or less seasonal rain fall and climate change Yet despite a situation that almost every citizen of the country knows, people generally will still do nothing about the crisis and less, acknowledge that we have a crisis. This especially in areas and cities and towns that still have good water capacity, like East London. How many times do we still see gardens being watered and cars washed? Therefore, at some stage the following needs to happen: • A plan to build more long term capacity including desalination • Enforcing water savings and conservation (the big stick approach) • Immediately stop adding consumers onto stressed resources. i.e manage RDP better Simply put, you should not give away something you don’t have! The answer most likely lies in unpopular decisions. Had any of the above been done ten years ago – we would be ten years the better for having done so. Living in Butterworth back in 2006 a water report (then) predicted the area would run out

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of water in five years. Unfortunately nothing was done and now a crises has been declared. Instead of replacing the pipeline to Queenstown 10 years ago, it was left and now there are serious implications with industry threatening to “pull-out”. The committee established to address the crisis was disbanded and considered unnecessary. I am is still convinced that in SA we all know the problems and we all know the solutions. What we still cannot seem to do, is get to DOING. Action and response. Pulling the trigger instead of having another conference or workshop. We also need to be holding accountability as the watch word. No more talking… get out the kitchen if it’s too hot for you! If not, in five years’ time Butterworth and Queenstown will still have no water and the situation will be worse . They will have no industry left. Time will tell.

Write move as carmaker launches literacy centre in Uitenhage

S part of it goal of making sure that all learners in Uitenhage are functionally literate by the end of Grade 3, the Volkswagen Community Trust recently opened the first literacy centre in Uitenhage. The aim of the centre, located in Ntlemeza Primary School, is to provide structured literacy support to learners, teachers and parents. “At Volkswagen we strive to make a real difference in the community, that is why we support Early Childhood Development and are so committed to the VW Community Trust Legacy Literacy Programme”, said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa. Volkswagen has spent over R600 000 at Ntlemeza to date. This includes a revamp of the Grade R Classrooms, the establishment of literacy centre and a

new netball court. Going forward, Volkswagen will be responsible for all the operational costs of the centre which will ensure that all at risk pupils at Ntlemeza Primary school are identified early and then given daily structured support by well-trained volunteers and literacy practitioners. Six volunteers have been contracted to the centre already and, according to VW, their work is already showing results. At the handover of the centre, Themba Kojana, Head of Department for the Eastern Cape Department of Education, commended the partnership between Volkswagen, Shine and the education department and committed R7.9 million to Ntlemeza Primary School for security, bathroom, electrical and building renovations. Enquiry No: 10

Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa and Themba Kojana, Head of Department for the Eastern Cape Department of Education opening the first Literacy Centre at Ntlemeza Primary School in Uitenhage

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March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

pumps, valves, pipes & fittings

Port Alfred project shows the way for large-bore horizontal drilling

orizontal directional drilling (HDD) has been used quite extensively in the South African construction and civil engineering sectors, but only in small bore applications. Now there is scope for large bore pipelines, bringing extensive benefits and cost savings. According to LR Civil operations manager, Daniele Carnicelli, local engineers and contractors have been slow to pick up on the overseas success of HDD in large bore applications, where holes of over 500 mm can be horizontally drilled for unobtrusive pipeline installation. LR Civil, a member of the Raubex Group, has teamed up with geotechnical engineers Geopractica and

HDD experts TRG International to apply this well-established technology to South African conditions. “We have already notched up one notable success, recently completing a one-kilometre HDPE pipeline under a Port Alfred beach and into the ocean,” said Carnicelli. “This was for an outfall pipe for the new reverse osmosis desalination plant near the town.” He said the hole was drilled horizontally at depths of between 20 and 30 metres with a 150-ton Maxi-Rig, without any threat to the pristine beach environment or disruption to the public. “HDD obviates the need to dig from surface to lay large diameter

pipes; this means that many of the normal challenges of pipeline installation are sidestepped altogether,” Carnicelli said. “Where a pipeline crosses a watercourse, for example, a water use licence may be required; this is a process that could take 18 to 24 months and possibly delay a project significantly.” Wherever a trench will intersect a gas, power, telecommunications or water line, other permissions usually need to be secured. In the case of HDD, the drill path simply goes under this infrastructure and safely avoids it. The technology also reduces a project’s safety risks; as the absence of

trenches means less danger to workers and the public. Where bad weather can often threaten the timeline of a conventional operation by flooding trenches and stopping construction work, this is no longer a factor with HDD, as most of the activity is carried out underground. Compared to trenching, the fuel consumed in an HDD project is much less. That’s because the Maxi-Rig uses as little as 5% of the diesel normally consumed by earth moving equipment, including excavators and trucks, over the life of comparable

projects. “With the capacity to install pipelines of up to 900 mm in diameter, the Maxi-Rig has a maximum torque of some 70 tons, and 150 tonnes of pull-back force. This makes it capable of working through rock with a hardness exceeding 250 MPa, and to achieve daily horizontal distances well in excess of conventional trenchEnquiry No: 11 ing,” said Carnicelli.

Unique test bunkers for big valve maker

OKVELD Valves BV in the Netherlands, for whom Energas Technologies is the South African distributor, recently commissioned two new test bunkers

for testing critical, high quality valve systems. Mokveld provides expert knowledge and advanced valve systems for critical control and safety applications to the gas and oil industries. The company recently designed and engineered two new unique test bunkers that were both developed internally by Mokveld and boast specifications it claims are unmatched in the industry. This is in line with industry

demands for specific tests, such as fugitive emissions, PR2 or type approval testing. “A great advantage of having these facilities in-house is that we no longer need to involve third parties in our workflow,” said Chris van Assem, marketing and communication manager of Mokveld, adding, “We can now control the process from the beginning to the end and customers and inspectors can even watch the entire process in one visit.” The bunkers allow pressure testing with Nitrogen and Helium up to 1200 bar and temperature testing

Real round-the-clock pump rental pumps, dredging units, flotation devices and accessories. All pump rental solutions available from Integrated Pump Rental are ISO 9001 certified. The locally manufactured SlurrySucker Dredge units, for example, are ideal for dredging and cleaning water capture areas where silt or slimes are encountered, while the SlurryBlaster hydromining equipment offers optimum performance Enquiry No: 13 coupled with reliability.

HERE are many companies in the pump rental business that promise, but not all of them deliver, according to Integrated Pump Rental managing director Lee Vine. “Actually delivering a rental service all day, every day, to the standards that the customer needs, is the core of our business model,” said Vine. “When a customer is in dire need ,with a dewatering problem for instance, they need a quick turnaround time with the right product available. This is what we do.” He said customers are in operation 24/7 and there are not many rental companies that can assist on this basis. Vine cites a recent case of a surface coal mine customer urgently needing to dewater a large section of the pit. “The requirement was for the supply and installation of nine diesel pumps with 2 000 metres of lay-flat hose, including fittings,” he said.

“The call came in at 2 pm on a Saturday; by the early hours of Sunday morning, the installation had been completed and our customer was more than satisfied.” He highlighted the accessibility of equipment as key differentiator for successful providers, adding that his company maintains a comprehensive rental fleet covering all needs, with the requisite technical support for installing and commissioning on site. The company provides turnkey pumping solutions for small, medium-sized and large projects, ensuring that each project is carefully assessed to ensure the appropriate response. “While we do have off-the-shelf options available for rent, our approach is to understand the customer’s needs and then recommend a fit-for-purpose solution,” said Vine. Integrated Pump Rental’s fleet includes submersible drainage and dewatering pumps, slurry and sludge pumps, diesel-driven

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is possible within a range of -196 ºC to 200 ºC. Furthermore, all tests carried out will conform to standard procedures and will be logged and documented in a complete digital workflow reducing for example the QHSE risks. The bunkers are fully automatically controlled and meet the latest safety requirements, and after completion Mokveld intends to further expand its testing facilities with the construction of two more test bunkers which are expected be completed in 2016, and which will be used for smaller valve sizes, offering even more flex-

ibility in testing and expedited delivery. “Mokveld is a world-renowned leader in valve systems for critical control and safety applications and works tirelessly to keep growing this legacy,” said Van Assem. “Commissioning two new state-ofthe art test bunkers goes a long way in solidifying not only our offering to the market, but shows that we listen to our customers and adapt to their ever-changing needs. The high quality of Mokveld products demands high quality testing equipment, and Enquiry No: 12 we have delivered.”

March / April 2017

pumps, valves, pipes & fittings

EC Industrial & Business News

A guide to testing control valve positioners V alves, the actuators that move them, and the electronic circuits that control them, are all subject to aging soon after they are installed. To keep valves operating properly, you need to periodically check electronic valve positioners. However, these checks need to be conducted quickly to minimize down time. If calibration drift is found, the valve positioner must also be recalibrated immediately. A good tool for this is handheld field tester like the Fluke 789 ProcessMeter that can be used to test and recalibrate electronic valve positioners. Here are the basic steps for checking a normally closed valve using a 789 ProcessMeter: • Set up the ProcessMeter in sourcing mode using the appropriate range of current for the positioner. • Insert the source current test leads into the mA output jacks. • Select the 4-20 mA range by moving the function switch from Off to the first mA output position. • Connect the meter mA output to the input terminals of the valve positioner. • To determine if the positioner is fully closes the valve at 4 mA, adjust the

source current to 4.0 mA using the push button. The valve should be closed. • While watching the valve for any movement, press the Coarse Down button once to decrease the current to 3.9 mA. There should be no movement of the valve. • In setting the point at which the valve starts to open, make sure there is no counter pressure by the actuator against the force holding the valve closed when there is 4.0 mA on the controller’s input. In a spring-to-close valve, there should be no pressure on the diaphragm. With a double acting piston actuator, there should be no pressure on one side of the piston. To ensure that there is no counter pressure at the closed setting, you may want to set the start of opening between 4.1 and 4.2 mA. • To check the opening of the valve, press the Coarse Range Up button from 4.0 mA. Each press of the Coarse Range Up button will increase the current 0.1 mA. You should adjust the zero adjustment

on the positioner to set the valve for the closing characteristic desired. • To check the valve at the fully open position – called a span position check – adjust the source current to 20 mA using the range buttons and allow the valve to stabilize. While watching or feeling for valve movement, press the Coarse Range Up button once to 20.1 mA. The valve movement should be as small as possible and can be adjusted using the span adjustment on the positioner. • Using the coarse control, adjust current up and down between 20.1 mA and 19.9 mA. There should be no movement of the valve stem from 20.1 to 20 mA and slight movement from 20 mA and 19.9 mA. • In most valves, there is an interaction between the zero and span settings of a valve controller, so it is best to ensure proper valve position adjustment by repeating the test of the fully closed and fully open positions until no further adjustment is necessary. Enquiry No: 14

Tough portable dewatering pumps

IGH performance, fuel efficiency and complete portability underpin the PAS range of centrifugal diesel-driven open-frame dewatering pumps from Atlas Copco Construction Technique’s Portable Energy division. “These latest 18 open-frame additions to our pump portfolio support our ever popular PAS dry prime canopy version with flow capabilities of up to 590 m³/h,” said David Stanford, Portable Energy Business Line Manager. The fully portable PAS openframe units are ideal for sites with no access to a power source and include both wet- and dryprime options. The dry-prime variants offer rapid priming time and higher capacities and are suited to applications where there are solids in the liquid. Stanford said the setting of the mechanical shaft seals in an oil bath gives the pumps their dry running capability without the risk of damage to the shaft seals. “These pumps are therefore ideal for intermittent flow applications or when there is a danger of running dry during long periods of continuous operation. The wetprime pumps offer a cost-effective solution for applications where there is a consistent flow”. The PAS open-frame system comprises a centrifugal pump, a semi-open impeller for easy handling of solids of various sizes without the risk of clogging and a large separator which enables the air to be separated from the liquid and sucked by the vacuum pump, making automatic priming possible. Even with suction

heights of several metres, the rapid evacuation of air from the suction pipe ensures fast activation of pumping. The modular design of the PAS range allows many different configurations that meet multiple applications, from ground water dewatering on construction and mining sites, drainage of reservoirs, canals or ponds, solids removal and sewage bypass to naval platform ballasting and emergency situations such as flooding. With a wide range of sizes, a discharge size ranging from 3inch to 8inch and performance levels from 105 m³/h to 630 m³/h, the pumps provide efficient solutions for virtually any dewatering application and flow level between these two points. The range starts with the 6.4kW PAS3 wet-prime pump; with a maximum flow capacity of 120m³/h, a discharge size of 3inch, a maximum head of 24.5m and some 4.5 hours of fuel autonomy, the PAS3 is capable of handling solids of up to 40mm. Solids of up to 76mm are no match for the top of the range dry-prime PAS8 which operates at a head of up to 30m, offers a discharge size of 8inch and boasts a maximum flow of 630m³/h. Additional features and related benefits of the PAS range include a high efficiency hydraulic end for reduced fuel consumption and a high capacity diaphragm pump for automatic priming. The open-frame design offers easy access to all components for fast, straightforward servicing and Enquiry No: 15 maintenance.

Better flow with new displacement pump technology

iking Pump, a global maker of displacement pumps since 1911, has introduced its new Motor Speed which it provides up to 104 m³/hr when the pump is directly coupled to 1450 and 970rpm motors. According to the company, advantages of the new range include: • Heavy duty antifriction bearing shaft support for higher pressure and extended pump life. • Motor speed operation eliminates speed reduction equipment on thinner liquids. • Pressure lubrication system automatically lubricates the idler bushing, increasing pump life. • Space-saving mounting configurations available to better match your installation needs: • Foot Mount • Motor Mount (Close-Coupled NEMA and IEC) • Or even Vertical Inline Mount Technological advances in the science of flow include new techniques of feeding the rotor and idler. Idler and rotor root feed

grooves promote axial feeding; the liquid directing step reduces turbulence; a modified crescent boosts radial feeding, and the casing inlet port geometry has been optimized. Benefits include maximum flow of 132 m³ /hr, which provides greater flow than similar sized pumps and reduced footprint for space constrained applications. In addition, motor speed operation to 04 m³ /hr provides higher value per m³/hr and the ability to operate 50 or 60 Hz synchronous motor speeds eliminates the need for gear reducers or gearmotors and therefore reduces the overall cost and complexity. “Viking has the industry and application experts with application experience spanning more than 100 years,” a statement from the company said. “Viking invented the internal gear pump. So with this new Motor Speed range Viking can offer reliability, quality, performance as well as global service Enquiry No: 16 and support.”

Versatile drum pumps

apflo is offering drum pumps with “a well engiT neered and technologically clear design which guarantees efficient and operationally reliable usage”. “Different pump tubes of our drum pumps for different media are interchangeable and can be used with the same electric or pneumatic driven motor.” Outside ex areas the pump tubes can be also combined with the motors from some of the company’s Enquiry No: 17 competitors and vice versa.

March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

agriculture

Water efficient maize project

SA farmers hope to have bumper maize yields in the bag

HE Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project – an international private-public partnership – showcased new insect-protected maize hybrids recently in Gatyana (Willowvale) in the Eastern Cape. The programme aims to enhance food security and improve rural livelihoods among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa through development and deployment of drought-tolerant and insect-protected maize hybrids. The WEMA project started in 2008 and is led by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) based in Kenya, and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G Buffet Foundation and USAID. Other partners include: Monsanto Company, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and National Agricultural Research Systems of Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa (ARC), Tanzania and Uganda. WEMA partners visited smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape recently and presented an Information day which was hosted and funded by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR). The ARC and DRDAR planted maize demonstration plots comprised of five TELATM brand Bt (MON89034) maize hybrids that have been submitted by ARC to DAFF for registration. Some 2kg promotional packs of the Bt hybrids had been distributed to smallholder farmers for on-farm trials.

outh African maize farmers are set to have their hands full come harvest time after planting almost a third more hectares this season, according to a recent report released by the government’s Crop Estimates Committee. The report indicated that 2.549 million hectares had been allocated to maize, which marks a 31% increase on the 1.947 million planted during the previous, drought-ridden year. While the anticipated size of the harvest could have a stabilising effect on food price inflation, an increasingly competitive global market continues to pressure South African producers to find new ways of cutting costs on grain and silage storage. One such method is the use of huge grain bags on sites around the country, which is the result of a new deal between South African agricultural specialists Rhino Plastics and one of the top global producers of master-batches and agricultural films, Greece’s Plastika Kritis. Rhino Plastics is part of the sustainable solutions group of companies, Rhino Group. “This deal not only has significance for the

local market in terms of better value, it also offers the industry a far superior product,” said Brian van Niekerk, MD of Rhino Group.. The technology enabled improved quality and the ability to engineer and improve costs on the end product, impacting on South Africa’s ability to remain globally competitive, he said. “The bags boast a trademarked, sevenlayered barrier film, dramatically increasing the strength of the bags, while more importantly reducing the oxygen permeability of the film,” said Van Niekerk. Since introducing the product, demand from around the country has surged, he said. “Customers range from farmers to agricultural organisations stretching into southern Africa.” According to Brendan Kelly, of Rhino Plastics, the bags are a solution for storing grains such as wheat, barley, maize, sorghum, soybean, rice, rye and legumes, which are increasingly in demand globally. “The grain can be loaded in the bags directly from the harvester or from a truck and be stored safely for up to two years,” said Kelly. “Additional benefits included lower initial investment, on-site storage, flexibility and sav-

ings on freight.” “The grain bags supplied by Rhino Plastics were used extensively by our clients during the 2016 intake season to store wheat, barley and oats – among other grains and silage. The bags handled very well on bagging machinery and had excellent stretching and durability properties.” The Hitec grain and silage bags create a hermetic environment, which promotes oxygen depletion and simultaneous carbon dioxide production. This is as a result of the respiratory process of the biotic components inside the bag, Kelly added. “The new atmosphere in the bag, rich in CO2 and poor in O2, suppresses, deactivates, or reduces not only the reproduction or development capacity of insects and fungi, but also the grain’s own activity, in turn facilitating its preservation,” said Kelly. “Users report that the Hitec bag packs five to 10% more grain than other bags of the same size.” The seven-layered Hitec grain bag is one of many agricultural products supplied by Rhino Plastics. Other products include silage films, balewrap film, green house films, LDPE irrigation pipe, mulch films, and dam liners among Enquiry No: 19 other related products.

Hot spot “The Eastern Cape is one of the hot spot provinces for stalk borer, which is also associated with high levels of ear rots and the associated mycotoxins which can cause oesophageal cancer. It is therefore one of the prime target provinces for deployment of the royaltyfree WEMA Bt technology,” said Mark Edge, Director of WEMA Partnerships – Monsanto, one of the WMA partner companies. The WEMA partners have developed the largest conventional breeding and regulated testing network for maize in Africa and the partnership helps build technical capacity in Africa to use conventional and molecular breeding as well as biotechnology. “Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in Africa, where more than 300 million people depend on it as their main food source every day. Half of all global population growth between now and 2050 will likely take place in Africa and according to the United Nations, the continent’s population could more than double by mid-century, to 2.4 billion people,” said Edge. But natural phenomena such as droughts, crop diseases and insect pests are making crop production quite difficult on the continent. These disasters had a significant impact in many countries in 2015 and caused yield losses in maize in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to supply shortages. “Agricultural technology can help smallholder farmers in Africa increase their incomes and improve their yields and so meet the challenges of crop production and manage risks so that they can achieve self-sufficiency and even Enquiry No: 18 prosperity.

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March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

hydraulics & pneumatics

New distributor for local actuator brand T HE Hytec Group was recently appointed as a distributor of the Dabeb-Elram range of electro-hydraulic actuators. “The agreement enables the Group to take Dabeb-Elram’s DEA range of electrohydraulic actuators to the doorstep of subSaharan Africa’s major operations through its distribution network,” Hytec said in a statement. Established over 48 years ago in Daleside, Johannesburg, Dabeb-Elram specialises in the manufacture of electro-hydraulic actuators that can be found in the majority of South Africa’s power stations and refineries, as well as in major mining operations around the world. With the DEA range, all actuator compo-

From left are, Stuart Palmer (Production Manager, Dabeb-Engineering), Freddie Kühn (Regional Manager, Hytec) and Nathan Pearce (Executive Director, Dabeb-Engineering)

nents, including the cylinder, motor, pump, pipework and valves, are enclosed in a self-contained steel casing. “This creates many benefits for our clients,” said Nathan Pearce, Executive Director, Dabeb-Engineering. “As it is a sealed unit, it is protected from external contaminants and tampering, while its robust steel casing makes it ideal for the harshest operating environments.”

New valve manifolds take up less space

MC Pneumatics South Africa, a leading provider of pneumatics, is offering a newly redesigned line of valve manifolds which it says offer a 29% space saving in installation while offering increased flow rates. The new SY series of Valve Manifolds, manufactured locally at the company’s production facilities in Midrand, Johannesburg, comprises the SY3000, SY5000 and SY7000. Two of the smaller valve sizes or two larger valve sizes can be mixed on one manifold to closely match application flow requirements. The manifold offers piping options to the top, side or bottom with various port size options – this results in a flow rate of up to 1500 litres per minute (LMP) through the biggest valve mounted on the manifold. With the food and beverage industry in mind and adhering to its stringent standards, the SY5000 series also includes a new IP69K manifold which is suitable for wet areas and can withstand wash down and cleaning. Ernst Smith, SMC Pneumatics Product

Manager said, “The SY series has taken the market by storm and today many of our customers are benefiting from its flexibility and local assembly here in Johannesburg for shorter lead times”. “The SY series offers further savings due to its ability to drive bigger cylinders with reduced cycle times, mitigating the need for larger, more expensive solenoid valves”. The SY series is available in either rubber or unique metal seal versions with the latter optimized for higher operating frequencies and extended lifetime performance; boasting switching cycles of up to 200 million cycles. The SY series incorporates SMC’s energyefficient V100 pilot valve, a power saving option that reduces consumption (per valve coil) down to just 0, 1 Watt. SMC’s SY series offers myriad options, optimised for customised projects and applications. · A single valve can be mounted on a base which will offer flow rates exceeding 1500 LPM - connected with SMCs M12 waterproof connector. The valve can be supplied fitted with a residual pressure release valve that enables manual dumping of residual compressed air in Enquiry No: 21 the cylinder.

driving

Africa’s technological revolution

ROBE, a top importer of batteries and a leader in rotating electrics, has established Probe Industrial Technologies The new division is focused on providing quality air, power and safety solutions to industrial clients. Within this division is Air Power Technologies, which primarily distributes SCC compressors, a leading global brand of high quality air compressors. As part of Probe’s expansion strategy and commitment to providing a complete industrial solution, the company sought to partner with a suitable manufacturer of high-quality air compressors, the company said in a statement. “The innovative German-based ISO 9001:2008 company, Tolpec SCC, which produces the SCC air compressor, appeared to be the perfect fit. “Tolpec SCC’s combination of best-in-class practices and total in-house capabilities made the company an ideal partner for Probe. The partnership is a win-win for both companies. Probe was looking for a premium class of air compressor to distribute at a competitive market price,” Probe said. Tolpec SCC had recently embarked on a global expansion strategy that included establishing a German-managed manufacturing facility in China as well as looking at the potential African market and a suitable local partner. Probe’s 50-year experience in local and African markets made a good fit. ”It is an opportune time for new entrants to come into the market and provide a quality

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1966 H

A Joint Venture with Bosch Rexroth

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2017/03/13 6:58 PM

Enquiry No: 20

Importer brings top air compressor to local market premium air compressor brand at competitive prices, given that the market is dominated by overpriced OEM brands and numerous companies offering a cheaper product with no aftermarket or spares support. Additionally, some of the more familiar brands are without distributors at present.” Probe said a crucial aspect to the product offering was its strong aftermarket service and support that includes service technicians and the availability of spares at all times. In addition, the Air Power Technologies team is able to conduct air audits and customer air compressor assessments to ensure that the best suited products are selected for the specific application. ”Probe Industrial Technologies has been able to hit the ground running by leveraging Probe Corporation’s critical mass and reach. The division has set aggressive targets that they aim to meet in a two-year period.” The new compressor range includes: Reciprocating compressors from 1.5 kW up to and including 15kW tank mounted compressors. An electric rotary screw compressor range which starts at 5.5 kW up to a 250-kW model in three pressure variants. An oil-free range of compressors in a watercooled version from 90kW up to 415 kW. Auxiliary quality air products including refrigerant air dryers, filters and drains. Enquiry No: 22

Pre-certified medical air system solutions

FFICIENT, high performing, reliable and safe equipment is fundamental for the medical sector to remain compliant with exceptionally stringent and ever-tightening regulations. Atlas Copco believes its range of medical air solutions fits this bill. “Our full range of stateof-the-art solutions which range from complete air plants, breathing and surgical air units and vacuum pumps to advanced control systems and terminal units are designed and engineered to meet a variety of clinical applications within hospitals, clinics, dental practices, veterinary laboratories, etc.,” said Charl Ackerman, Business Line Manager of Atlas Copco Compressor Technique’s industrial air division. He said the company’s medical production facilities in Belgium, the UK and the USA position the company to not only meet but surpass the requirements of the most demanding standards and regulations. These include the Medical Devices Directive MDD 93/42/EEC, European pharmacopoeia, EN ISO 7396-1, ISO 14971, and Health Technical Memorandums HTM 02-01 and HTM 2022. Ackerman said the HTM standard, for example, requires medical air and vacuum plants to have built-in redundancy as well as monitoring and alarm functions. Atlas Copco’s ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 13485:2003 quality management systems for the design, manufacture, installa-

BLISHE TA

This ‘plug-and-play’ functionality also effectively reduces the requirement for client commissioning time and, in addition, its compact design enables a closer-mounting solution to almost any linear application. The DEA range also features a pressure relief and flow control valve that enables versatile and flexible performance in terms of speed and force. All Dabeb-Elram electro-hydraulic actuators are manufactured at the company’s 1 500 m2 facility on a case-by-case basis, according to clients’ unique specifications. Dabeb-Elram also offers full repair and refurbishment of its electro-hydraulic actuators, no matter its age or condition.

tion and testing of medical air and medical vacuum devices ensure the production of ultra-clean, certified pure medical, breathing and surgical air as well as vacuum. Medial air must be ultra-pure and is considered as a drug and therefore is highly regulated in terms of purity. Atlas Copco’s medical air systems which include the GA MED compressors, dryers and receivers as well as the mVAC vacuum products are ISO 7396-1 certified which ensures that the medical equipment meets the minimum requirements in safety and operating criteria. Ackerman said their medical a i r systems are pre-certified. “This greatly simplifies the customer’s certification process because when the pharmacist signs off the equipment after installation, the equipment does not need to be recertified.” The GA MED oil-injected screw compressor range, also available in VSD (Variable Speed Drive), is designed, manufactured and tested in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 1217. With the proven reliability of the latest high-efficiency compression element, this screw compressor delivers outstanding performance, flexible operation and the highest productivity and subsequent minimal cost of ownership. The PDp filters can be considered as bacterial filters following tests and certification by an external laboratory. Enquiry No: 23

March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

Food & Beverage

New rapid sauce cooling tech available in SA A

new, revolutionary technology that reduces sauce chilling time from hours to minutes is now available in South Africa from Afrox. Developed by Linde, Afrox’s parent company, the patent-pending ACCU-CHILL SC in-line sauce cooling technology uses liquid nitrogen to rapidly chill pumpable hot liquid foods for the ready meals sauce market. This in-line process rapidly chills hot sauces within minutes instead of hours, increasing production capacity and improving product quality. “Linde has been developing and trialling this new technology for some time and it is now ready for global roll-out. The ACCU-CHILL SC in-line sauce cooling technology is available in South Africa exclusively from Afrox,” said Hendrik Pretorius, Applications Specialist at Afrox. Pretorius is part of Linde’s specialist global team that develops new applications.

High viscosity sauces such as gravies, pasta sauces and soups need to be rapidly cooled down to minimise bacterial growth and maintain product quality. Traditional cooling methods rely on water immersion techniques or jacketed, tubular, scraped-surface heat exchangers. The company is punting the new in-line sauce cooling technology as a streamlined, cost-effective alternative to traditional heat exchangers that are costly, take up a large amount of space, and have lengthy chilling times. The system uses cryogenic injector technology to inject extremely cold liquid nitrogen directly into hot, cooked sauce in a mixing container. The low temperature of the liquid nitrogen cools the sauce immediately without freezing it. The subsequent mixture of gas and sauce is transferred to a degassing ves-

LED-based vs laser vs ultrasonic sensors

sel where the nitrogen is vented, before being pumped into packaging. “In addition to reducing the cooling time which reduces bacteria growth during processing, and a lower capital investment cost for the processing line, the ACCU-CHILL SC in-line sauce cooling technology eliminates the use of water in the cooling process and reduces sanitation time due to elimination of heat exchangers,” said Pretorius. “Furthermore, cryogenic cooling eliminates the variation in cooling times with traditional methods, and thus prevents overcooking and improves nutritional value.” Pretorius said their in-line sauce cooling technology will complement future inline cooking processes that are currently being developed. The major components are a manifold,

phase-separator and chilling injector that is connected to the hot sauce production line. Gaseous nitrogen is used to purge the lines and the injector after chilling to ensure that no product residue remains in the system. The application will be tailor-designed by the global specialist team to suit customers’ specific processing needs following an investigation of customers’ existing processes. A local team from Afrox will install the application and will provide support and training. Afrox will recommend the pump system and supply the control system, which will be linked to Afrox’s PLC (programmable logic controller) communications. “As part of the Linde group, Afrox has access to leading technology to provide innovative solutions to challenges faced by the food industry. While Afrox is a gas company, we offer real solutions, not molecules,” said Enquiry No: 24 Pretorius.

New pump slashes power use by up to 50%

etro-reflective sensors are the sensor. Some laser-based sensors, like the HE new MasoSine most commonly used LED-based photo- Q4X from Banner Engineering, also do not CertaTM pump electric sensor in clear object detection require a retro-reflector or receiving unit. from Watsonapplications. Each sensor houses an emitter Marlow Fluid Technology In addition to measuring distance, laser and a receiver. The emitter directs a beam sensors with dual mode capability can also Group has been designed to set a new benchof light to a reflector which redirects the light detect changes in light intensity from a stamark in clean pumping for all food and beverbeam back to the receiver. age industry applications, the company says. ble background condition. An object passing between Certa TM is latest innovation from MasoSine, In other words, a laser the sensor and reflector will the creators of Sine pump distance sensor with dual either block or attenuate a “Its launch sets even higher pumping standmode can detect not only perceivable percentage of ards in food processing. Offering EHEDG when the target is present the emitted light. Retro(Type EL Class I) and 3A certification as within a certain distance but reflective photoelectric senstandard, Certa is extremely easy to clean also when it returns a cersors with a coaxial optical for minimal maintenance and downtime,” the tain amount of light to the design emit and receive light company said in a statement. receiver. along a single narrow axis. It added that the new pump not only delivFor this to work, a staThis optimizes the detecers high suction capability to handle viscous ble reference surface must tion of transparent objects products, it offers significant advantages over be taught, and the distance by dramatically reducing alternative technologies. and intensity of the referthe risk of false detection ence surface are recorded from reflected light. Sensors and used as a baseline. The using this technology will presence of a transparent have a small bright spot that simplifies sensor object entering the sensing range of the beam alignment and enables very precise leading alters the perceived distance and light intensity edge detection. from the background condition. Additionally, because light emitted and Laser-based sensors provide a highly visible received travels on a single narrow beam, laser spot for easy alignment, and a small laser all’s, a range of savoury pastries free these sensors can see through a small aper- spot ensures greater precision for detection from artificial colourings and flavourings, ture, allowing them to be shielded for use of small objects. A laser-based sensor that recently launched a promotion aimed at creatin wash down and hygienic environments. does not require a reflector allows for more ing brand awareness and boosting sales. Photoelectric sensors with polarizing filters will flexible mounting as well as reduced inventory The promotion focused on its chilled packemit and detect light waves of a specific polari- and maintenance costs. ets of sausage rolls during the summer holiday zation, ignoring all other light waves. This furUltrasonic sensors use sound waves to period, a time when people tend to entertain ther reduces the risk of false detection caused detect objects. Most ultrasonic sensors detect more and are on the lookout for easy-toby reflected light. objects and measure distance by listening prepare food that appeals to the whole family. Photoelectric sensors have faster response for the return echo of an emitted sound wave The theme of the promotion was ‘Win a speeds, longer sensing ranges, and higher lev- reflecting off of a target or background condiWall’s Weekender’ – a competition offering the els of precision than ultrasonic sensors. LED- tion. target market a chance to win a family advenbased sensors are very effective for general Opposed mode ultrasonic sensors, like ture break or experience, as well as a range of use detecting larger objects and larger gaps the M25U from Banner Engineering, detect an barbecue sets and picnic kits. between objects (compared to laser-based object whenever the signal between the emitAs an entry mechanism, customers were sensors). ter and receiver is blocked. These sensors are asked to send a text message for a chance A laser-based sensor is another option for faster and provide greater levels of precision to be entered into one of the six weekly prize detecting clear objects. A laser-based sensor than most ultrasonic sensors. draws. operates with a laser instead of an LED, allowBecause ultrasonic sensors utilize sound In order to appeal to shoppers at the point of ing for easier alignment, greater precision, rather than light for detection, they are not suspurchase, Wall’s chose to use an on-pack prodetection of smaller objects, and detection ceptible to many of the conditions which typiadvert KZN Industrial & Business Newscally December 2016.qxp_Layout 1 2016/12/05 PM Page 1 Enquiry5:23 No: 25 motional device to advertise the competition. ofSEW-Overview smaller gaps compared to an LED-based challenge optical sensors.

“Unlike traditional pumps with rotors that cut through the fluid, Certa’s sinusoidal rotor gently carries fluid through the pump to dramatically reduce shear while cutting power consumption by up to 50% with high viscosity fluids.” Engineers in food and beverage plants are frequently faced with pumping high viscosity products, ranging from frozen orange juice, deli salads and bakery produce, through to cheese curd and savoury pie fillings. “For many years, Sine pumps have played an important and highly successful part in conveying foods with viscosities of up to eight million cP. CertaTM now completes the existing product range by offering users a fully CIP capable pump at flow rates up to 99 000 l/hr. Users can be assured that media is pumped safely and without degradation.” Enquiry No: 26

Pastry maker’s winning food promotion roll-out Working in partW nership with Denny Bros UK, Wall’s produced a Fix-a-Form Booklet

Label. This four-page on-pack communication device was designed to grab shoppers’ attention. It also provided all the extra space that Wall’s needed to share important information about the competition, the prizes, the terms and conditions for entry, and of course – the products themselves. Denny Bros UK and Wall’s produced 196 000 40mm x 40mm concertina style Fix-aForm Booklet Labels, with a perforation in the tab to enable access to the leaflet. Two different orientations of these promotional devices were produced – one was designed to open in landscape and the other in portrait. The same technology used for the successful UK-based promotion is available in South Africa via local Fix-a-Form licensee Pyrotec Enquiry No: 27 PackMedia.

March / April 2017

FOOD & BEVERAGE

EC Industrial & Business News

Lube-free roller chain ideal for F&B applications

there is no need for external lubricaMG has enhanced its exten- tamination is prominent, as is the tion, the chain is kept cleaner, making sive range of Tsubaki chain case in wood processing and the it easier to specify and install, espeproducts, with the addition of paper and packaging industry. cially in areas with strict hygiene the recently launched sixth genera“Tsubaki’s environmentallyregulations. tion Lambda lubrication-free roller friendly Lambda chain series has “The microscopic chain series, designed for environ- been designed with a sintered oil pores in the seamments where chain lubrication is impregnated bush, where the chain less sintered bush of difficult, impossible or disadvanta- is internally lubricated to avoid preLambda chain are vacgeous. mature wear. This feature extends uum filled with high “Tsubaki’s Lambda lube-free operating life of the chain, without performance NSF-H1 chain is used in diverse appli- the need for additional maintefood grade lubricant. cations, but is especially suitable nance or messy external lubricaWhile most of the lubricant is in industries where clean environ- tion. held in place where it is needed ments are required and where “Although food grade chain most, it is inevitable that a small product contamination cannot be has always been available with amount will migrate to the surface of tolerated… [as] in food process- Lambda chain, a key feature of the chain. This is why the lubricant ing and pharmaceutical and elec- the new sixth generation series, must be deemed suitable for use in tronics manufacturing,” said Carlo is it is supplied with a specially the food industry.” Beukes, general manager, power developed food grade lubricant as The product meets all NSF-H1 transmission, BMG. standard and this increases chain requirements and can be safely used “Lambda chain is also used in wear life by 30%, while maintaining in environments where there is the environments where abrasive con- News the same chainMarch-April strength. Because Terex Eastern Cape Industrial & Business TER002 2017.qxp_Layout

possibility of incidental contact with food. H2 lubricants are suitable for locations where there is no possibility of contact with food and H3 lubricants, which are typically edible oils, are used where there is likely to be contact with foodstuffs. Many industries, including food and beverage production, use processes involving heating and cooling. Lambda chain, which has been shot-peened for higher fatigue strength, operates efficiently and safely in a wide ambient temperature range between -10°C and +150°C. A special heat resistant series is suitable for use in environments with

elevated temperatures up to +230°C. The surfaces of the outer and inner link plates are Fe403 blackened for improved corrosion resistance and there is smooth engagement with the sprocket and less wear on the sprocket teeth because of the durable roller. There is also a significant reduction in the risk of chain breakage because a specially selected steel alloy has undergone effective heat treatment. Apart from the advantage of extended service life of this chain - which is achieved as a result of advanced sintering bushing and an improved bushing-lubricant combination - other features of this series include easy cutting, a patented ring coining process, high productivity, easy interchangeability of chains and sprockets and reduced maintenance requirements. Enquiry No: 28

New intrinsically safe I/O platform improves connectivity in hazardous areas

ANUFACTURERS and industrial operators can now bring devices deployed in hazardous areas into the connected enterprise via EtherNet/IP using the new AllenBradley Bulletin 1719 Ex I/O platform from Rockwell Automation. With the new platform, users can access data from field devices and more easily control process operations in hazardous areas. As part of the PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS) from Rockwell Automation, the Bulletin 1719 Ex I/O allows users to monitor operations using a common platform that communicates with the DCS or other automation systems. This helps create a seamless flow of information

throughout the plant and enterprise. “The Bulletin 1719 Ex I/O platform is ideal for organisations that are embracing smart manufacturing and seeking to capitalise on the power of their own information in a Connected Enterprise,” said Christo Buys, Business Manager for Control Systems, Rockwell Automation sub-Saharan Africa. “The platform’s EtherNet/IP interface and HART 7 protocol support help users more easily integrate realtime device and sensor data into their PlantPAx system.”

The new I/O platform is integrated into the Rockwell Software Studio 5000 design environment, which simplifies the user experience and can help reduce configuration time. In addition, an EtherNet/IP device-level-ring (DLR) adapter enables DLR topology to help improve network resilience, and an optional N+1 power supply provides power redundancy. The distributed I/O platform is certified for mounting in Class I, Division 2 (North America) and Zone 2 (global) hazardous areas.

Enquiry No: 29

Scanning without software

new range of stationary code scanners promises to take the tedium out of time-consuming software installation and configuration. With Wenglor scanners, it’s simply a matter of unpacking, plugging in and you are ready to scan in 1D or 2D, according to local distributors ASSTech. “Auto-setup, auto-focus and newly developed decoding algorithms automatically provide

outstanding reading performance against almost any background,” the company said in a statement. The C5KC and C5PC code scanners have application in the automotive, pharmaceuticals and food industries, as well as packaging and electronics where numerous track and trace tasks are required. Scan settings can be accessed via an intuitively laid out user interface for optimized reading of

damaged and high resolution codes. “They boast the smallest available format for 1D/2D code scanners, making them idea for use in extremely compact machines and with the reading speed of 60 scans/sec, they are well suited for applications with high throughput rates.” Due to the integrated Ethernet port, the sensors are an ideal solution for customer requirements in the field of industry 4.0, the company said. The diverse range of applications covered by the scanners include product identification and traceability, checking for completeness and quality inspection of 1D/2D barcodes and reading of all common 1D/2D codes (Code 128, UPC/EAN, DotCode, QR and DataMatrix, as well as scanning of 1D/2D barcodes on all surfaces such as PCBs, metal and pallets. Even laser printed and needle punched data-matrix codes are no problem for the new scanner series. These miniature devices’ housing is sized at 25 x 45 x 45 mm. Enquiry No: 30

Service that delivers the

Difference

www.airproducts.co.za

Instrupump – a division of Air & Vacuum Technologies (Pty) Ltd are proud suppliers of one of the world’s largest producers of high quality Air Operated Double Diaphragm (AODD) liquid pumps.

info@vactech.co.za

0861 VACTEC (822 832)

www.vactech.co.za

March / April 2017

FOOD & BEVERAGE

EC Industrial & Business News

From farm to fork – Africa’s top F&B show gets a makeover

FRICA’S Big 7, the continent’s leading event for the food and beverage industry runs from June 25 to 27 in South Africa attracting senior buyers from across the sector The show has been rebranded and relaunched this year to meet the needs of a changing market. According to its organisers, Africa’s Big 7 (AB7) is already the premier meeting place for the food and drink sector. Buyers, and distributors visit to source everything from new ingredients to finished products as well as processing, manufacturing, packaging and logistics solutions. AB7 was acquired last year by DMG Events Middle East, Asia & Africa and its Africa Vice President Christine Davidson explained the decision to rebrand and refocus the show, which has been running for 14 years.

“AB7 has been the meeting place for the industry for many years and therefore provides a solid foundation for us, as the new owners, to take the event forward working with the industry as we go” she said. “Requirements are changing and the 2017 show will reflect that, from a new focus on specialist ingredients, flavors and food trends to the latest production and technology driven processes. “This year’s show will be brought into line with buyers’ needs offering essential information, live demonstrations and discussion with a bit of inspiration too. The rebrand and repositioning will be reflected in everything we do in terms of content, visitor and exhibitor engagement, show collateral and website.” AB7 offers suppliers the most direct route

EU taken to task over chicken dumping

HE Fair Play Movement is bringing international experts to help stop the proliferation of the predatory trade practice of dumping worldwide. It has taken the South African EU Ambassador to task over the illegal dumping of chicken in South Africa. An independent organisation, newly founded by PR supremo Francois Baird, it recently addressed a letter to Ambassador Marcus Cornaro to step into the corner of the anti-dumpers and help eradicate this scourge to trade. Baird referred to the EU’s publicly stated objectives to develop the South African industry and ‘not create havoc’ in this market. “The EU is all too aware of the threat that dumping creates and robustly defends its interest as in the recent case of the steel industry,” the letter reads, referring to the EU’s recent move to impose anti-dumping measures on steel products from China and Taiwan. “You would expect us in South Africa to do no less, I’m sure.” The EU has denied claims that it is dumping chicken in South Africa and has blamed the crisis on ‘structural inefficiencies’ in the industry, among other things. However, Baird quoted statistics compiled from data by SARS and LEI, the research institute at the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands, that showed that in 2013, the EU production costs for cut-up chicken portions was R25/kg, while in 2016, three years later, it was exporting to South Africa at R15/kg. “That is 60% lower than your production cost was three years ago. Perhaps you could let me know how this is not dumping? Clearly it is,” the letter asks. Fair Play also challenges EU claims that

the South African industry is not competitive. “Are the subsidies of some €60 billion for EU farmers taken into account when you consider competitiveness and how much of this huge fund is made available to poultry farmers?” South African poultry farmers get no government subsidies. As a transitional economy, it is vital for South Africa’s indigenous industries to have every opportunity to develop and compete in a fair and open market. Baird argues, “EU chicken, by any definition, is being dumped here, is causing material damage to a key agricultural industry and is illegal.” Perhaps the ambassador is unaware, he says, that in South Africa, as opposed to Europe, the average worker supports as many as 10 dependents and that 1.3 million people are thus threatened with poverty; this in a country with one of the highest levels of unemployment in the world. The official spokesperson for the Fair Play Movement, Ashoek Adhikari, has confirmed that the organisation was calling for the EU to get on board in its mission to take the dumpers out of the equation. “The issue here is quite simple: even a little bit of dumping is illegal, and it is irresponsible to try to minimise its effects or place the blame elsewhere. The fact is that people who have lost their jobs, their livelihood, their ability to care for their families – and we stand on 5,000 and counting – cannot afford even the cheapest chicken, or any food.”The movement is hoping for an agreement to an immediate stop to any further dumping of frozen chicken portions at below production costs, until an inquiry Enquiry No: 32 into its real effects is complete.

to buyers and distributors from 25 African countries and attracts exhibitors from around the world. “There is no better place than South Africa for the 15th edition of Africa’s Big 7, it being the largest and most sophisticated food and drink sectors on the continent. It is ideal for exhibitors looking for expansion or route to market and will be a great show to meet new clients and secure new business,” Davidson said. The rebranded AB7 is co-located with SAITEX 2017, Africa’s largest product sourcing event, and The Hotel Show Africa 2017, one of the world’s most successful hospitality event brands, at The Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from June 25 to 27. Enquiry No: 31

East London dairy’s R10m foray into traditional maize drinks market

UNDALE Free Range Dairy has announced that it is buying out the Mageu line from food and beverage company, the East London Vinegar Factory. Sundale, based in the East London Industrial Development Zone, will incorporate the new maize drinks plant into their existing plant Company spokesperson Lynette Howe said the expansion would add 15 new jobs to the current workforce of 452. “The new line will create new jobs for process operators, machine operators, quality controllers and other more general worker positions,” she said. “Mageu is a traditional South African maize product that is rich in nutritional value and immune boosting properties. Like dairy, it is

one of the main staple foods in the country.” Sundale’s foray into Mageu comes just months after it opened a R4-million cheese factory at the plant last October. Chief executive, Pierre van Rensburg, said the new factory would be operational by July and would produce 60 000 litres of Mageu per day. “Our growth is largely attributed to the way we have embraced innovation especially in technology and our approach to business. We have tried to find smarter, more economical practices,” Van Rensburg said. He added that Sundale, as one of the few dairies in the country which recycles all its water, was one of the greenest dairies in the Enquiry No: 33 country.

March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

instrumentation, measurement & control

Africa expansion for power generation company

ERT Energy is set to further expand its electric power generation (EPG) services to generator set builders and end users throughout Africa. “Vert Energy teamed up with the DEIF Group over three years ago as exclusive distributors in sub-Saharan Africa, of DEIF generator controls, known globally for critical power and decentralised power applications,” said Managing Director Grant Robertson. “This partnership has been boosted with the recent appointment of Gaëtan Floriach, a highly qualified DEIF engineer, who is based at Vert Energy in Johannesburg for a two year period, to further develop DEIF business in Africa.” Apart from the supply and support of power generation components for diesel and gas engines, Vert Energy’s service focuses on

companies investing in alternative sources of electricity production, particularly solar power. “The growing trend to utilise environmentally-friendly photovoltaic (PV) technology to convert solar energy to electricity, requires dependable power generation systems, which need to be supported by technically competent skills. “To meet market demand, Vert Energy has made a substantial investment in extending its range of components for renewable energy and an ongoing training programme keeps the team abreast with the latest technologies,” said Robertson. New to the range is the DEIF automatic sustainable controller (ASC) – the first sustainable control solution for renewable energy of its kind. This fully control integrated system

Decentralised display, preprocessing and conversion of analogue signals

Mini display to monitor values Clearly visible display with red/green colour change Compact design with protection rating IP 67 Easy parameter setting via IO-Link Conversion of analogue measured values to IO-Link communication

We will be exhibiting at the following Expos this year - visit our website for all the important details

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Centurion, Durban, Rustenburg, Port Elizabeth, Vaal Triangle, Klerksdorp, Richards Bay, Lydenburg, Cape Town, Northern Cape, Namibian Subsidiary

provides a safe and reliable link between renewable energy inverters and traditional diesel generators. DEIF control instrumentation also includes genset controllers, protection relays and interfaces, as well as switchboards and panels. DEIF power management products have advanced control technology features for optimum performance, high accuracy, improved safety, minimal maintenance requirements and reduced downtime. Solutions encompass marine and offshore technology, wind power and diesel control technology, as well as gas and hydro control technology. DEIF’s ‘green technology’ focuses on energy efficiency, fuel optimisation and reduced emissions. Other EPG components in Vert Energy’s range include Leroy Somer alternators, ASCO automatic transfer switches; API Covrad radiators and Avtron and Froment load

banks, as well as customised control panels. AllightSykes MSGEN2 lighting towers, which offer over 50 000 hours of light per unit, are Enquiry No: 34 also new to Vert Energy.

Pressure transmitter range for hazardous areas, gas and dust atmospheres

ELLER, a leading manufacturer of measurK ing technology has introduced a complete range of pressure transmitters for use in haz-

ardous areas. According to local representative Instrotech, these intrinsically safe transmitters offer measurement ranges of between 0,2 bar and 1000 bar, so they can be used for measurements of all types in areas subject to explosion hazards in Group II (Gas), and as per the relevant ATEX Directive. Individual types from the product range are also approved for Group I (Mining) respectively Group II (Dust). Common features of all Y-line pressure transmitters include a very low temperature error, with correspondingly high measurement accuracy. Thanks to the integrated temperature sensor and an additional digital circuit, the range of envisaged operating temperatures can be divided into as many as 120 sections with a width of 1.5 Kelvin. During factory calibration, a mathematical model is used to calculate individual compensation values for TK zero point and TK amplification for each of these sections; the values are then stored in the transmitter. During operation, these values are fed into the analogue signal path according to the temperature, without reducing the 2 kHz signal processing dynamic. A relevant total error band for measurement purposes of ±0,8 %FS can therefore be attained over the typical temperature range of -10 °C to +80 °C. This includes all error sources, from linearity to range tolerance. As an additional feature, Keller’s X-line pressure transmitters (Series 30) offer microcontroller-based electronic evaluation to ensure maximum accuracy. Each transmitter is gauged across the entire pressure and temperature range.

This measurement data is used to calculate a mathematical model that enables correction of all reproducible errors. In this way, Keller says, it can guarantee high accuracy on the basis of an error bandwidth within the overall compensated pressure and temperature range. The user of industrial transmitters may specify a choice of compensated temperature range at time of purchase, depending upon the application; i.e., either -10…80 °C or 10…40 °C. Otherwise, level transmitters are provided with a compensated range of 0…50°C. The calculated pressure value can be read via the interface, and is simultaneously processed as an analog signal. At the digital output, the error band between 10...40 °C is a maximum of ±0,05% of the full range. A varied selection of structural designs, electrical signals and mechanical connection formats guarantee that these intrinsically safe pressure transmitters can be used for an extensive range of applications. The range includes models with internal seals as well as fully welded and flush frontsealed versions that measure pressure in absolute or barometric terms, or relative to ambient pressure. Various threads are available for the pressure connection, and different plugs and cables can be used for the electrical connection. Users can also choose between typical industrial measurement signals with 3-wire technology (0…5V / 0 ... 10 V) or 2-wire technology (4…20 mA); on the high-precision pressure transmitters and submersible sensors in Series 30, an additional RS485 interface is available in addition to the analogue output. Enquiry No: 35

125 Years Pfeiffer Vacuum – Nothing is better. A passion for perfection. Air & Vacuum Technologies (Pty) Ltd are the sole agents for the Pfeiffer Vacuum, Adixen Vacuum and Trinos Vacuum products for Southern Africa.

info@vactech.co.za

0861 VACTEC (822 832)

www.vactech.co.za

March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS Kjelt van Rijswijk (left) and Andy Radford of the Nelson Mandela Bay Composites Cluster

Co-operation on composites hailed

OUTH Africa’s discussion with France on co-operation around the development of composites has been hailed by the burgeoning composites sector in South Africa. The Mandela Bay Composites Cluster, supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and tasked with representing and advancing the interests of and commercial opportunities in the composites sector in South Africa, said the development showed serious intent from South Africa to extract economic benefits through the development of composites in manufacturing. “What is clear and highly satisfying is that the DTI is implementing tangible initiatives to boost advanced manufacturing in the country, which has pockets of excellence, but on the whole requires development and support,” said Mandela Bay Composites Cluster Director Dr Kjelt van Rijswijk. Van Rijswijk said the agreement with France to cooperate on composite technology was the latest outcome of the joint efforts of the DTI and the Mandela Bay Composites Cluster (MBCC) in support of the local composites industry. “This effort has previously resulted in the inclusion of composites in the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), international trade promotion activities and the establishment of the MBCC itself,” Van Rijswijk said. According to a statement from the DTI, Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies had a courtesy meeting with the new French Ambassador to South

Africa, Christophe Farnaud in Cape Town. The meeting emphasised composites as a sector that the two countries could cooperate on. South Africa is new in composite manufacturing while France is the leader in the sector. Davies said South Africa would like to see investments and technical collaboration in composite applications. “Strengthening of relations between the South African and French businesses on composites and advanced manufacturing in general will create opportunities for both countries. “Advanced manufacturing is viewed as a sector for future economic growth. There are several investment opportunities for French businesses in the South African composite sector and advanced manufacturing,” Davies said. The sectors that the two countries can cooperate on will be further discussed at the Joint Economic Commission between South Africa and France in Paris at the end of March. The work agenda of economic relations between South Africa and France is coordinated through the South Africa – France Joint Economic Commission (SA – France JEC). Total trade between South Africa and France has grown by an annual average rate of 6.2% from 2010 to 2015. Currently major South Africa’s exports to France include vehicles, aircrafts, machinery and automobiles, while imports from France include pharmaceuticals, electrical and electronic equipment, turbo Enquiry No: 36 jets and vaccines.

SA-German JV starts trading in southern Africa

OUTHERN African Hyster dealer Barloworld Handling has started trading as BHBW (Pty) Ltd following approval by competition authorities of the joint venture partnership between Barloworld Limited and German trading group BayWa AG. The joint venture came into effect on 1 March. Late last year, Barloworld and BayWa announced that they had signed an agreement to established a joint venture to further their materials handling and agriculture operations in southern Africa. Barloworld South Africa and BayWa each have a 50% stake in BHBW, which will build on Barloworld’s Handling and Agriculture businesses in southern Africa. “Barloworld Handling was the exclusive southern African distributor of Hyster lift trucks and warehousing

equipment since 1929, and had over decades established itself as a leading supplier of materials handling equipment and solutions to the local market,” said Godfried Heydenrych, Barloworld Handling Chief Executive who continues as Chief Executive of the new JV. “In cooperation with BayWa and our principal Hyster-Yale Company, we look forward to continue expanding these solutions and our footprint.” The company’s Hyster line-up, which ranges from warehousing equipment to reach stackers lifting up to 52 tonnes, was recently expanded to include the long-awaited “back to basics” Hyster XT series of counterbalance lift trucks, while the UTILEV range of utility lift trucks for low-hour

applications has also found great favour in the local market. “As BHBW we will continue our focus to provide solutions tailored to southern African conditions, and to our customers’ widely differing operational and cost-ofoperation requirements,” said Heydenrych. “From an operational point of view, it will be a seamless transition with no impact on our customers in terms of service delivery.” The joint venture partnership has the approval of Hyster and UTILEV principal Hyster-Yale Company. The Barloworld Handling management team has remained in place, as have staff and the existing countrywide branch infrastructure. Enquiry No: 37

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COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

March / April 2017

EC Industrial & Business News

SA Kaizen champion crowned A

UTO Industrial Machining was named Kaizen Champion at The National Kaizen Seminar and Awards function hosted by the AIDC at the Dolphins Leap Conference Centre in Port Elizabeth recently. it was attended by manufacturers across sectors and international manufacturing experts, The Johannesburg based company, involved in the machining and assembly of chassis and drive train components to clients including OEMs, claimed the top award for their winning Kaizen, “change for the better”. Kaizen is a business philosophy or system that is based on making positive changes on a regular basis, by asking questions, to improve productivity. Natstan Wire was first runner up and the second runner up award was shared by Omnia Fertilizer and SJM Flex SA, for achieving significant improvement in manufacturing measured by Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), the key component of which is machine downtime. Tenneco Emission Control, Lumotech, Air Liquide, Continental ContiTech, Fry’s Metal, Auto Industrial Foundry , auto Industrial systems and Steel Best Manufacturing were amongst the entrants, showcasing its Kaizen activities that ranged from SMED, process

Mlondi Chiya, Total Productive Maintenance team leader of Auto Industrial Machining receives the award as South Africa's Kaizen Champion from AIDC Eastern Cape CEO, Hoosain Mahomed (right). variation, space utilization, equipment modifications and material changes. A quantitative impact on the projects on showcase at the awards seminar totalled in excess of R9.4 million savings in operating costs. Multiple JIPM global award winner Rakesh

Overcoming the obstacles to an energy efficient SA

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Remote monitoring is a key towards a more productive, efficient and safe workplace. With TRUCONNECT, you get more out of your lift trucks. It helps you optimize various aspects of your operations and maintenance. • Lift truck utilization • Productive profitability • Safety planning • Maintenance planning and prioritization • Operator training

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www.eiegroup.co.za

nergy efficiency lies at the core of sustained industrial and economic growth in SA, and industries and businesses must prepare more sufficiently for inevitable energy price hikes, while government should be more proactive and involved in encouraging energy efficiency. These are the findings from a panel of highprofile energy and consumer experts who participated in the recent Industrial Energy Efficiency Workshop. Participants from the National Cleaner Production Centre, South Africa (NCPC-SA), Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association (CAIA), the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) focused on the daily challenges of rising energy costs and access to reliable alternatives. The consensus was that although the country has made significant strides and is even a world-leader in some aspects, overall energy efficiency is currently stifled by bottlenecks from a policy, regulatory and legislative perspective – leading to private sector apathy. Ndivhuho Raphulu, NCPC-SA director, said

energy efficiency initiatives can be used as a tool for growth in challenging economic conditions. “By investing more in research, development and innovation centres, government can accelerate energy efficiency and infrastructural development in SA with an excellent return on investment. This needs to be supported by improved policy framework, and by strategically identifying regional business opportunities with the private sector.” Deidre Penfold, CAIA executive director, said that chemical plants are energy intense, and current energy affordability, sustainability and investment are falling short in SA. “Although there are some excellent initiatives such as the Industrial Energy Efficiency Programme, there is not enough involvement from government and that is creating a stumbling block for the industry.” She added that the chemical industry is also an apex for upstream and downstream industry growth. “The private sector wants to grow and invest locally but cannot because a lack of cheaper energy alternatives translates into a lack of investment. Gas-to-power is a prime example of an alternative energy technology

Atre Vice President of Munjal Showa and Lean Institute Africa’s, Professor Norman Faull addressed 60 participants at the function and judged presentations made by each of the eleven companies, together with NMMU Industrial Engineering lecturer Mieshkah Dolley Ryneveld. Atre gave practical examples of how making factory machines lean can slash costs and radically boost productivity. “Manufacturing machines in-house was logical given that companies have daily design feedback from the workers that use those machines and the immediacy of repairs by in house staff which ensured repair response time was a fraction of imported machines.’’ he said, Faull as a global network facilitator shared that “The TPM approach, which promotes enquiry to solve problems, invites us into a process of development and growth”. The Kaizen methodology typifies how leadership in South African business can improve conversations in the workplace, he said. As a wholly owned agency of the Eastern Cape Development Centre, the AIDC introduced TPM into the South African Automotive Industry as one of a basket of services provided to assist Eastern Cape suppliers in its Enquiry No: 37 quest for competitiveness.

that would greatly assist the chemical industry in achieving growth.” In addition to reducing carbon footprints, a long-term and strategic energy efficiency plan is also crucial to streamlining operational costs for business. Alexander Haw, Massmart Group sustainability manager, representing the Consumer Goods Council, said that many local companies are not aware of their own energy consumption, thereby inadvertently adding to grid constraints and adding to operational expenditure. “It has never been easier to implement renewables as part of a business plan, as it is more readily available and competitively priced than ever before. Onsite solar farms and bio-gas plants are effective options for many businesses. The current drawback to this is that businesses can’t put energy back into the grid, and are therefore constrained in terms of planning these builds,” he said. Crescent Mushawana, principal engineer and research group leader for energy systems at the CSIR, said government and business must work hand-in-hand to develop an energy management system and model that measures what is best for the country in terms of sustainable supply and cost trajectories. “Energy efficiency makes business sense – it is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ option.” In addition to the panel discussion, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Workshop also hosted presentations on best practice and case studies on workable solutions.

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March / April 2017

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

EC Industrial & Business News

Auto show to drive sector transformation agenda

NCREASED participation by black owned suppliers in the country’s automotive sector and greater use of local components will be major themes of National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM) Show incorporating the Durban Automotive Cluster’s National Localisation Indaba in Durban on April 5-6. NAACAM Executive Director Renai Moothilal (pictured) said that working with its value chain partners,

including the SA based OEMs, the Department of Trade and Industry, and supporting agencies such as the AIDC, the NAACAM Show would be a practical tool to progress these issues. Besides an exhibition focus of bringing in and highlighting black supplier companies, there are two conference sessions, dedicated to Black Supplier Development and Transformation, which would reflect on industry’s commitment while also showcasing existing success stories.

The mainstream automotive economy, represented by an estimated 400 executive level delegates, including OEMS, tier 1s, tier 2s (including black-owned manufacturers) and stakeholders will gather to engage on these and other pertinent issues relevant to this crucial South African manufacturing sector. “There are opportunities to drive transformation. Especially within the tier two space it will be possible to develop a cache of black industrialists, reshaping the owner dynamics within this sector”, Moothilal said.

Accurate building estimations in minutes

n easy-to-use software suite is assisting one of the country’s top hardware retailers to simplify customer’s ordering processes and provide them with more accurate estimates of materials required to undertake building projects. Cashbuild, who recently adopted the locally developed Billcost estimating software suite into its 230 southern African stores, has since its introduction, undertaken estimates valued at hundreds of millions of Rands on the system. About 14% of these estimates were reportedly converted to sales. Managing director of PPIS, the company responsible for the development of the software, Chris Steenkamp, said the system was designed to be operated by any person in the store with a little building material knowledge and is particularly suited to the sales structures. Knowledge base is covered by the training provided with

the software package. “The software was developed according to certain strategic requirements within the retail environment, as builders and contractors nowadays are increasingly turning towards materials merchant for assistance with regard to determining the quantities of materials required for projects - in a quick and accurate manner,” he said. “After a number of years spent in testing and developing, the Billcost estimating software suite was developed and focusses directly on addressing three major concerns, including speed, pricing and operator ability. “These directly affect the usability of the product in a fast-paced environment, such as retail, as well as rapidly providing pricing guidelines for the contractor at the click of a few buttons. Considering the software will not be operated by building professionals, but rather retail workers, the system had

to be simple-to-use but sufficient to provide an accurate measure of material requirements,” Steenkamp said. PPIS developed Billcost to be customised to users own database and stock profile. In the case of Cashbuild it deployed a custom designed database specifically created for the retailer. In these stores an operator can comfortably carry out a complete estimate for a small house within 15 to 25 minutes. This includes plumbing, electrical installation and roofing. Pricing matrix for the specific stores are automatically obtained from the local retail system and applied to the Billcost estimates. Nine different reporting formats equipped with filters allows the estimator the flexibility of multiple reporting angles. Steenkamp believes the time is right for other chain stores, as well as independent retail stores to begin using Enquiry No: 40 the system.

Concrete benefits take pole position

n the last decade, questions about the cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness of timber and steel poles have inevitably made industry seek alternative solutions. Applications span a wide variety of sectors including electricity; telecommunications; security monitoring; stadium and street lighting; park and public place lighting; and fibre optics - all of which can be cost effectively serviced by concrete poles. That’s according to Rocla, a local manufacturer of cast and spun concrete poles. With an established reputiation in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, the company says its spun poles are manufactured from high quality, durable, partially pre-stressed or reinforced concrete. “Rocla cast and rectangular poles are made in steel moulds from high quality concrete with a mix designed to achieve the strength and durability to meet the customer’s requirements,” the company said in a statement. Rocla’s concrete poles are widely used for street lighting. “They are vandal proof are available in a range of heights, load capabilities and fitting requirements.” Security companies are utilising the Rocla spun concrete poles for the installation of

CCTV cameras and other monitoring equipment in suburbs are part of their community crime prevention activities. “The pole design allows for cables to be fed from the ground through the pole, which is hollow, so that tampering or theft of

“The entire sector is committed to transformation objectives and is taking proactive steps to foster and accelerate this development.” Given the levels of government support for the automotive industry through the current Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP), and other supporting instruments such as the Black Industrialists

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cables is significantly reduced and the pole structure is impossible to destroy and extremely difficult to remove from the installation site.” the company said. With increased installation of fibre optics, the poles are being Enquiry No: 41 used extensively.

Scheme, it is accepted that government will continue to push the automotive sector towards an ownership profile that matches demographic representation, with the most realistic way for this to happen being through the lowertiered component segments, Moothilal said.

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March / April 2017

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

EC Industrial & Business News

End of the chain gang?

HE advent of trenching machines nearly 70 years ago revolutionized the industry and put paid to manual trenching throughout most of the world. Yet in South Africa the chain gang still prevails with manual labour used to painstakingly dig our trenches and foundations. According to Keith Smith, area sales manager of ELB Equipment, local distributors of Ditch Witch trenching machines, job creation is usually the rationale for this “outdated” practice. “Unfortunately, the truth is that manual trenching is not a form of job creation at all; and if anything, it cripples the base of construction and infrastructure delivery to the extent that it prevents workers from obtaining more meaningful and sustainable employment.” Smith said a good example of this fallacy was the affordable housing market where a backlog of nearly half a million houses dogs the industry. “So, what do well-meaning contractors who are trying to fill the gap do? Well they throw more men at it in the hope that 10 men can dig a foundation

in a day and help them start catching up the backlog. “But, this is futile. A small ride-on Ditch Witch RT45 trencher can dig up to 25 or even 30 foundations a day. Redeploy the 10 labourers per house and with a bit of training they could be increasing housing outputs 20-fold or more.” Smith said speed was just one reason to use a trencher. “It also digs trenches and foundations to exact dimensions. This is important in terms of quality of trenches or foundation to avoid failures where they are too shallow or too thin as is often the case building sites.

“In terms of concrete usage alone, the savings in concrete will more than cover the cost of the machine when offset against money savings from accurate estimation and usage of concrete.” By contrast, If a chain gang were to dig a foundation just 100mm deeper or wider than the specification then the entire calculation would be out and the foundation may need 20-30% more concrete. “Conversely, too shallow or small a foundation can lead to failure or may necessitate a rebuild if inspectors deem the foundation inadequate. This is particularly important in high volume or large scale developments where labour that would previously be employed for several days just digging foundations, may now be redeployed to more skilled positions.” Smith said it was also feasible to use a Ditch Witch on smaller construction sites on a hire basis, which for one day was far cheaper than paying wages and workers could rather be put to work in the actual construction of the house. Enquiry No: 42

Patented design gives welding screens the edge on safety

HE patented Balledge design used on Apex Welding and Safety Screens is a major advantage as this aids access into cordoned off areas for workers without snagging or scratching, increasing safety in the workplace. That’s according to Wim Dessing, managing director of Apex Strip Curtains, who added that that the reinforced edge on the individual strips allows these to part easily, facilitating access for both personnel and equipment. The company’s PVC screening material is used to cordon off welding and grinding bays at manufacturing facilities across southern Africa. Made from specially formulated material, which incorporates a heavy duty ultra-violet light absorber, the screens help contain potentially dangerous UV radiation safely in the curtained off area. This protects workers in close vicinity to welding and grinding activities. “Extensive tests conducted by the SABS proved the Apex

Welding and Safety Screen material is superior to conventional material used for these products,” a statement from the company said. Tested for ultra-violet transmittance, the conventional material gave readings of 0,005%, 0,008% and 5.0% as opposed to the Apex readings of 0,005%, 0,001 and 0,005%. When tested for total visible light transmittance, the tests were conclusive - the conventional material allowed 78 % while the Apex material allowed only 15,5% light transmittance. Apex Welding and Safety Screens are impervious to burning, and this is of particular importance should the material come into contact with welding splatter. Available in several configurations to suit individual applications, the most popular version is the free-standing frame that facilitates both easy handling and portability. The screens’ angled feet allow optimum utilisation of the floor space as the screens can be butted together at 90-degree Enquiry No: 43 angles.

Intelligent inverter solutions

ew to Magnet’s N extensive range of components for solar

power systems are SolarEdge intelligent inverter solutions that enhance the performance of clean, renewable solar energy in residential and commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, as well as in small utility-scale solar installations. “SolarEdge technology - which optimises the way power is harvested and managed - consists of power optimisers, inverters,

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storage solutions and a cloud-based monitoring platform,” said Ryan Groger, head of Projects, Magnet Energy. “The SolarEdge direct current (DC) optimised inverter system maximises power generation at the individual PV module level, while lowering the cost of energy produced by the solar PV system.” Apart from new installations, this system has also been designed for safe and easy retEnquiry No: 44 rofit.

March / April 2017

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

EC Industrial & Business News

Optical data transmission made efficient

HE Leuze DDLS 500 optical data transmission photoelectric sensor enables the transparent, contact- and wear-free transmission of data over distances of up to 120 metres in 100 Mbit/s real-time. This is achieved by using an invisible infrared laser which communicates bi-directionally between devices. Available from leading sensor solutions supplier, Countapulse Controls, the sensor is ideal for all applications where data needs to be transmitted without cables, and more importantly without interference. It is favoured for applications where mechanical systems are pushed to their technical limitations. To permit fast visual control, the Leuze DDLS 500 has an LED display

Latest safety-helmet suspensions offer improved comfort

AINFUL compression headaches due to safety helmets that don’t fit properly are now a thing of the past. That’s according to MSA Africa, which attributes this to the flush suspension tabs on the new Fas-Trac III ratchet suspensions available for its V-Gard range of safety helmets. They can be ordered pre-fitted on any MSA V-Gard helmet, or as spares. “We have made it painless for our customers to standardise on these new suspensions as there is no change in part numbers for complete helmet assemblies,” said Product Marketing Manager Suraksha Mohun. In addition, two different sweatband options are available, depending on application or preference. These are PVC perforated wipeable or sweatwicking replaceable foam, which is machine washable.

that is clearly visible from a distance of 200 metres. All relevant information is precisely depicted on the control panel.

The device’s patented single hand adjustment process and integrated mounting plate with alignment screws enables easy mounting by just one person. This makes it easy to install, and the aid of an integrated laser alignment and level facilitates rapid alignment, even over longer paths. The modular design of the Leuze DDLS 500 allows the base model to be easily expanded with additional available functionality, and this allows it to be configured specifically for individual application requirements. In addition, the sensor is web server integrated which facilitates remote diagnostics, and it can be detected as a PROFINET participant. The device supports all commonly used Ethernet Enquiry No: 45 protocols.

The foam sweatband is made from breathable fabric for direct air permeation. MSA Fas-Trac III boasts the largest sweatband surface area on any safety helmet, which improves perspiration absorption by covering more of the headband and the wearer’s forehead. “Extensive customer research has revealed that the MSA Fas-Trac III wheel-ratchet suspension is preferred by most users over what they are currently wearing,” Mohun said. This is due to the main benefits of improved helmet comfort, retention, and stability, with the added advantage of easy single-handed adjustment. This suspension also comes with a lower nape strap than any other protection helmet suspension, which

improves balance and means that the safety helmet stays on when the wearer leans over. Separating the ratchet from the neck also allows the comfort pad to cradle the wearer’s head, increasing air flow. The ratchet has a smooth rotation and an easygrip knob that can be adjusted even when wearing gloves. Superior nape fit and compatibility with other personal protective equipment is ensured by three levels of height adjustment. MSA Fas-Trac III suspensions are available for all V-Gard industrial safety helmets from MSA Africa, from the popular basic model to the full-feature premium ABS V-Gard 500, specific peakness V-Gard 520, and high-temperature ThermalGard Enquiry No: 46 versions.

Sharpening productivity and profits

he production of small steel components is a key part of overall sheet steel production. Now Bystronic, a world-leading provider of cutting and bending solutions has released the Xpert 40, a compact, mobile press brake designed specifically for the high-speed production of smaller components. First introduced as a prototype at Euroblech 2014, Xpert 40 is now commercially available on the global market and also locally through First Cut, a leading South African distributor of cutting consumables and capital equipment which represents Bystronic locally. According to First Cut Managing Director Andrew Poole, when it comes to the business of metal fabrication technology, Bystronic is the world

leader - with the Xpert 40 as a perfect example of this industry expertise. “Not for nothing is the Xpert 40 referred to as the ‘Swiss Army knife of press brakes’. In development thereof, Bystronic took customers’ feedback into account regarding their requirement for compact ergonomics, speed and productivity – not to mention energy and costsavings.” With a 40-ton capacity, Xpert 40 can carry out up to 1 028 bends an hour – three times as many parts in the same time as a large machine would - allowing users to bend quickly and efficiently, Poole said. These high processing speeds

have been achieved through upper flank and back gauge acceleration; and the fact that the machine is fully programmable with the use of BySoft 7 software. “Thanks to intelligent functions such as energy saver and automatic stopstart, the Xpert 40 operates more economically than larger press brakes – while bending at higher speeds,” he said. First Cut’s Bystronic Sales Director Gareth Jackson said another major advantage of the Xpert 40 being so compact is that it can be deployed in approximately five minutes. “In addition, the machine has forklift ports, allowing for mobile deployment and integration into almost any industrial environment or fabrication configuration. For example, it can be deployed from a fixed bending station directly next to a laser cutting system, in order to improve production flow from laser cutting to bending.”

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Issue 78 - March/ April 2017 1

March / April 2017

COMPANY & PRODUCT NEWS

EC Industrial & Business News

Mthatha asphalt plant upgrade

AST Coast Asphalt recently completed two projects valued at R8 million to upgrade its plant in Mthatha. The first was a capacity upgrade from 80t to 160t, which significantly improves turnaround times for custom-

ers. This was an important step in modernising the plant as the existing hot storage silos, at more than 20 years old, were outdated and hot-mix build up had reduced capacity by 40 percent. The second project was a R4.4-million investment in environmental pollution risk mitigation. The old wet scrubber technology no longer met the 120 mg/Nm³ maximum legal limit and, in addition to the business risk, had become expensive to run with ongoing breakdowns. The new filtration system, fitted with 495 Nomax filter bags, is capable of achieving a significantly improved level of less than 50mg/Nm³ of particulate matter through the stack. “This latest dust filtration technology has been commended by our neighbouring stakeholders, who have also made positive remarks about the clean emissions,” said Brian Mchunu, Managing Director of East Coast Asphalt. “We are proud of these upgrades to our plant and believe they live up to our commitment to doing business in a responsible manner as well as our value of care for people and the environment.” East Coast Asphalt’s Anton Stander, Francois Meyerhoff and Zwelethu Mfeli formed the project team on site, with fabrication and commissioning for both projects by Bradro Enquiry No: 48 Engineering.

SA Agulhas I berths in PE

OUTH Africa’s first dedicated training vessel, the SA Agulhas I, docked in Port Elizabeth recently after a three-month voyage which took 30 seafarer cadets to Antarctica and back. The Agulhas I was acquired by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) for training in support of the National Cadet Programme, which is being managed by the Port Elizabeth-based South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI). The training is being funded by the National Skills Fund. The vessel sailed on 14 December 2016 from Cape Town with 30 cadets from the South African Maritime Training Academy (SAMTRA) and Marine Crew Services (MCS). The group of seven engineering cadets, 23 deck cadets

and two training officers joined the South African crew on a research voyage chartered by India’s National Centre for Antarctic Research. Her first port of call was Port Louis in Mauritius on Christmas Eve where she took on board the team of Indian scientists and five container loads of equipment. The ship sailed south from Mauritius before heading West of Kerguelen Island and on to Antarctica and back to Mauritius carrying out operations at various scientific staEnquiry No: 49 tions along the way.

New Appointments

Mervyn Naidoo Group CEO ACTOM

Andries Tshabalala Deputy Chairman ACTOM

SMC Pneumatics (South Africa) Pty Ltd

Keith Nare research associate SANRAL Southern Region

Jaco Meyer Technical Manager Transnet Port Terminals - PE

Justice Manqele Senior Engineer Transnet Port Terminals - PE

Asithandile Ben-Mazwi supply chain officer SANRAL Southern Region

Linamandla Busakwe Technical Manager Transnet Port Terminals - East London

Nenekazi Songxaba Environmental Coordinator SANRAL Southern Region

Engen_top learner in PE, Olwethu Bitterhout with Athini Mqolora from East London who was the top learner in the EC and placed in joint third place nationally

Helping build future Eastern Cape leaders

he 2016 class of the Engen Maths and Science Schools (EMSS) achieved an impressive 94% pass rate, up 5% from last year’s average of 89%, with 70% of learners attaining a Bachelor pass. The schools are a national initiative that seeks to address key skills shortages in the engineering and technical fields by providing supplementary support to government efforts to promote Maths and Science education. At an awards ceremony held in East London recently, Engen announced the top learner in the Eastern Cape who also placed in joint third place nationally. Athini Mqolora who attended Wongalethu High School in East London achieved an impressive overall average of 88% with distinctions in Maths, Science

and English. Athini is studying Medicine this year at UCT. First in the Port Elizabeth region is Bitterhout Olwethu who achieved an overall aggregate of 85% with distinctions in Maths, Science and English. Learners from Grade 10 to 12 who show potential in maths and science, attend Saturday classes where they receive tuition from skilled teachers, as well supplementary educational material and academic support. In 2016, 1 881 learners from Grades 10 to 12 participated in EMSS classes, of which 586 wrote the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate exams. The majority of schools supported by EMSS are typically “no fee” schools in disadvantaged communities. Enquiry No: 50

Record safety awards haul

NDUSTRIAL gas provider Air Products walked away with ten awards at the 2016 Noshcon Awards function, the most Noscars received in one year. Seven of the Air Products sites, including Port Elizabeth, Pinetown, Empangeni, Newcastle, Witbank, Springs and Cape Town received Noscars for continuing to meet the stringent criteria in their last National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) audits. As the overall sector winner, the Kempton Park Facility also received a Noscar. In addition two Air Products employees received individual awards. Sue Nicholls received the “Corporate Group Risk Manager of the Year” award and Rushda Thomas the award for the “Environmental Coordinator of the Year”. These awards highlight the commitment from individuals to continually improve vital aspects of safety, health and environmental management, not only for a specific facility, but for the entire organisation. Nicholls, Corporate Risk Manager at Air Products said, “Air Products has established a culture with a strong emphasis on health and safety and we appreci-

ate the recognition that we receive for our consistent commitment to safety at the company’s nationwide facilities”. She said the Noscar criteria are based on achieving high system compliance as well as a low disabling injury frequency rate (DIFR) consistently for three consecutive years. She said the company’s ability to achieve and maintain its Noscar status was due largely to the commitment from management and staff, coupled with a sound safety, health and environmental management system. “Air Products is proud of our achievements and receiving Noscars provides us with the recognition and assurance that we are one of the top performing companies in safety, health and environmental management in South Africa. “Furthermore, our employees can see that their efforts to participate in numerous health and safety-related programs have paid off. Lastly, but most importantly, with the recognition from an industry body such as NOSA, our customers are assured that we are managing the risks related to our services and products,” Nicholls Enquiry No: 51 said.

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2017/03/14 03:13:27 PM