Niche technology engineering firm Ansys reported in May that it had increased its rail revenue from R37-million in 2014 to R94-million in 2015.

At its yearly results presentation, Ansys CEO Teddy Daka reported a 282% increase in revenue for the company, citing Ansys’s rail and telecommunications divisions as the main contributors to this growth.

Most of the rail division’s revenue is from two contracts awarded to Ansys in 2014 by State-owned rail company Transnet for the supply of trackside and on-board systems.

In terms of the first contract, which will remain valid for up to three years, Ansys will provide vehicle identification systems.

These systems comprise a trackside system put in place to measure the health of the train as it passes, in terms of the temperature of the bearings and the dimensions of the wheels. It also ensures that the load of the train is correct.

Daka notes that, because Ansys has developed the software for these monitoring systems, any further installations on Transnet’s railway line will be done in communication with Ansys so that the company can link up newly installed equipment to the software provided.

Meanwhile, the second contract requires Ansys to provide its integrated systems display (ISD). This contract will remain valid for between four and five years.

The ISD acts as an interface between an operator and various systems on the train, providing system diagnostics and driver communications. Special features include a touch screen and USB ports for file uploads and downloads.

Ansys, which previously focused on the defence industry, has diversified its product offering into areas such as telecommunications and mining, with the goal of becoming an Internet protocol-led provider, supplying niche technology at a global level, says Daka.

He tells Engineering News that Ansys has a team of more than 40 engineers, developing the company’s globally competitive, in-house products at its warehouse in Pretoria.