Electrical and electronic equipment manufacturer Powertech Transformers (PTT) launched a small power transformer (SPT) facility in Pretoria last month.

The facility, which was specially designed and built to improve the flow of manufacturing tranformers, resulting in shorter production lead times, was officially opened by State-owned power utility Eskom senior manager of commercial and commodity sourcing Charles Kalima and Altron CEO Robert Venter.

PTT is part of the Altron Power division of JSE-listed Altron Group.

The transformer sizes that will be manufactured at the facility range from 20 MVA to 60 MVA 132 kV.

The project, which began 18 months ago, was carried out in two phases – buying new vertical winding machines and upgrading the existing ones, as well as excavating the existing factory space; and installing additional equipment and reorganising the existing fabrication area to enable the tank fabrication to match the assembly area.

The locally designed and manufactured facility is expected to double SPT capacity from 2 200 MVA to 4 400 MVA, equating to 120 transformers a year.

PTT’s total revised factory capacity, inclusive of medium-sized power transformers (MPTs) and large power transformers (LPTs), is 13 680 MVA a year.

The winding production area consists of three new locally designed and manufactured vertical winding machines, three existing vertical winding machines that have been upgraded and three existing horizontal winding machines.

The existing winding machines were upgraded to manage the improved throughput time necessary.

PTT supplies a full range of transformers, from generator step-up to transmission and distribution transformers.

The range includes three-phase and single-phase units; autotransformers; arc-furnace, locomotive and traction transformers; minia- ture substations; and shunt reactors.

“With PTT’s seventieth birthday celebration around the corner, we are thrilled with what the future holds in this market sector for domestic and export supply. This major investment confirms the confidence we have in manufacturing in South Africa,” said PTT CEO Bernard Meyer, adding that the company had nearly doubled its capacity in this market sector in expectation of a R250-million potential increase in the export market.

“The opening of the new facility is also perfectly timed to coincide with new growth opportunities in the renewable-energy and rail market sectors. Most importantly, we have created additional employment opportunities for many skilled, semiskilled and professional young talent,” said Meyer.

PTT management, he pointed out, realised the potential growth of the SPT market locally and in Southern and sub-Saharan Africa, and it was decided to invest in the facility to expand the capacity and range of transformers.

“We are a local manufacturer and employ local people. Skills development, with the increased headcount, will result in 100 opera- tors, apprentices and artisans, as well as ten technicians, five engineers and ten admini- strative and managerial personnel being employed,” he said.

Venter pointed out that company growth and the increased sustainability of PTT’s market share, combined with its attempt to meet more of State-owned power utility Eskom’s and other customers’ requirements regarding the SPT market, were some of the benefits of the new facility.

“Other benefits we envisaged were hedging against the exchange rate and saving foreign exchange for the country, which, amid the depressed economic market conditions, will hopefully reduce the imports of similar types of equipment,” explained Venter.

He noted that the company hoped to increase its yearly manufacturing capacity and to fully use the entire capacity of the facility within the next three to five years, adding that the company had, to date, doubled its manufacturing capacity of SPTs.

“An after-sales service division offering complete peace of mind to our customers – which includes the maintenance of their transformers and related equipment for an extended period, specific to the requirements of each and every customer – has also been added to our range of services,” he noted.