The WEG low-voltage switchgear guarantee has been extended to three years
South African electrical equipment supplier and manufacturer Zest WEG will extend guarantees on all its WEG products.
The guarantees will vary from product to product, but all customers are still assured of the same level of in-field support for which Zest WEG Group Africa is known.
“The WEG W22 low-voltage motors guarantee has been extended to five years and the WEG variable-speed drives and softstarters guarantee to two years. Where WEG motor and drive combinations are used, the WEG drives guarantee has been extended to three years,” said Zest WEG Electric managing director Gary Daines at a media briefing in Johannesburg, Gauteng, earlier this month.
He added that the WEG switchgear, and transformers guarantees had both been extended to three years and, if WEG transformers were acquired with a WEG service plan, the guarantee would be extended to five years.
Zest WEG Group CEO Louis Meiring pointed out that the extended product guarantees would increase peace of mind even more for customers already using WEG products.
“Extending product guarantees is aligned with our strategy of forming long-term partnerships with customers. Continuous product improvement is ongoing at WEG and at Zest WEG Group Africa’s local manufacturing facilities; the benefit of this must, of necessity, be passed on to our customers, thereby enabling them to optimise their operations,” he said.
Daines noted that, over the past 18 months, the company had made great strides in increasing its capacity and reinvesting in in local manufacturing.
“Much is to be said for local manufacturing in South Africa lately, as a lot of companies are divesting instead of investing, particularly in the electrical sector. If the industry doesn’t continue to invest in the local manufacturing sector, we won’t have a business in future,” he noted.
Last year, Zest WEG completed a transaction to buy TSS Transformers – a deal that materially increases its local manufacturing capabilities and heralds its entry into the maintenance and repair sector of the market.
He explained that the company could now manufacture up to a 40 MVA transformer and 2 000 kVA minisubs, and repair transformers of up to 100 MVA, thereby also allowing for on-site service and maintenance.
“[We realised that,] for us to manufacture in South Africa, but remain a global player we could not use traditional technology, which is why we are bringing new technology into the arena,” he said.
When the company acquired the Hawker Siddeley factory in 2013, they changed its manufacturing process entirely by investing in new equipment and restructuring the factory, Daines added.
“We recently purchased a new nitrogen vapour oven that is used in the drying process and equipped the entire factory with new cranes. The factory needed more light, so we decided to use natural lighting in the factory, making it more energy efficient.
“We also commissioned a core-cutting machine last year to ensure that we have vertical integration; we are doing as much in-house manufacturing as possible. We are also currently commissioning our foil-winding machine,” he concluded.