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Consulting Engineers News

Automation presents growth opportunities for industry

By: Nica Schreuder 15th September 2017 The recent slowdown in major capital investment projects has resulted in a challenge in the employment environment within the South African welding industry. This has prompted businesses to reassess opportunities and efficiencies within their current fabrication methodology, says welding and... →

Laser cuts time and costs for welders

By: Nica Schreuder 15th September 2017 The link between welding, cutting and grinding is an intricate one, as refining and perfecting one aspect of these three processes will greatly enhance the proficiency of all of them, says cutting consumables and capital equipment supplier First Cut. Owing to this, First Cut has optimised the... →

Public transport efficiency seen as key to scaling up user base

By: Dylan Slater 8th September 2017 More efficient public transport would not only go a long way towards attracting a larger user base, thereby reducing car owners’ reliance on private vehicles for their transport needs, but also assist in decreasing the prevalent trend of cars being used predominantly by one person, says... →

Strategic planning ensures successful turnaround on refinery upgrades

8th September 2017 Creative thinking and sound preparation enabled engineering firm MegChem to assist oil company Chevron with large-scale upgrades at its Cape Town refinery in a turnaround period of ten weeks, says MegChem director Louis Odendaal →

TEAM EFFORT The combined Chevron and MegChem teams worked together closely to complete the upgrades

Air filtration solutions ensures that requirements are met

By: Victor Moolman 25th August 2017 Filter technology manufacturer Freudenberg Filtration Technologies says its hygienic air filtration solutions help ensure that clients in the food and beverage sector meet the most stringent regulatory requirements. →

Better business practices required in industry

By: Victor Moolman 25th August 2017 As a response to the increase in recalled products in the food and beverage industry worldwide, global electronics company Omron Industrial Automation (Omron) has started to introduce more sustainable business practices by improving product quality and assistance for food and beverage producers. →

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY New technology is making the automation of plants easier

Cesa Aon Engineering Excellence Awards winners for 2017 announced

18th August 2017 Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa), supported by Aon South Africa, on Thursday announced the winners of this year’s Cesa Aon Engineering Excellence Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements in the engineering industry and celebrate innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and... →

Focus needed to maximise S Africa’s export potential

By: Robyn Wilkinson 18th August 2017 The future of the South African materials handling sector will be impacted on significantly by sub-Saharan Africa development and the ability of South Africa to leverage its export capabilities on the subcontinent, says engineering consultant WSP Africa transport and infrastructure divisional... →

VISHAAL LUTCHMAN Business and government must align and work together to realise South Africa’s export potential

Diverse assets for infrastructure in demand

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th August 2017 In the commercial and industrial property development space, as well as its supporting infrastructure, there is demand for high-quality, diverse assets with strategic locations and offering optimal planning and design, says consultancy firm WSP. →

WSP property team and structures regional director William Johnston discusses the demand for diverse assets in the infrastructure industry.

Procurement standard set to stop use of ‘cheap’ professional services

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th August 2017 The National Treasury’s (NT’s) standard for infrastructure procurement and delivery management aimed at addressing government’s use of “cheap” professional service providers in public infrastructure projects officially became applicable to municipalities last month. →

Photo by Duane Daws
INCLUSIVE DECISION-MAKING Government bodies in their respective procurement departments, should make more of a crossfunctional team effort regarding procurement

Project aids community development

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th August 2017 With 70% of the R370-million Cornubia Interchange project complete, construction design and engineering services provider Royal HaskoningDHV and the eThekwini roads provision department say the project is likely to be completed in January next year. →

PILING UP Royal HaskoningDHV construction project manager Drew Wilson says the biggest challenge has been piling and the foundation of the structure

Asian giant proceeds with latest nuclear expansion project with Russia

By: Keith Campbell 18th August 2017 The ASE Group of Companies, a subsidiary of Russia’s State-owned Rosatom nuclear energy group, has announced that key contracts for Stage III of India’s Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) had been signed on the last day of July. The contracts cover priority design work, and working design and... →

M&R warns ‘costly’ Middle East exit will drag 2017 earnings lower

By: Terence Creamer 17th August 2017 Engineering group Murray & Roberts (M&R), which sold its Southern African infrastructure and building units to a Southern Palace-led consortium in November, has warned that its earnings will fall by more than expected in 2017, owing to additional costs associated with four remaining building... →

New approaches key to surmounting water infrastructure challenges

By: Mia Breytenbach 4th August 2017 Infrastructure modernisation, consumer education and data analytics will be key tools to overcome the challenges posed by ageing water infrastructure. This is according to engineering, procurement and construction services provider Black & Veatch’s 2017 global ‘Strategic Directions Water... →

Photo by Duane Daws
IMPEDING THE SYSTEM The development and operation of sustainable, smart water systems are hampered by supply management challenges and fiscal and broader economic constraints

More engineers needed to support local projects

By: Robyn Wilkinson 28th July 2017 As part of its drive to promote and support the engineering profession at multiple levels, the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is establishing an intervention programme that will focus on accrediting engineering academies for training candidates for the purposes of registration within... →

SIPHO MADONSELA Developing and sustaining a relevant, transformed, competent and internationally recognised engineering profession is critical in meeting South Africa’s socioeconomic goals

Not enough high school mathematics and science graduates

By: Simone Liedtke 28th July 2017 Irrespective of the considerable amount of money invested in the South African education system, engineering consultancy WSP Africa head of people, culture and engagement Elaine Porter, states that the number of high-school graduates with good results in higher-grade mathematics and science is... →

NECESSARY FOUNDATIONS Mathematics and science abilities cannot suddenly be learnt, without foundations in analytical skills

African countries embrace alternative energy sources

28th July 2017 With African governments realising that long-term power solutions will not come in the form of one technology, South Africa’s Department of Energy is advocating advances in coal, renewable energy, gas and nuclear technologies, says global engineering, procurement, construction and consulting... →

Photo by Reuters
IMPROVED ALTERNATIVES Kenya is making use of diverse alternative energy sources, such as geothermal electricity

Shale gas still a power resource option

By: Nica Schreuder 28th July 2017 Global leading engineering, consulting and construction company Black & Veatch sub-Saharan Africa business development director Webb Meko says successful exploration for shale gas could make up for South Africa’s lack of natural gas as a power resource. “Concerns about the possible detrimental... →

Photo by Reuters
PICTURESQUE POTENTIAL A large amount of untapped shale gas in the Karoo basin provides both opportunities and challenges for South Africa’s gas economy

Small businesses get a leg up at supplier conference

By: David Oliveira 28th July 2017 To assist the development and success of small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa, project delivery and engineering consultancy WorleyParsons South Africa held its Supplier Grow Conference at its offices in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, earlier this month. WorleyParsons... →

Photo by Duane Daws
DENVER DREYER Through dialogue, collaboration and community, we can find a common way forward

Software-defined storage allows schools to use commodity hardware to build storage pool

By: Simone Liedtke 28th July 2017 Enterprise open-source software company SUSE has released what it calls software-defined storage which supports schools using free open-source software (FOSS), says SUSE client executive Derek Rule. →

DEREK RULE The global community of open-source software users and developers provides a constant stream of updates and improvements

Multidisciplinary platform pursued for project

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 21st July 2017 Engineering professional services consulting firm WSP Africa is making its infrastructure consultancy offering available through one multidisciplinary project delivery platform. WSP Transport and Infrastructure MD Dr Terence Milne joined the company last month to spearhead this venture and... →

Photo by Bloomberg
WHOLE OTHER DIMENSION Three-dimensional modelling allows for a project’s building design to be viewed in virtual reality using headsets

Nakambala sugar mill expansion project completed

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 21st July 2017 During the third quarter of 2017, project management and equipment design company Bosch Projects completed the implementation of the Nakambala Product Alignment and Refinery project in Mazabuka, Zambia. Bosch Projects sugar sector director Steven Rosettenstein, who was the project manager for the... →

NAKAMBALA SUGAR MILL Illovo Sugar appointed Bosch Projects as engineering, procurement and construction management consultants for the mill’s expansion

Futureproof solutions ensure green living

By: Robyn Wilkinson 21st July 2017 Demonstrating its capability for creative thinking, engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV South Africa has overcome bulk services shortages and ensured the preservation of the natural environment along KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast through the sustainable design of the... →

‘Durban’s best kept secret’ honoured for technical excellence

By: Robyn Wilkinson 21st July 2017 Engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV South Africa was awarded the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Durban branch’s prestigious technical excellence award last month for the design and construction of Main Road 577 (MR577), with SAICE calling it... →

Royal HaskoningDHV South Africa provide an overview of the MR577. Video courtesy: RoyalHaskoningDHV

University library, student resources building wins prestigious award

By: Mia Breytenbach 14th July 2017 The Sol Plaatje University library and student resources building project, in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, has been awarded the 2017 Fulton Concrete Award in the buildings greater than three storeys category at the 2017 biennial Fulton Awards, hosted by the Concrete Society of South Africa... →

LANDMARK ENGINEERING The Sol Plaatje University library’s design allows for the building to be draped in a continuous concrete shell, which takes on a strong angular diamond-like shape

Best practice engineering crucial for supporting solar in South Africa

14th July 2017 Although the global solar industry is growing rapidly, photovoltaic (PV) plants are still relatively new in South Africa and require professional design expertise to ensure best practice engineering, says consulting engineering firm SMEC South Africa power and energy function manager Stephen... →

PROTECTING VALUABLE ASSETS The design of a photovoltaic plant lightning protection system requires an engineer with some specialist knowledge and experience to ensure adequate protection

Power crucial to Africa’s economic development

By: Robyn Wilkinson 14th July 2017 With strong correlations between electric capacity and economic development, access to reliable and cost-effective power is crucial to enabling nations to harness the productive capabilities of their people and obtain meaningful growth, says engineering, procurement and construction company Black... →

WEBB MEKO POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa is the ideal platform to shift the conversations surrounding new power technology into meaningful action

Engineering firm appointed for Umhlanga development

By: David Oliveira 14th July 2017 Multidisciplinary engineering firm Arup announced last month that it had been appointed to supply multidisciplinary engineering services to the iconic mixed-use office and retail development Park Square, in Umhlanga New Town Centre, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The project is being developed by financial... →

Control system minimises dust escape during grab discharge

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 Materials handling equipment supplier BLT South Africa’s Samson travelling Eco-Hoppers have an effective dust control system that minimises the escape of dust during the grab discharge cycle. →

DUST CONTROL The grab discharge cycle includes transferring materials down the line using handling systems

Locally produced engineering steel declining

By: Nica Schreuder 7th July 2017 It has become cheaper to import finished products manufactured overseas than to manufacture engineering steel in the country, which has resulted in more than half the country’s foundries closing down, laments specialised steel and industry expertise company Special Steels MD Byron Ferguson. He... →

HIGH PROFILE Hydraulic cyclinder components being cut from a 300 mm carbon steel plate at Special Steels

Need for accurate designs of dosing systems

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 The designs for dosing systems in the gas and fumes industries have to be accurate to ensure safety, says chemical dosing and pumping applications supplier Packaged Metering and Pumping Solutions (PMPS) technical director David O’Neill. →

Packaged Metering and Pumping Solutions’ David O’Neill talks about the company’s strategies with regards to the fracking process. Camerawork and Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Strides made in smart solutions

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th June 2017 An early flood warning app designed for the city of Accra, in Ghana, will make all the difference to the city’s resilience, its people and their future wellbeing, posits Royal HaskoningDHV global business line director water Anke Mastenbroek. The app is a notable example of a smart water solution... →

Smart water solutions promise improved efficiencies for S Africa

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 30th June 2017 Smart water solution technology will redefine everything the water and wastewater industries do, the extent of which we cannot begin to fathom, enthuses independent international engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV global business line director water Anke... →

DATA CRUNCHER Smart solutions combine large amount of raw data with artificial intelligence, in order to convert this into useful information to be used for predicting scenarios

Company brings consulting engineering into digital age

By: Robyn Wilkinson 30th June 2017 With advanced technologies replacing pen-and-paper approaches across all industries, engineering and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV South Africa MD Salani Sithole stresses that consulting engineering companies must find ways to embrace the era of digitalisation in their... →

Royal HaskoningDHV South Africa MD Salani Sithole discusses the influence of digitalisation in the consulting engineering sector. Camerawork and Editing: Darlene Creamer.

Consulting engineering industry must become resilient

By: Robyn Wilkinson 30th June 2017 A key focus that arose out of discussions at this year’s International Federation of Consulting Engineers’ Group of African Member Associations (FIDIC GAMA) Conference, and which will be further explored at the FIDIC International Infrastructure Conference in October, is the need for resilience... →

Photo by Bloomberg
GOOD BUSINESS SENSE The only way to develop sustainable infrastructure in Africa is through partnerships between international and local companies

Engineers must become indispensable during challenging times

By: Robyn Wilkinson 30th June 2017 Until the barriers to investment and development in South Africa’s mining sector are resolved so that key opportunities can be realised, engineering companies need to ensure that their expertise and services are made indispensable to the market, says specialist engineering company Paterson &... →

Partnerships key to sustaining consulting engineering sector

By: Robyn Wilkinson 30th June 2017 Cultivating partnerships between larger, established firms and smaller organisations in the various sectors, is the best way to drive sustainability in South Africa’s consulting engineering industry, says consulting engineering firm Malani Padayachee & Associates (MPA) CEO Malani Padayachee-Saman. →

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Construction Gold Port Agriculture Automation Business CEA Education Engineering Environment Industrial Mining Projects Technology Training Welding Building Defence Efficiency Energy Innovation SECURITY System Systems Export Fabrication Seifsa Copper Storage supply-chain ... more

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