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Manufacturing News

Counterfeit goods a costly threat to sector

By: Darren Parker 27th November 2020 An influx of inferior-quality competitive electrical connector products into South Africa is a threat to the local manufacturing industry, owing to their unreliability, says electrical connector supplier Alexander and Poole area manager Juanita Fisher-Hill. “The greatest offenders are companies... →

Panel on EIPs to feature at Indaba

By: Darren Parker 27th November 2020 The National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA) will host a panel at this year’s Manufacturing Indaba on industrial parks, the potential to transform them into eco-industrial parks (EIPs) and leveraging them for accelerated development. This year, the NCPC-SA, United Nations... →

HENRY NUWARINDA The Global Eco-Industrial Park Programme will ensure an added level of quality control and cost-efficiency

Role of CFO crucial as manufacturing moves to Industry 4.0

By: Schalk Burger 26th November 2020 Research conducted by industrial enterprise software company Syspro reveals that the role of the CFO within the manufacturing sector will be crucial as the industry moves towards increased digital transformation in the "new normal". CFOs are increasingly responsible for risk management in their... →

Seifsa recognises metals, engineering sector's top performers

By: Donna Slater 26th November 2020 Centurion Systems won the award for Most Innovative Company of the Year during this year's Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) Awards for Excellence. This year's ceremony was held in a Covid-19-compliant manner at Summer Place, in Boksburg, on November 25. →

Bombardier locomotives pass 10m kilometre mark on South African rail lines

By: Donna Slater 26th November 2020 Mobility technology company Bombardier Transportation reports that, as of November 26, its locomotive fleet provided to State-owned logistics company Transnet has successfully completed ten-million kilometres in service since operations began in December 2017. Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) in... →

Bombardier's Traxx Africa locomotives

BT Industrial goes from strength to strength with manufacturing diversification

26th November 2020 Plastic pipes manufacturer BT Industrial Group has extended its plastics-processing capacity to include polymer-based medical fabrics and components. Marleny Arnoldi attended a tour of the company’s cleanroom manufacturing facility. →

BT Industrial goes from strength to strength with manufacturing diversification

Fund helps South African universities unlock benefits of homegrown IP

By: Donna Slater 25th November 2020 Since its inception in February, the University Technology Fund (UTF) has approved six investments. Technology and innovation incubated in South Africa’s universities is, as a result, being commercialised and a step closer to commercialisation, creating significant economic, investment and job... →

SA SME Fund CEO Ketso Gordhan

Growth of South Africa's manufacturing sector must be accelerated, says consultancy

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 20th November 2020 Manufacturing is one of the sectors that can best assist in growing South Africa's economy and, therefore, the sector's growth must be accelerated, management consulting company Mandela and Associates CEO Dilley Naidoo said during the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association’s webinar on... →

S African-Italian trade dips but remains adequate

By: Darren Parker 20th November 2020 Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, a respectable $1.4-billion worth of goods has been exchanged between South Africa and Italy since January, according to Italian-South African Chamber of Trade and Industries (ItalchamSA) secretary general Pamina Bohrer. She explains that the bulk of this trade... →

TRADE-OFF Since Italy and South Africa were both subjected to strict lockdowns, trade between the two countries is expected to be significantly lower this year

Stronger advocacy needed to protect European business interests

By: Darren Parker 20th November 2020 The impact of Covid-19 on South Africa and Italy has highlighted the need for strong action to ensure that European business interests are protected in South Africa, according to a statement by Italian-South African Chamber of Trade and Industries (ItalchamSA) secretary-general Pamina Bohrer... →

PAMINA BOHRER European business interests need to be protected in South Africa

Partnership improves dry-type transformers access in Africa

By: Darren Parker 20th November 2020 Access to dry-type transformer technology has been boosted throughout Africa, following the partnership of South African transformer supplier Trafo Power Solutions with Italian transformer manufacturer TMC Transformers at the end of 2018. “The business prospects for TMC in Africa are quite good... →

DAVID CLAASSEN Dry-type transformer technology is safer and requires less maintenance

IBT construction reduces cost, time

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 20th November 2020 Student accommodation group STAG African says it can reduce construction time and costs for student accommodation using innovative building technology (IBT) – a first for Africa. “By using such technologies, developers can reduce building time by 40%, which has the effect of reducing associated... →

BUILDING CONSENSUS When the industry becomes more satisfied with this approach to building, and realises the cost benefits of IBT, the uptake of IBT in construction will increase

Increased use of light steel frame

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 20th November 2020 There is a significant increase in the use of light steel frame (LSF) in construction – despite it still being a relatively new building material in the South African market. This increase is mostly owed to the multitude of benefits it offers over traditional building methods, says LSF... →

FAR AND WIDE Futurecon plans to keep expanding the use of LSF in the large-scale commercial sector

BT Industrial goes from strength to strength with manufacturing diversification

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th November 2020 High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes manufacturer BT Industrial Group has extended its plastics-processing capacity to include polymer-based medical fabrics and components. MD Kgomotso Lekola says the company’s electrostatic melt-blown fabric is currently being used to produce FFP2... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Marleny Arnoldi
BT Industrial's cleanroom medical device manufacturing facility

Ramaphosa stresses South Africa’s gateway-to-Africa role as he seeks to reignite investment amid Covid

By: Terence Creamer 18th November 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa used the platform of the third South Africa Investment Conference to underline the country’s potential to act a gateway to the African market, as he sought to reignite investor interest in an economy that has been underperforming for more than a decade and has been... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
President Cyril Ramaphosa

More than 60 power firms signal intention to bid into ‘emergency’ scheme – IPP Office

By: Terence Creamer 17th November 2020 South Africa’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office reported on Tuesday that more than 60 respondents had signalled their intention, by the October 31 deadline for doing so, to participate in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP), through which... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
IPP Office CEO Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro

Pumping with flavour for multiproduct lines

By: Halima Frost 13th November 2020 Industrial equipment supplier Verder Group has recently redesigned the structure of its hygienic brands – this included rebranding and adding sanitary pump supplier JEC JR’s series of pumps to its diverse pumping portfolio under Packo. The Packo JRZS series of twin-screw pumps are suited to the... →

Verder Pumps Hygienic Product manager Kenneth Demeulemeester discusses the growing demand for multi-product lines in the brewery and winery industry. Camerawork: Halima Frost. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 19.10.20

Tech partnership brews beer from re-used water

By: Halima Frost 13th November 2020 Local water technology company Xylem has partnered with Berlin water utility Berliner Wasserbetriebe and the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water) to produce Berlin Reuse Brew. Berlin Reuse Brew is a beer made from purified and treated wastewater. →

Xylem Water Solutions treatment project manager Brendan van Wyk discusses the use of ozone and ultraviolet technology in the cleaning processes in breweries and wineries. Camerawork: Kutlwano Matlala. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 21.10.20

Sector recovery lies in collaboration – says cement maker

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th November 2020 The construction sector remains under pressure, despite the easing of the national lockdown to Level 1, and contractors need to work with materials suppliers to remain cost competitive, says construction materials company AfriSam. →

AfriSam readymix GM Amit Dawneerangen shares his insight on the state of the construction industry

Manufacturer selected as parts supplier

By: Halima Frost 13th November 2020 Subsequent to being shortlisted as a potential supplier of replacement parts, precision engineering company Vector Engineering has been selected as an official component assembly parts manufacturer for a critical filling line for global brewery Anheuser-Busch InBev SA (Inbev). “The parts were... →

FILLING THE GAP The parts manufactured by Vector Engineering for the filling line were reverse engineered to suit the requirements of the client

Infrastructure recovery roadmap mulled

By: Mamaili Mamaila 13th November 2020 If South Africa is to have any hope of economic recovery, no sector can afford to do things the way it did before 2020, says the International Zinc Association (IZA). →

REFINED STRUCTURES The construction of a new zinc refinery will reduce dependence on special high-grade zinc imports, and provide a much-needed boost for the construction industry

Online hub launched to boost home-grown mining equipment development

By: Donna Slater 12th November 2020 To increase local manufacturing and the attractiveness and attention thereof, the Mandela Mining Precinct (MMP) and the Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (Memsa) have launched the Technology Availability and Readiness Atlas (Tara). The launch on November 12 coincided with the... →

PPC enjoys higher retail-led cement demand

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th November 2020 Cement manufacturer PPC has advised that its sales volumes continue to rise after having experienced muted sales in April and May during the harder levels of lockdown in South Africa and other African countries. The company’s sales volumes started recovering in South Africa and Botswana in... →

Manufacturing output slows for 16th consecutive month

By: News24Wire 10th November 2020 Manufacturing data for the month September picked up slightly from the previous month, but output is still below levels recorded last year, according to Stats SA. Manufacturing data from Stats SA showed that production declined 2.6% year-on-year in September 2020. This is the industry's sixteenth... →

South Africa aims to nail down R664bn in investment pledges at Nov gathering amid Covid-19 ‘shock’

By: Terence Creamer 9th November 2020 The third yearly South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC), which will take place on November 17 and 18, will focus primarily on ensuring the investment pledges of R664-billion made in 2018 and 2019 are not derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Government also intends using the platform to... →

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel

Battery metals beneficiation holds ‘enormous potential’ for South Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 6th November 2020 There is “enormous potential” for South Africa, should the country pursue green industrialisation and its manufacturing sector invest in the beneficiation of battery metals and the manufacture of various green products, such as electric vehicles (EVs), Department of Trade, Industry and... →

Shift in strategy to maximise offering

By: Halima Frost 6th November 2020 Bearings manufacturer and distributor SKF held a virtual webinar last month to discuss the company’s three-pronged strategy shift to better meet client requirements. “The strategy has encouraged every part of the company to rethink the way it works, especially SKF’s core research and development... →

LEARNING CURVE The ability to re-look at the company's research and development strategy has been important to SKF during the Covid-19 pandemic

New bearing brand well received

By: Halima Frost 6th November 2020 Bearings and accessories distributor Bearings International (BI) says the range from bearing manufacturer Craft Bearings has drawn a positive response across different sectors, with notable successes in the food and beverage, agriculture and mining sectors. “BI was granted the status of exclusive... →

COMPREHENSIVELY CRAFTY The comprehensive range of Craft Bearings is now being distributed in South African and it's neighbouring countries

Bearing isolators faring well in bearings sector

6th November 2020 Bearings distributor BMG tells Engineering News that its Garlock Klozure and Guardian Bearing Isolators have fared notably well subsequent to being introduction to the BMG range of isolators. A bearing isolator is an advanced sealing solution that is used to protect bearings on rotating equipment... →

SURE SOLUTION The Garlock sealing solutions offered by BMG have proven effective in many environments

New welder with multipurpose capabilities

6th November 2020 Arc welding and cutting equipment manufacturing company Miller Electric has introduced the new Multimatic 235 multiprocess welding power source. This machine offers ease of use and higher output for professionals in manufacturing/fabrication, maintenance, repair, operation, construction... →

RANGE OF USES The new Multimatic 235 is ideal for manufacturing, maintenance, construction and general fabrication applications

Company holds premium reputation in valves industry

6th November 2020 Stainless steel and special alloy valves supplier Energy Valves, a division of single-source supplier of corrosion resistant and other specialist alloys EMVAfrica, holds a solid reputation as a leading supplier of premium quality valve solutions. “Several differentiating factors have earned us... →

LARGE HOLDING ENERGYValves boasts a vast stock-holding of its flagship range of competitively priced ball valves which can be considered as commodity products

Customised solutions to meet clients’ needs

6th November 2020 Engineering solutions provider BMG, which distributes hydraulic valves manufacturer Hydraforce’s range of proportional valves in Southern Africa, works closely with Hydraforce engineers and customers in diverse industries, to design and manufacture customised hydraulic control solutions. These... →

Latest equipment supplied to industry

6th November 2020 Engineering components provider BMG is committed to assisting industry create a healthy, clean and safe environment for welding procedures. This is achieved through the supply of the latest equipment and advanced technologies, supported by technical expertise, says BMG Tools and Equipment... →

EXTENDED RANGE BMG’s range of Jasic welding equipment comprises arc inverter welders, tungsten inert gas, metal inert gas metal active gas welders and plasma cutters

Industry body promotes support interventions for local foundries

By: Theresa Bhowan 6th November 2020 Industry support provider the National Foundry Technology Network (NFTN) is promoting pressure-equipment-directive support interventions in the local foundry industry and these interventions are in support of the localisation of pressure-equipment components such as valves and pumps. “The role of... →

SANDY MAJATLADI The role of the NFTN is to endorse a competitive market within South African foundries

Lack of local OEMs hinders valve industry

By: Theresa Bhowan 6th November 2020 The lack of local original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) has led to a low availability of valve components and spares – particularly during the Covid-19 period – which has, consequently, resulted in project delays, says engineering contractor Brimis Engineering. “During the national lockdown,... →

SLOW AND STEADY During the national lockdown, imports, and overall logistics operations, came to a halt with an assembly delay of between 12 weeks and 30 weeks

Flowmeters can reduce wasted energy

By: Cameron Mackay 6th November 2020 Specialised importer and distributor of industrial and electronic products Actum Group offers a range of energy efficient products to service a variety of industrial and electric applications. “In our energy efficiency range, we have world-leading brands that can help customers run not only a... →

Fibre-optic tech monitors bearing parameters

By: Halima Frost 6th November 2020 Bearing manufacturer and distributor SKF says its fibre-optic sensing technology used in its bearings to capture their working parameters, is “a world first”. The technology provides instant access to a variety of bearings data, including axial versus radial loads, polar lots of the bearing´s... →

FULLY LOADED The fibre-optic load-sensing bearings developed by SKF gather data such as load and stress on pumps and compressors at a distance

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