Weba Chute Systems, a South African original equipment manufacturer specialising in custom- engineered chute systems, was honoured at the Exporter of the Year Awards hosted by the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC) on 21 November 2023. This event recognised the significant contributions of industry players, highlighting 18 companies that exported over R8.4 billion to 67 countries last year.

The companies were evaluated based on several criteria, including marketing strategy, export turnover, local content, and participation in export promotion activities. The process involved strict confidentiality and expert judgment, including site visits to finalists’ premises.

Weba Chute Systems

Weba Chute Systems, celebrating its 40th year of operation in 2024, has established itself as a leader in transfer point design and manufacture, boasting over 5000 chutes successfully operating worldwide. The company’s focus on quality has been a cornerstone of its success, leading to its recognition as the Allied Services Exporter of the Year 2023 for companies with a turnover between R100 million and R150 million a year.

Commenting on the significance of the award, Ted Cruickshank, Africa Business Development Manager, says that this accolade underlines Weba Chute Systems’ significant role in the industry and its contribution to South African exports.

On Friday 19 April, in a crucial step towards achieving justice for the children and women who allege lead poisoning caused by a former Anglo American lead mining operation in Kabwe, Zambia, the Johannesburg High Court granted permission to appeal an earlier judgment that dismissed certification of the class action. 

In granting permission Justice Leonie Wendell found that an appeal against her earlier judgment had ‘reasonable prospects of success on at least one ground of appeal’ and that there were ‘compelling reasons to grant the appeal, as class action law is still being developed in South Africa’, and that ‘there are current matters of law of public importance which directly implicate constitutional rights’. The Kabwe Claimants will now take their case against Anglo American South Africa (“AASA”) before the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa later this year. 

This is a major step forward in the longstanding lead poisoning class action claim against AASA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of London headquartered Anglo American Plc. The December judgment effectively blocked access to justice for the people of Kabwe. 

Scope of case

Kabwe was an Anglo American mine from 1925 to 1974. The evidence submitted to the court by the Claimants in support of this claim is clear. From the early 1970s, reports by the Mine doctors showed that several children had died  of lead poisoning from the mine, and a high proportion of  children in the local communities were suffering from massive blood lead levels.

Bosch Rexroth Africa recently supplied and installed a custom environmentally friendly and dust-proof lubrication dispensing system for a leading earth-moving equipment supplier. Used in workshop service bays, the solution consists of six oil systems and one coolant dispensing system that provide a safer, cleaner and more efficient lubrication supply during planned maintenance schedules. All these systems are fitted into one six- metre high-cube shipping container.

The containerised lubrication system offers a streamlined, safer and cleaner method to monitor and dispense lubricants, enhancing precision and efficiency in handling lubricants within workshops. In addition to reducing the occurrence of empty containers, the containerised lubrication systems provide dispensing units equipped with meters to manage the amount of lubricant dispensed. Craig Walkden, Business Development Manager, Bosch Rexroth Africa Development, a Bosch Rexroth Africa Group company, commented that the lubrication systems provide assistance in eliminating waste from overfilling and helps with fast effective lubricant replacement during planned maintenance. He points out that the reduction of empty containers is due to the centralised lubrication systems where lubricants can be stored in bulk containers and dispensed through hose reels directly into the units being serviced.

Walkden says that the dispensing units can assist with the depletion of contaminated oils and help the client improve housekeeping standards. The dispensing and refilling of seven 1 000 L Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC) will be done using seven pneumatically driven three-quarter inch double diaphragm pumps, each with its own changeover valves and in-line filter. This is achieved via seven, three- quarter inch Cobra NS600 spring retractable hose reels with 15-metre hoses fitted with three-quarter-inch high-volume non-drip oil dispensing nozzles, which is metered through resettable digital flow meters fitted for easy lubricant dispensing. Walkden points out that the airline is fitted with a drop-out particle filter and an airline filter/regulator/lubricator, which is piped up to the pneumatic pumps.

In addition to supplying and installing these systems, the scope of work included modifying the container by removing timber flooring and replacing it with a built-in drip tray covered by grating to form a work platform. It also included the supply and fitting of ventilation equipment and the fabrication of a hinged, lockable hose reel cabinet for easy access to hose reels and flow meters. Storage shelves were installed, and four IP67- rated 220V AC LED working lights were fitted inside the container. 50 mm-wide diamond-grade reflection tape for the full length of the container body was supplied, the container was sand-blasted and painted with a double-coat epoxy paint system. The final colour can be specified by the customer.

With its well established design and manufacturing capabilities in South Africa, Sandvik Rock Processing delivers customised and standard vibrating equipment solutions, including screens and feeders, to customers that enhance future flexibility.

Gideon de Villiers, Engineering Manager at Sandvik Rock Processing, says the company has built its success on decades of field experience – and the nurturing of its mechanical and metallurgical engineering skills base. Its 21,000 m 2 facilities, in Johannesburg South Africa, house modern workshop and testing facilities that are ISO 9001:2015 accredited and produce world class solutions for global markets.

“A key aspect of our design philosophy is to ensure that our customers can be more agile when their operational demands change,” says De Villiers. “This allows cost effective modifications to be made relatively quickly, without unduly disrupting production.”

In-house engineering

He emphasises that this is possible due to the depth of vibrating equipment related expertise that the company has developed, where in-house mechanical and metallurgical experts can come together to find screening and feeding solutions. It is also thanks to the far-sighted initial design of Sandvik Rock Processing’s screens, which carefully take into account the opportunities for future modification.

Polymer energy chain manufacturer, igus, has introduced a new lighter weight e-chain for cable management/protection applications with large unsupported lengths and high fill weights that was previously the domain of larger, more expensive energy chains.

The manufacturer’s “L” Lean variant has been specially designed for users for who its industry standard E4Q is too large. From the seventh robot axis in linear robot applications to machine tools, the igus E4Q-series energy chain has established itself in recent years in demanding applications with large unsupported lengths and high fill weights.

E4Q

The problem is that, in applications with medium loads (machine tools, woodworking, car washes etc.), the E4Q is oversized. One of the benefits is you have a larger inner fill area with the same outer specifications as the E4Q equivalent e-chain.

“To offer users the advantages of the E4Q in these applications as well and at a lower price, we developed the L version – the E4Q.64L,” says igus South Africa managing director, Ian Hewat. “Depending on the width, the low-cost version of the energy chain costs between 15% and 20% less than the E4Q.”

A change of fortunes for South Africa’s beleaguered textile sector depends on many factors – and leading operations and maintenance service provider to the steam and boiler sector, Associated Energy Services (AES), can make a material difference to its future success.

“AES has been active in the sector since the 1990s, and has first-hand experience of its implosion after trade liberalisation and an influx of cheap imports toppled less competitive local companies, leading to the loss of over 100 000 jobs. Now, we are well positioned to share our knowledge around energy optimisation, to make a real difference in the much-needed revitalisation of the textile sector,” says Managing Director, Chris Paterson.

Weaving a new textile tomorrow

According to Paterson, the company is already working with a large textile dyehouse in KwaZulu-Natal, looking at options for optimising its steam supply. “Most of the current hope and positivity within the textile sector hinges on key market changes. Overall, according to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the textile industry accounts for 14% of manufacturing employment (60 000 to 80 000 jobs) and contributes around 8% to GDP (gross domestic product).

According to the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster (CCTC), a not-for-profit initiative established by government and industry to boost competitiveness, the sector stabilised after 2014 by implementing best practices, lean manufacturing principles and a government-supported machinery modernisation programme,” Paterson points out.

Having built its reputation as a responsive and reliable partner in the field of dewatering, heavy duty slurry pump and dredging, IPR is now well positioned to provide customers with all they need.

Managing Director Lee Vine says that the company’s success is a combination of quality global brands and solid home-grown expertise. This allows IPR not only to represent and market the highest quality of equipment, but also to specify optimal solutions and design customised products that support customers’ efficient operation.

“Our professionalism over the years has led us into partnerships with the world’s leading pump manufacturers,” says Vine. “Among these collaborations is our role as master distributor for Atlas Copco dewatering pumps in southern Africa, as well as our agency across sub-Saharan Africa for the Toyo range of specialised heavy duty submersible slurry pumps.”

These brands, he explains, are today the core of a comprehensive rental fleet that drives IPR’s vision of becoming the leading player in dewatering and heavy duty slurry pumping. The IPR fleet has everything a customer needs – from electrical submersible pumps to diesel-driven pump sets – for a quick and sustainable response. Its success to date has also been underpinned by its design expertise and modern workshop facilities.

Making mines safer and more productive has long been the strategic intention of mine automation, and surface drill rigs are now part of this technological evolution.

According to Kabelo Nkoana, Business Line Manager for Automation and Digitisation at Sandvik Southern Africa, AutoMine® is available for Sandvik i-Series models in the company’s intelligent range of down-the-hole top hammer and rotary blast hole drill rigs. Mining customers in southern Africa have been embracing the functionality, and reporting positive results.

“Sandvik AutoMine® system essentially replicates the machine control system to enable remote automation over the mine’s Wi-Fi network,” he says. “There is an awareness that safety could be compromised when rigs are operating close to a highwall, or when there are unstable geological conditions on the bench. Automating a drill rig in these conditions is an important contributor to safety.”

Surface drills

Sandvik’s i-Series machines come standard with features such as the onboard data collection unit technology for engine operation and other major components. Various operational and machine health data from the sensors are collected in the OEM’s Knowledge Box, and transmitted to cloud storage for analysis and real time reporting to support informed and accurate decision making. This creates the foundation for the automation process, which also enhances reliability and performance.

Pilot Crushtec’s crushing and screening solutions are key for a wide range of applications within the energy minerals sector, and the company has built a significant footprint in these industry segments.

Wayne Warren, Sales Manager Africa at Pilot Crushtec, highlights that the company has crushing and screening equipment operating successfully in lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, copper and graphite operations in the region.

“The flexibility of our mobile and modular equipment allows customers to tailor solutions to match diverse ore characteristics and processing plant requirements. This adaptability is crucial, especially when dealing with variations within the same commodity category, like lithium ores that differ in behaviour,” he explains.

Pilot Crushtec

Pilot Crushtec’s equipment selection also considers material abrasiveness, minimising equipment wear by bypassing crushers when necessary. Their mobile equipment often includes pre-screening options as standard, reducing the need for additional screens.

Having witnessed that customers often need robust and compact on-site lighting, IPR now offers the range of Olikara lighting towers to suit every application.

The specialist pump dewatering company can now provide lighting solutions as part of its package, according to Warren Spann, Business Development Manager at IPR. The Olikara range of QubePower lighting towers includes three different sizes, and can be powered by diesel or petrol engines, solar or battery power, or mains electricity.

“All models share the ability to withstand the rigours of mining, infrastructure and industrial environments,” says Spann. “As a leader in pumping solutions, we can offer the Olikara QubePower range with the same attention to quality, support and maintenance that our customers have become accustomed to.”

Olikara range

At the smaller end of the range is the QubePower Mini – an ultra-compact, petrol driven unit with a 10 foot extendable tower with 400 W LED lights. In the mid-range is the QubePower model, a medium sized lighting tower powered by an air-cooled diesel engine and with its compact footprint this model allows more towers to be carried per truckload.