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GEA launches new valves for improved safety

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GEA has designed the VARIVENT MX with elements that keep products from mixing with the cleaning liquid, even under exceptional loads. – Image: GEA

Manufacturers of food and other hygienically processed products face the challenge of maintaining reproducible processes so that their products have the appearance, taste, and consistency that consumers expect.

GEA has designed the VARIVENT MX with elements that keep products from mixing with the cleaning liquid, even under exceptional loads. The cavity chamber is fitted with a vacuum self-drainage system and balancers on both valve discs. For maximum physical safety, GEA makes use of the Venturi effect which is created by the special shape of the flow channels, causing a vacuum on the opposite seal during lifting, preventing pressure increases. As a result, no cleaning liquid can enter the opposite pipe carrying the product while a valve seat is being lifted or cleaned, even if a seal is defective.

When new systems are set up and adjusted in a short time, there is a higher risk of overpressure during operation. The valve discs must stay in place when water hammer occurs, and the valve must remain closed. For this purpose, GEA has equipped the valve discs in both pipelines with balancers – pressure compensators. This makes the closed valve resistant to water hammer up to 50 bar in the upper and lower pipelines. The new MX valve type also has an integrated balancer cleaning device. It ensures that the balancer is completely flushed from the outside during seat lifting at the same time as cleaning-in-place is taking place. All surfaces in contact with the product can be cleaned without any additional components protecting the product from contamination.

The Top 10 pump business stories of 2021

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Ebara, Flowserve, Grundfos, Ingersoll Rand, Jabsco, Kirloskar Brothers, Seepex, SPX Flow, Sulzer, Tuthill, Vansan, Verder and Xylem feature in the 10 most-read business news stories on the World Pumps website during 2021.

Image: bht2000/Adobe Stock.

1. Ingersoll Rand to acquire German pump maker Seepex

Ingersoll Rand Inc has entered into an agreement to buy the German positive displacement pump manufacturer Seepex GmbH in a €431.5 million cash deal.

Seepex has an installed base of more than 210 000 pumps. – Image: tang90246/Adobe Stock.

2. Ebara to purchase Turkish pump maker Vansan

Japan’s Ebara Corp announced that it was acquiring Turkish pump manufacturer Vansan Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ in a US$108 million deal.

3. Kirloskar Brothers opens advanced technology division for nuclear applications

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL) has built a new Advanced Technology Product Division (ATPD) at the company’s Kirloskarvadi facility in India to manufacture products primarily for nuclear applications.

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd’s new Advanced Technology Product Division. 

4. Verder acquires Jabsco rotary lobe pump line from Xylem

The Verder Group has purchased the Jabsco rotary lobe pump product line from Xylem Inc.

5. Private equity firm to acquire SPX Flow in US$3.8bn deal

SPX Flow Inc has entered into an agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of private equity firm Lone Star Funds in an all-cash transaction valued at US$3.8 billion.

– Image: Péter Mács/Adobe Stock.

6. Sulzer to provide pumps for FPSO Anna Nery

Floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) services company Yinson has selected Sulzer to provide four large water injection pumps (WIPs) for the conversion of a former tanker into a new FPSO vessel that will operate in the Marlim oil field off the coast of Brazil.

7. Flowserve provides pumps for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine production

Flowserve Corp is supplying pumps, valves and seals to pharmaceutical company Pfizer to support the production of its Covid-19 vaccine.

8. Grundfos to acquire US water technology company MECO

Grundfos has entered into an agreement to acquire Mechanical Equipment Company Inc (MECO), a US group that engineers and manufactures water purification solutions for a range of industries.

9. Ingersoll Rand to buy Tuthill Pump Group

Ingersoll Rand Inc has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Tuthill Corp’s Pump Group in an US$84.6 million deal.

10. Grundfos reports solid 2020 results despite Covid-19

Danish pump company Grundfos has delivered a solid financial performance in 2020 with net turnover of DKK26 340 million and consolidated profit for the year of DKK1931 million.

The Abrams P-1 Explorer

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The Abrams P-1 Explorer

was an American purpose-designed aerial photography and survey aircraft that first flew in November 1937. The Explorer was designed by aerial survey pioneer Talbert Abrams, to meet his needs for a stable aircraft with excellent visibility for his work. Abrams was an early aerial photographer in World War I. He used a Curtiss Jenny post-war, forming ABC airlines. In 1923, Abrams founded Abrams Aerial Survey Company and in 1937, Abrams Aircraft Corporation to build the specialised P-1 aircraft.

At the time the standard single front-engined airplane of this era had many drawbacks for carrying out scientific photography. Abrams designed an aircraft with a rear engine to keep the camera apertures clean and reduce cockpit noise and used a delta type wing to facilitate side vision. He hired engineers Kenneth Ronan and Andrew Edward Kunzl, in Marshall, Michigan, who drew plans and began construction in the former Page Brothers Buggy Company factory.

To create the clear nose so the pilot had an unobstructed view, Abrams hired the German company Rohm and Haas, creators of Plexiglas. With a wooden model of each windowpane, the Plexiglas was clamped in a frame similar to a window frame. Heated until it began to sag, it was then pushed down by two workers holding the frame until it was moulded to the wooden model. The Plexiglas could then be trimmed and mounted in the framework. When the Explorer came back for restoration, the panels which had been heated were as clear as when new, though were destroyed due to abuse during disassembly.

The Explorer was a low-wing aluminium monoplane with twin booms and a central nacelle for the pilot and camera equipment. The pod’s nose section was extensively glazed in Plexiglas. The undercarriage was fixed and of tricycle configuration. Originally powered with a 330 hp (250 kW) engine and a two-bladed propeller, it was sent back to Ronan and Kunzul to increase the horsepower to 450 Hp. This change required braces to be added from the wing top to the fuselage and they added a three-bladed propeller, with Abrams hoping the increased power would attract a buyer.

World War II interrupted Abrams’s work and the single aircraft built was placed into storage for the duration of the war. Obsolete by the end of the conflict, it was donated to the US National Air and Space Museum in 1948, where it remains today awaiting restoration. In 1968, a group of aviation enthusiasts began a project to restore the Explorer, including Jim Linn, who worked at Abrams Aerial Survey, Ron Dietz, a student pilot and engineer at Oldsmobile Division of General Motors and Ellis Hammond, President of the Michigan Aerospace Educational Association. They worked with Don Lopez, the Assistant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to release the aircraft and in January 1975 the Explorer was transported in a Michigan National Guard Lockheed C-130 Hercules to the Capital City Airport in Lansing, Michigan.

The aircraft was moved to a state-owned hangar, where Dietz carried out careful photography before any disassembly was undertaken, as well as detailed tracings of all the lettering so it could be recreated accurately at the end of the project. The wings were sent to Montcalm Community College, where they were stripped, cleaned, repainted and recovered with silver painted fabric. The instruments panels and controls were disassembled and restored by Dietz’s colleagues at Oldsmobile.

The aircraft was physically moved to the Lansing Community College aviation programme. However, the restoration attempt was never completed; in 1981, the Lansing Community College truck driving school returned the plane to the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility of the Smithsonian, where it remains today.

Those persons who correctly identified this week’s mystery aircraft: Brian Millett, Ahmed Bassa,
Bob Gurr, Rennie van Zyl, Righardt du Plessis, P. Rossouw, Colin Austen, Wouter van der Waal, Hilton Carroll, Michael Schoeman, Alf Ljundqvist, Jan Sime, Selwyn Kimber, Pierre Brittz, Peter Gilbert, Ari Levien, Willie Oosthuizen, Brian Spurr, Mickey Esterhuysen, Danie Viljoen, Erwin Stam, Simon Tladi, Steve Duley, Gregory Yatt, Zack Fourie, Rex Tweedie, Andrew Peace, Kevin Farr, Andre Breytenbach, Lance Williams, Steve Dewsbery, Marcel Nijdam, Bruce Margolius, Lodewyk Schuermans, Dave Lloyd, Danie van der Merwe, Paul Randall, Roland Fisher, Johan Venter (39).

South Africa excels with ICAO safety index of +1

On Tuesday I attended the speech by the minister of Transport held at the SACAA’s offices in Midrand. Apart from being more than one hour late, the Minister delivered an excellent address from prepared notes about South Africa’s excellent aviation safety record. Of course, this applies to airlines in this country and not General Aviation, where there has not been any fatal accident for the past 30 years.

Minister Fikile Mbalula said “ICAO introduced a safety index as an indicator of a State’s safety oversight capabilities.  This metric looks at the oversight capabilities of each State against the traffic volumes and concentrates on the operations, air navigation and support functions of a State’s aviation system. In this regard, ICAO has rated South Africa with a safety index of +1, this being the highest positive rating any State can achieve. The last time South Africa was audited by ICAO on safety was in 2017 and the State achieved a safety compliance rating of 87.39% against a global average of 69,32%. South Africa is expecting to increase this current safety rating of 87,39% in March / April 2023 because the State has been included in ICAO’s next audit cycle.”

The remainder of his speech as well as several questions that journalists including myself asked will be discussed in the feature article to be published in the December edition of African Pilot.

MTBPS: Structural reforms, interventions vital for SA’s agricultural sector

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Agbiz has welcomed the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
Image source:

Image source: Gallo/Getty

“Growth and reforms” was a key theme of Minister Godongwana’s statement, with national treasury expecting the South African economy to grow by 5.1% in 2021, from a 6.4% contraction in 2020.

The emphasis on the government’s commitment to fiscal consolidation and structural reforms to lift economic growth is a welcome move.

In terms of structural reforms, the focus on improving the efficiency of South Africa’s logistics infrastructure to support export growth is one of the vital positive interventions for South Africa’s agricultural sector. “Our country currently exports nearly half of its agricultural products in value terms, and with the expected increase in production in the coming years, efficient ports and border posts will be key to sustaining South Africa’s agriculture,” says Dr John Purchase, Agbiz CEO.

Improving efficiencies

Moreover, the intention to ensure that Transnet Freight Rail allows third-party access to the freight rail network by the end of 2022 will also assist the agricultural sector, which has long desired to increase its share of products transported by rail.

“At the moment, over 70% of South Africa’s grains and oilseeds are transported by road. We want to reduce this percentage and increase the rail share,” added Dr Purchase. The consistent focus on improving the management of bulk water resources and fast-tracking the water use license application process to ensure that the 90-day target for issuing single-use water licenses is met is vital for the success of agriculture.

The finance minister’s signalling of the restructuring of state-owned companies, informed by assessing their strategic relevance, is a welcome move.

“For the agricultural sector, the priority is the Land Bank, which faces liquidity challenges. We hope that the government interventions will ensure that this critical institution continues to play a vital role in agriculture and is well managed. Agbiz will continue working with the government in this regard, as finance is increasingly a crucial part of the growth strategy in South Africa’s agriculture,” concluded Purchase.

SAB owner-driver programme to empower SA truck drivers

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South African Breweries’ (SAB) owner-driver programme, in collaboration with Wesbank and Man trucks, is set to handover over six trucks to its beneficiaries. The programme will see drivers lease and operate their own trucks to distribute SAB’s products from its various depots to retail outlets.
Image source:

Image source: Gallo/Getty

Sab aims to empower and equips entrepreneurs with vital business skills, access to finance geared to build and create sustainable businesses that grow their communities.

“Owning and running an effective truck business needs a strong understanding and knowledge of company costs, attending to strict vehicle maintenance and quality controls and intensive preparation for the various expenses necessary to run a transport business like mine,” says truck recipient, Gift Sithole. “Fortunately, the learnership programme I went through with SAB, prepared, and equipped me with logistics, financial and people skills to help manage and grow my business.”

Creating sustainable businesses

Sphe Vundla, corporate brand director, says: “A thriving SMME sector, powered by entrepreneurship and partnerships is central to the growth of the economy. We believe that through innovating the alcohol supply chain with initiatives such as the owner-driver programme, SAB has and will continue to positively impact the lives of individuals and communities across the country.”

N1 to close for geotechnical investigation, sinkhole rehabilitation

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Road users travelling southwards toward Johannesburg can expect road closures to allow for geotechnical investigations required for the rehabilitation of the N1 sinkhole near the Flying Saucer Interchange in Centurion, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited’s (Sanral) says. These investigations are required to complete the design of the remedial works required for the rehabilitation of the sinkhole to promote road safety and to allow for traffic to return to normal.
Image source:

Image source: Gallo/Getty

These investigations are required to complete the design of the remedial works required for the rehabilitation of the sinkhole to promote road safety and to allow for traffic to return to normal.

According to Progress Hlahla, Sanral northern region manager, the roads agency became aware of the sinkhole at the beginning of January and has since made efforts to prioritise the safety of all road users, including closing off affected lanes immediately, redirecting traffic and alerting the public on the situation.

“We have planned for further investigations of the N1 sinkhole from 6 February 2022. As a result, we will need to close the N1 Southbound between the Flying Saucer Interchange and Botha Avenue on N1/R21 from 11pm on Sunday, 6 February 2022 until 4am on Monday, 7 February 2022. Only one lane will be open during this period,” said Hlahla.

The closure is required for gravity survey testing taking place in the fast lanes of the southbound carriageway as part of the geotechnical investigations required for the remediation works on the sinkhole.

The duration of the closure will be kept as short as possible to avoid any further disruptions.

Motorist travelling southwards towards Johannesburg may consider using the following alternative routes:

• From Polokwane, offramp at Proefplaas Interchange (145) towards Pretoria CBD using the N4/M2 and join the M3 towards Fountains and join the N14.

From OR Tambo International airport, continue on the R21 towards Fountain circle and join the N14

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly, consider alternative routes and use caution when making use of the roads,” said Hlahla.

How fleet managers can keep their trucks and cargo safe on SA roads

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Truck hijackings in South Africa continue to affect the country’s economy. These crimes have been on the rise for some years now, with Police Minister Bheki Cele reporting one of the most considerable increases (31.7%) in truck hijackings just over a year ago.
Source: ©Taina Sohlman via

Source: ©Taina Sohlman via 123RF

Arrive Alive outlines several factors to help reduce the risk of hijackings, including the importance of drivers communicating with the control room and exercising caution when making unscheduled stops.

Here are some additional measures that fleet managers can implement to improve the security of their trucks and cargo.

Protect high-risk cargo

Cargo is at its most vulnerable when it’s in transit on the road because of the countless unsafe parking spots along its route and the time it takes to get it from one point to another. As a result, crime syndicates may attempt to steal it from a stationary or moving vehicle or hijack the truck carrying it.

SAB’s Road Safety Campaign promotes responsible consumption ahead of Easter

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Ahead of the April holiday season, the South African Breweries (SAB) has reiterated its commitment to driving a culture of responsible consumption in South Africa with several initiatives and activities planned across South Africa in partnership with government.
Source:

From the handing out of care packages to keep motorists energised, to road safety shows, to driver wellness centres, SAB is steadfast in its belief that safe roads are filled with responsible drivers.

Sphe Vundla, brand director for SAB Corporate, says, “We believe that when you drink, you should never drive, but there are other dangers present on our roads. Especially during the holidays. Now that the state of disaster has been dismantled, we have to be extra vigilant to keep our roads safe.”

This comes after SAB launched its own evidence-based responsible consumption platform. Through SAB Sharp, the brewer is able to tackle irresponsible behaviours associated with the overconsumption of alcohol with responsible driving being chief among them.

“With the impetus of Sharp at our backs, responsible driving has always been a key metric for us. When we launched Sharp, we set ourselves a goal of reducing alcohol-related road incidents and fatalities by 10%,” says Vundla.

Anchoring SAB’s efforts to reach this target is the creation and utilisation of Alcohol Evidence Centres (AEC). With a 10th AEC set to be handed over to provincial authorities in Dube, Soweto during the course of the year.

Over the years, these centres have become crucial in helping law enforcement test suspected drunk drivers and confirm their breath or blood alcohol limit using Evidentiary Breathalyser Alcohol Testing (EBAT) and registered medical practitioners. Following that, the AECs are all fully equipped to also ensure the evidence is properly collected and made admissible in court.

Live Sharp. Drive Sharp. Sell Sharp. Talk Sharp

With SAB Sharp targets in mind, and in partnership with the National Department of Transport and relevant provincial authorities, SAB has initiated and facilitated several initiatives in all corners of the country.

In the Western and Eastern Cape, care packages filled with snacks, water and an energy bar are going to be handed out to long-distance taxi drivers and motorists to help them keep hydrated and energised. These will be distributed at specific roadblocks set up on the provincial border between Beaufort West and Aberdeen.

In Gauteng, SAB, along with SAPS and JMPD will be hosting several road safety shows across the province as well as the Rand Easter Show.In KwaZulu-Natal, Driver Wellness Education points will be set up on 14 and 15 April at Caribbean Estate in Ugu District and Shel Midway in Escourt, respectively. “The main aim of these is to create awareness and provide information on the devastating impact of alcohol abuse on our roads during the Easter season and beyond,” says Vundla.

Vundla believes the key to creating a national sense of responsibility lies in partnerships. “As corporates, it is our duty to collaborate with government and civil society as we work towards a shared purpose of nurturing a more responsible and thriving society. For us, that means driving responsible drinking, especially on our roads during the holidays.”

Ctrack Index records strong first quarter

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The Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) has recorded a strong first quarter, thanks mostly to the increases in road freight. In addition, the Ctrack TFI has increased by 13% year-on-year despite higher fuel prices and ongoing pricing pressure from all sectors. “Not many economists expected the first quarter of 2022 to be as robust as it has been, but along with vehicle sales and the Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index, the economy exhibits strong overall growth,” says Hein Jordt, chief executive officer of Ctrack Africa.
Image source:

Image source: Gallo/Getty

Experts do warn that global factors such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to drive up food prices and the shut down of major economic hubs such as China due to Covid-19, will once again disrupt the supply chain just as it was starting to normalise.

Fortunately, bulk shipping prices have declined to levels last seen before the supply chain disruption. While container prices remain inflated, these increases have slowed.

The March numbers reveal that the overall Index improved on both a monthly and a quarterly basis. The 12,8% monthly increase is the fastest increase for the Ctrack TFI since early 2015 if one disregards the bounce from the extremely weak pandemic volumes during the hard lockdown.

The improvements can mostly be attributed to the global supply chain normalisation. In addition, Road Freight was once again a major contributor to the overall growth.

All sectors improve for the first time since June 2021

Road freight increased by 20,5% on a year on year basis, the strongest growth in normal times since the inception of the Index. Rail Freight increased by 1,5%, which reveals that internal demand in South Africa is a lot more robust than previously thought.

Last month we investigated the impact that retail customer orders have on the fast-growing courier and home delivery sector. To a large extent, the continued growth in the Road Freight sector is driven by this rising home delivery and online shopping trend, which is clearly changing the way we live and how we interact with others.

The one very weak sector that has continuously declined, rail, had a great month and quarter, which could indicate that the worst of the decline is over. In all likelihood, the floods in April will cause havoc in this sector, but the growth is welcomed for the moment.

The storage sector grew by 7,9%, which can be attributed to international containers being offloaded in our harbours for more extended periods than what was previously the norm.

Thanks to the recovery of the global supply chain, both the Sea and Air Freight sectors have been growing. Europe’s increased need for bulk commodities from China is likely to positively impact Sea Freight from South Africa.

According to the International Air Transport Association (Iata), air transport via specialised freighter aircraft has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Further growth is being hampered by the fact that passenger flight,,t schedules are yet to return to normal capacity. Currently, these aircraft, which carry freight below the deck, are only carrying a third of the capacity that they used to.

It can be expected that air freight will continue to increase as the international travel industry returns to normal levels in the next year or so.

Ctrack TFI linked to GDP growth

It is a well-known fact that in most countries, the transport industry and the countries’ GDP are closely linked. Similarly, the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index is linked to the South African GDP.

With this in mind, we believe that the 1st quarter GDP number will be robust, which should help the country’s growth in 2022. Transport numbers locally give a real indication of the economic activity, and it is expected that during 2022 we can expect growth of between 2,5 and 3%.

As measured by the Index, with the transport industry reporting good growth for the first quarter of 2022, the South African economy could have a better than expected year. However, this hinges on the effects of the recent floods in coastal areas and further price increases, which could hurt consumer and business confidence.

“With ongoing global and local challenges, the fact that the transport industry managed to show growth is proof of the resilience of the South African business environment and bodes well for the continued growth of the South African economy,” concludes Jordt.

C-Track

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Ctrack is a proudly South African supplier of Vehicle Telematics, Fleet Management and Insurance Telematics Solutions. Ctrack is in the business of keeping vehicles, fleets and their occupants Always Visible.
With over 35 years’ experience, a stolen vehicle recovery rate of over 95% and continuous investment in research and development, Ctrack is committed to making sure your vehicle or fleet is Always Visible.
Ctrack’s products provide safety and security for car owners and their families, control and cost savings for businesses and a wealth of fleet analytics for informed decision making for large enterprises.

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