10
Mechanical Technology — February 2014
⎪
Proactive maintenance, lubrication and contamination management
⎪
T
he company of-
fer a full scope
of environmen-
tal products and
technologies, specialising
in systems that minimise the impact
of contamination on the environment
and surrounding areas, as well as
remediation services if contamination
does occur.
Overfilling, spillage and tank rup-
tures are persistent challenges in the
international mining sector where large
fast-fill fuelling systems pump diesel
at up to 1 000
ℓ
/min. An ineffective
overflow protection solution could,
therefore, equate to more than 16
ℓ
of
diesel being spilled per second – result-
ing in considerable environmental dam-
age and higher costs related to wastage
and downtime.
The Hydrau-Flo fuel filling valve
system is manufactured by Australian-
based mineral process equipment man-
ufacturer, Weir, and environmental man-
agement expert, Procon Environmental
Technologies, was appointed as an
P
rocon Environmental Technologies,
has officially appointed a new
managing director, Kuno Kerlen,
who boasts a wealth of experience and ex-
pertise in the international petrochemical
and mining engineering industries. Kerlen,
who took up the reins at Procon Environ-
mental Technologies in November 2013,
plans to increase Procon’s “geographical
footprint through expansion into strategi-
cally selected African markets”.
“A number of African countries offer a
great opportunity to expand our market,
especially since we offer such a unique
product range and service offering. Also,
we have plans to enhance our current
product offering through technical innova-
tion and add some exciting new products
to this portfolio,” he reveals.
Kerlen believes his knowledge of the
African mining and petrochemical market,
together with his engineering skills and
strategic management expertise, will as-
sist him in achieving his objectives.
“I gained experience as a petrochemi-
cal project manager in the Netherlands
and South Africa before moving into an
executive position in the petrochemical
and mining engineering sector. I also
have experience in the local automotive
supplier industry, dealing with OEMs as
a key account manager. I will be leverag-
ing all of this experience to achieve key
objectives,” he says.
Kerlen is optimistic about the future of
Procon and the environmental technolo-
gies market. He
believes that the
outlook is posi-
tive for the long
term, as South
African industries
are becoming more aware of their broader
social role in the communities in which
they operate.
“These companies understand that
polluting their local operating environ-
ment does not endear them to the local
communities and, by extension, the local
government. Procon is uniquely positioned
to benefit from this, as its products offer
superior performance compared to tradi-
tional systems, which often do not meet
environmental discharge standards.”
q
Procon Environmental
Technologies chair-
man, Andy Miller.
A cutaway of
the leak-free
Hydrau-Flo fast fuel filling
valve system.
Fuel overflow protection reduces waste
Today more than ever before, it is the responsibility of companies and their employees
to be aware of pollution and its environmental consequences. While the first principle of
environmental management is that prevention is better than cure, accidents and spills do
happen. It is for this reason that Procon Environmental
Technologies was established in 1993.
Procon’s new MD reveals the company’s 2014 objectives
authorised distributor
of the range in August
last year.
A c c o r d i n g t o
Procon’s, Andy Miller,
the Hydrau-Flo
range’s proven
zero spillage
c a p a b i l i t y
means that a
single mining op-
eration could save anywhere between
R1-m and R5-m per year by changing to
the Hydrau-Flo range. “Hydrau-Flo fea-
tures advanced zero-spillage technology
that substantially minimises safety and
environmental hazards associated with
fuel transfer,” says Miller.
Although new to the South African
market, Miller adds that Hydrau-Flo has
been tried-and-tested in Australia since
its introduction in 1997. “The product
has gained unprecedented popularity
during this time as a result of its zero-
spillage capabilities. This is clearly
evident in the fact that about 80% of
all heavy mining equipment in Australia
is now fitted with Hydrau-Flo.”
Miller says Hydrau-Flo is “a consid-
erably safer and more effective alterna-
tive” to industry standard pressurised
overflow systems. “In these types of
systems, the pressure does not entirely
prevent spillage, but rather slows it
down. And a large build-up of pressure
