sparks
ELECTRICAL NEWS
april
2013
April 2013
www.crown.co.za
IN THIS ISSUE
• Motor control centres andmotor protection
• Cables and cable accessories
• Lighting
14-19
20-23
24-27
FEATURES
• Contractors’ Corner
• Buyers’ Guide
• People on the move
REGULARS
2 –13
14–15
28
Artisan of the
Year finals loom
FREDVroomen, a pioneer in the electrical
industry for more than five decades has
hung up his hat after selling his third gen-
eration family business, ElektroVroomen to
ARB Electrical Wholesalers, with the effec-
tive date being 1 January 2013.
“The sale of ElektroVroomen to ARB
went without any hitches,”says Vroomen.
“My two sons – Michael and Shaun – are
still directors in the company, and they run
the two branches. ARB is a dynamic and
forward-thinking company, and we are
proud to be part of this group.”
ARB Electrical Wholesalers opened
its doors in Richards Bay in 1980 and,
with the recent acquisition of Elektro
Vroomen, now has a presence in nine
provinces and will continue to supply
customers in Bloemfontein and Kathu
with an increased range of products
including electric motors, overhead line
equipment, cables and conductors.
The acquisition has alsomeant other
changes for Vroomen.
Electrical industry stalwart retires
Fred Vroomen.
“For some 14 years I was also involved
with ElectroBase and subsequently Enerji
Electrical, which represent some 50 inde-
pendent wholesalers throughout Southern
Africa with a footprint in every region as
well as Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe,”
explains Vroomen.
“This involvement continued when I
retired from ElektroVroomen in 2009,
when we celebrated our 50th anniversary.
However, with the sale to ARB, I could no
longer be involved in ElectroBase or Enerji,
and had to resign as chairman.
“This has resulted inme having a lot
more time onmy hands. I have now fully
retired, as they say, and plan to spendmore
time travelling through our beautiful coun-
try and having fun withmy grandchildren.
Retirement also gives me the opportunity
to get more involved inmy stamp collec-
tion, photography andmusic, which I am
passionate about.”
His future plans, nevertheless, still
involve the electrical industry.
may possibly get involved in energy sav-
ing ,”he says, adding that the rise in sales
of solar heating, compact fluorescent
lamps, LEDs and heat pumps indicate that
the market is moving towards greener
technologies.
“Elektro Vroomen, with the backing of
ARB, will continue to provide a one-
stop supply solution for large and small
projects with competitive pricing and
service excellence,”he says.
“I still want to remain active in
the industry for as long as I can.
Over the years, I have made
many friends in the electrical
industry and I would like to
maintain those contacts.
I am looking at some options,
such as training of sales staff. I
IT is now a waiting game for the 27 finalists in the
Chemical Industries Education andTraining Authority
(CHIETA) inaugural National Artisan Skills competition
as they polish their skills for the finals inMay.With huge
cash prizes as an incentive, it is expected that the com-
petition will be fierce.
The 23 youngmen and four young women from
the electrical, instrumentation and fitting trades were
selected from81 semi-finalists who competed at three
centres across the country during February.
The 27 finalists will be put to the test over five days
fromMay 13 to 17 at the Nuclear Energy Corporation
South Africa (NECSA) in Pelindaba outside Pretoria, a
CHIETA accredited provider of education and training.
The competition will endwith a gala dinner – attend-
ed by Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande
– when the winners will be announced. Besides medals
and certificates, the winners in each trade will take
home R20 000, second place R10 000, and third place R5
000 – and all nine will also receive sponsored tool boxes.
Tshidi Magonare, apprenticeshipmanager at CHIETA,
says she has been delightedwith the response to this
first competition, which is based on theWorld Skills
Competitionmodel, for future participation.“Minister
Blade Nzimande declared 2013 as theYear of the Artisan
in an effort to promote the skills needed to drive this
country’s massive infrastructure programme – with the
greatest shortfall of artisans being in the electrical and
fitting trades – and this competition embraces those
objectives”.
The acting CEO of the CHIETA, Ayesha Itzkin, says,
“The CHIETAwas bold in taking this step to host the first
National Artisan Skills Competition.We hope that in
future this will become a national event, coordinated by
all relevant SETAs and other role players.”
www.chieta.org.za
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