Since the late 1970s, OMV (Pty) Ltd has been reprocessing a waste gypsum dump created by a phosphate fertiliser plant in Potchefstroom. MechChem Africa visits this now modernised plant and talks to OMV mechanical engineer, Marinus van den Berg and the company’s MD, Oscar Goudriaan.

Recognised as a finalist in the SACEEC Exporter of the Year Awards held in Johannesburg recently, Kwatani is one of few local manufacturers to hold an ISO 9001:2015 quality certification as well as a Level 1 B-BBEE rating. Significantly, the company was placed in the Exporter of the Year Large category and came second in the Export of the Year Africa category.

MechChem Africa visits the South African manufacturing facilities of Multotec’s Gravity Separation division and talks to the unit’s general manager, Wynand Erasmus, about spiral technology and the company’s latest product enhancements.

At a CTC-hosted annual open day to showcase its Artisan 4.0 training initiative, managing director Johan Venter urged industry to start preparing for Industry 4.0 now, to enable them to take advantage of creative collaboration between automated machines and highly skilled people.

The latest version of Altair’s flagship simulation platform, HyperWorks, unifies design, engineering and manufacturing communities for faster than ever development cycles.

Evert Janse van Vuuren from Omron Industrial Automation in Johannesburg, South Africa, talks about the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) on production lines and unpacks the advantages of and the differences between cloud and edge computing.

Bosch Rexroth South Africa Group of Companies continues to invest in its production floors – with Hytec Engineering, the latest Group company to have optimised its manufacturing and repair operations.

Deon Crous, BMG’s national product specialist for NORD Drive Systems talks about ideal solutions for sewage treatment, while Kelly MacIver, BMG’s Gears Business Unit manager talks about the Varvel Brand and its new worm drive solution for the PV Solar industry.

“Digitalisation is moving on apace but putting it into practice requires a different way of working,” says Mattias Årstadius of SKF. Here he outlines how bearing specialist SKF is applying the technology to reduce downtime and improve machine performance.

MechChem Africa profiles SAIChE IChemE’s new president, David Lokhat, who is the academic leader for Chemical Engineering and head of the Reactor Technology Research Group at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). With a BSc, MSc and PhD in chemical engineering, Lokhat is an active researcher in the field of chemical reactor design and optimisation; and chemical kinetics, with a focus on process intensification.

Long renowned for high efficiency premium compressed air solutions, Atlas Copco Compressor Technique also supplies best-in-class air solutions to suit the full range of market needs, from economy to premium. MechChem Africa talks to business line managers JC Lombard of Oil-Free Air and Wayne Jacobs of Industrial Air about the company’s fit-for-purpose solutions approach.

In the conclusion of his state-of-the-nation address, Cyril Ramaphosa presents a wonderful image of what he hopes South Africa can become: a country where bullet trains pass through Johannesburg as they travel from Cape Town to Musina; a high-tech economy where advances in e-health, robotics and remote medicine are applied through National Health Insurance; and a South Africa that doesn’t simply export its raw materials but is a manufacturing hub for key components used in electronics, automobiles and computers.

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Does a real-life version of Valyrian steel, popularised by the Game of Thrones series, have the potential to revolutionise automotive markets? Given ongoing interest, perhaps it could, says Rebecca Pool to MechChem Africa.

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Janusz Luterek, a director of Pretoria-based Intellectual Property Practitioners, Hahn+Hahn, talks about the importance of seeking a provisional patent for an innovation before undertaking any research into its market potential.

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Allied Steelrode’s steel processing technology is driving optimised efficiencies within South Africa’s automotive manufacturing sector. Allied Steelrode general manager for sales in the automotive sector, Lee-Ann Geyser, explains.

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With the looming reality of further loadshedding across South Africa as we enter the winter months, the exploration of alternative energy sources and projects is high on the agenda particularly in response to the challenges the country’s power utility continues to face. Kate Stubbs, director: business development and marketing at Interwaste talks waste-to-energy for micro-generation.

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Cummins’ debut of the HSK78G natural gas generator series during Middle East Electricity (MEE) 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, represents a bold step into the gas arena for Cummins that pushes new levels of efficiency, transient performance and gas variation well beyond former natural gas generators.

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Sustainable energy solutions, technology and management company, NOVO Energy has launched its large-scale Natural Gas Compression (NGC) facility at the Highveld Industrial Park in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, the most advanced compressed natural gas infrastructure in the world. MechChem Africa attended the launch.

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WEG variable speed drives (VSDs) offer the agricultural sector reduced operating costs on automated water collection and irrigation systems with a reduction in energy consumption during periods when the pump motor speed can be reduced.

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Energy Engineered Products, Multi Alloys and E-Metals Cape have joined forces to create a powerful new brand, EMVAfrica, which has leveraged and streamlined each of the founding company’s strengths, expertise and experience.