N3 upgrade hailed Call to curb 'lawless' business forums NEWS that work has resumed on a series - KZN Industrial & Business News

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N3 upgrade hailed Call to curb 'lawless' business forums NEWS that work has resumed on a series - KZN Industrial & Business News
ISSN NO: 1562 -5702

N3 upgrade hailed
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2021								R20.90 (incl. VAT) 		                                                                                                       			                       ISSUE NO. 127

 Call to curb ‘lawless’ business forums
N
       EWS that work has resumed on a series
       of upgrades to the N3 highway – esti-
       mated to be worth a total of R18.4 bil-
lion – has been widely welcomed by the
KwaZulu-Natal business community. But it
has also prompted warnings that intimidation
from ‘business forums’ could raise costs and
hamper progress on these vital projects, some
of which are already scheduled to take up to a
decade to complete.
   The South African National Roads Agency
(SANRAL) recently announced the resumption
of the upgrades, starting with the 16.4km por-
tion of the N3 between the Dardanelles inter-
change and the Lynnfield Park interchange
between Cato Ridge and Pietermaritzburg.
This follows the recent completion of the
Hammarsdale interchange.
   The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic
Development, Tourism and Environmental
Affairs has welcomed the upgrade, which it
believes will alleviate congestion on roads
around the port and on the crucial N3 corridor
linking the port of Durban to the hinterland,
and South Africa’s economic powerhouse,
Gauteng.
   Department spokesman Bheki Mbanjwa said
Transnet had projected that the port was likely
to exceed its maximum capacity of 5.5 mil-
lion TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container
units) by 2035 and that the N3 improvements
would help ensure “less discomfort” for non-
commercial road users until sorely needed rail
efficiencies were implemented.
   “The upgrade of the N3 will ensure ease of
traffic movement and the continual mainte-
nance will reduce fatalities on our roads. The
long-term benefits to both the commuter and to
the economy at large far outweigh any incon-
venience,” he said.
   SANRAL Eastern Region Project Engineer
Corné Roux said work now underway on the
R1.48 billion Dardanelles to Lynnfield Park         The N3 upgrades, combined with the recent completion of the Hammarsdale interchange will significantly enhance access to the area, rapidly
stretch of the project would create an esti-        developing into a major logistics hub. This encompasses the 152ha Keystone Park development which houses warehouses for the likes of Mr
mated 700 employment opportunities.                                 Price, Ackermans and Malda Pack. Work recently commenced there on a R1.3bn mega-warehouse for Pepkor
   The work is being carried out by Raubex
and is one of two new projects SANRAL has         Chief Executive Palesa Phili welcomed the           tive for business confidence which directly cor-   this recurs.
awarded to the JSE-listed construction group      upgrades, saying they promised to shorten           relates with employment creation. The recently       “Given the scale of the N3 upgrades it would
worth a combined R2.87 billion – the sec-         turnaround times for freight-carrying vehicles,     completed Hammarsdale interchange has              be devastating to all parties if similar lawless-
ond being upgrades to the N2 between the          reduce accidents and increase profitability.        been excellent for the entire region. Anyone       ness was to take root.”
KwaMashu interchange and the Umdloti River        She said the Durban and KZN economy relied          driving along the N3 can see new platforms           He said the association was engaging
bridge, due to start in May 2021.                 on the logistics and transport sector, and the      and structures going up and occupancy lev-         SANRAL monthly so that local businesses are
   The N3 upgrade forms an integral part of       upgrades would contribute to economic growth        els in the area are reaching all-time highs,”      aware of progress.
the government’s Strategic Integrated Projects    provided they were executed effectively.            said Kotze, who also chairs the Infrastructure       “In support of the HCRDA vision, to make
SIP2: Durban-Free State-Gauteng Logistics            Kelvin Kotze, Development Manager at the         workstream of the Hammarsdale Cato Ridge           Hammarsdale and Cato Ridge a better place
and Industrial Corridor. SIP2 aims to strength-   Hammarsdale Industrial Park also welcomed           Development Association (HCRDA).                   to work and live, the HCRDA is working closely
en the logistics and transport corridor between   the “much needed” upgrades but cautioned               “Work stoppages due to business forum           with eThekwini Municipality, the South African
South Africa’s main industrial hubs, improve      that the construction process would be chal-        intimidation however lengthened that project       Police Services and other important stakehold-
access to Durban’s export and import facilities   lenging for its users given the project scale and   considerably with unnecessary cost to the          ers. Cooperation is essential if this region is to
and raise efficiency along the corridor.          time frames.                                        contractor and users,” he said, adding that law    achieve its full potential,” Kotze said.
   Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry           “New and functional infrastructure is impera-    enforcement must act swiftly and decisively if                                            Enquiry no: 1

                                                        Instrumentation,                                                                                                   Consulting
                                                     Measurement & Control                                                                                             Engineers & Project
INSIDE

                                                             - page 6                                                                                                  Management - page
                                                                                                                                                                               11

                  Pulp heavyweight                                                                 Pumps, Valves,                     Engineering &
                  green lights KZN                                                                Pipes & Fittings -                 Allied Supplies -
                   biorefinery pilot                                                                   page 8                             page 10
                    plant - page 3                                                         Company & Product News - page 12
N3 upgrade hailed Call to curb 'lawless' business forums NEWS that work has resumed on a series - KZN Industrial & Business News
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                                                                                                                                                                                           February /March 2021
                                                                                                                                                                         KZN Industrial & Business News

   R217bn budget boost for                                                                                                                                                Stop AARTO now to
                                                                                                                                                                         prevent ‘grand scale’

 economic growth programmes
                                                                                                                                                                       looting, says road freight
                                                                                                                                                                                  body
                                                                                                                                                                       T   HE Road Freight Association (RFA) has

A
      total of R217 billion will be spent over the                                                        Competition for business incentives including                    called for an immediate halt to implementa-
      next three-years on ambitious economic                                                              manufacturing, special economic zones, the                   tion of the Administrative Adjudication of Road
      development programmes aimed at pro-                                                                clothing and textile sector and services sector              Traffic Offences Act (AARTO), citing fears of
moting faster and sustained inclusive economic                                                            development.                                                 “grand scale” theft and corruption.
growth, according to National Treasury in its                                                                These incentives will support the national                    This follows the recent suspension of the
recently revealed Budget Review document.                                                                 industrial strategy.                                         Road Traffic Infringement Agency’s (RITA’s)
   Over the medium term, R14.6 billion is allocat-                                                           The Department of Environment, Forestry                   Chief Executive Officer, Japh Chuwe, amidst
ed to finalise outstanding land restitution claims                                                        and Fisheries has been allocated R1.2 billion                allegations of “serious maladministration” by
and support land reform initiatives, including for                                                        over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework                   the Auditor-General.
subsistence and smallholder farmers.                                                                      (MTEF) period to support climate resilience                      AARTO is scheduled to be implemented in
   An additional R1.2 billion in the blended                                                              initiatives, including a legislative framework,              July this year.
finance programme is earmarked for emerging                                                               intergovernmental coordination, and job resil-                    “Whilst we welcome the uncovering of cor-
commercial farmers.                                  Smallholder farmers have been identified as          ience plans.                                                 ruption, it would be irresponsible and reckless
   According to the document, an allocation          one of the programmes to drive the economy              Expenditure in the function will rise from                for government to proceed with the implemen-
of R81.6 billion over the medium term will                                                                R191.9 billion in 2020/21 to R217.2 billion in               tation of AARTO,” said RFA Chief Executive
support the expansion of public employment           ing the local production of ventilators, nano        2023/24. This was despite the baseline for this              Gavin Kelly, adding that the association had
programmes while a further R1 billion is set         satellites, hydrogen fuel cell technologies, and     functional group being reduced by R11 billion                over the years expressed concern and uneasi-
aside to enhance accountability for waste man-       renewable energy research development and            over the medium term.                                        ness about AARTO and its susceptibility to
agement.                                             pilots.                                                 “This mainly affects compensation of employ-              fraud, corruption, and money laundering.
   “This funding will support the development           The pilots include the KwaZulu-Natal              ees, transfers and subsidies, and selected                       “The RTIA’s latest announcement is con-
of a new tyre waste industry plan, the review        Research Innovation and Sequencing                   goods and services including in the Expanded                 firmation of our worst fears. Once AARTO is
of producer responsibility regulations and the       Platforms.                                           Public Works Programme. The reductions                       implemented, the RTIA will be handling billions
development of a Waste Economy Master                   Treasury said the Small Enterprise Finance        affected allocations to entities and incentive               of rands. How can we now trust the entity –
Plan,” Treasury said.                                Agency has been allocated R885.3 million over        programmes such as the Comprehensive                         especially when the dishonesty and corruption
   A R540 million Tourism Equity Fund has            the same period for a blended finance model          Agriculture Support Programme, manufac-                      is allegedly at the highest level in the agency?
also been established to support black-owned         to support small and medium enterprises, and         turing development, the Clothing and Textile                     “We already face huge corruption, extorsion
and commercially viable enterprises to acquire       allocated R2.9 billion under the Township and        Competitiveness Programme, global business                   and intimidation at the hands of traffic police
shares in tourism enterprises.                       Rural Entrepreneurship Fund to support small         processing, film and television, tourism and                 on a daily basis and this latest development
   Over the medium term, R5.3 billion has been       businesses in rural areas and townships.             small business support,” Treasury said.                      has highlighted how rampant dishonesty is in
set aside for the Department of Science and             To support industry, R17.1 billion is allo-                                               – SAnews.gov.za      the public service – especially in the traffic law
Innovation to scale up interventions support-        cated to the Department of Trade, Industry and                                                   Enquiry no: 2    enforcement and management structures.
                                                                                                                                                                           “These allegations have undermined what
                                                                                                                                                                       little faith we had in RTIA. If the system is

           Local steel
                                                                                                                                                                       implemented, we envisage theft on a grand
                                                                                                                                                                       scale.”
                                                                                                                                                                           Kelly said the RFA was again proposing that
                                                                                                                                                                       AARTO be shelved, alleging that it “is all about

        industry on the
                                                                                                                                                                       generating revenue and not at all about road
                                                                                                                                                                       safety”. Huge administrative resources would
                                                                                                                                                                       be required to implement and sustain an
                                                                                                                                                                       “antiquated and cumbersome” system, putting

      ‘brink of implosion’
                                                                                                                                                                       additional burdens on already-overburdened
                                                                                                                                                                       government authorities and the private sector.
                                                                                                                                                                           He said that the Road Traffic Management
                                                                                                                                                                       Corporation (RTMC) – another Agency of

L
     OCAL steel manufacturer Duferco Steel           Commission (ITAC) to treat our urgent applica-                                                                    the Department of Transport – already costs
     Processing raised the red flag over the         tion for assistance dating from July 2020 with       a new solution does not address the critical                 motorists hundreds of millions of rands a year
     local steel industry, saying its imminent       any seriousness.”                                    downstream shortages. We need tariff relief                  in levies imposed on all eNatis transactions.
collapse is one fateful step closer.                    While ITAC recently sent out a survey on          now to be able to import the raw product that                    “This was supposed to be a temporary
   Managing Director Ludovico Sanges said            the shortages, based on a directive from the         AMSA cannot supply reliably and competitive-                 measure to get the RTMC on its feet. Like all
President Ramaphosa’s emphasis in his recent         Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition,         ly, to feed the downstream steel industry with               other levies, this has become permanent with
State of the Nation Address on the need to           “the truth is that we cannot hold out too much       the product it needs.”                                       no added value to citizens. The RTMC needs
accelerate South Africa’s economic recovery          longer”.                                                “Without competition in the re-roller sector of           to step up and do its job, that is, to manage
and grow jobs was at odds with the way in               He said the commission had sent similar           the steel industry, the whole steel value chain              road traffic according to proper traffic manage-
which local steel manufacturers’ pleas for help      requests to the industry before, claiming that       will be compromised and prevented from pro-                  ment strategies with effective centralised road
are being ignored.                                   the latest one was merely a delaying tactic,         ducing product at the best possible price.”                  safety interventions and operational manage-
   He said Rampaphosa had specifically men-          “which does nothing to address ArcelorMittal            He said government had shown that it was                  ment.”                                 Enquiry no: 6
tioned steel as one of the 42 products that can      South Africa’s anti-competitive and monopolis-       able to play a positive role in nurturing the
be sourced locally.                                  tic behaviour”.                                      automotive and sugar industries. “Why is it
   “But the local industry is on the brink of           “The solution, which has been on the table        not taking the same proactive approach to
catastrophe due to the shortage of steel in          for months, is to provide tariff relieve for re-     the steel industry on which multiple industries
South Africa and the apparent unwillingness          rollers to help reduce the shortages in the local    rely?”
of the International Trade Administration            steel supply chain, yet ITAC’s drive to identify                                                 Enquiry no: 3

   Covid crisis puts health and safety of                                                                                                                                     P O Box 1322 Wandsbeck 3631

          temps under spotlight
                                                                                                                                                                         Tel: (031) 266 7511 Fax: (031) 266 7514
                                                                                                                                                                            Email: editorial@mediaevents.co.za
                                                                                                                                                                                www.kznindustrialnews.co.za

           by Natashia Barnabas                      level of involvement assisted in ensur-                         easier to train employees on the                         Managing Director: Janet Coom
                                                     ing compliance and accurate report-                             basics of the OHS Act. They need to

A
        CCORDING to employment legisla-              ing. Not only does this solve the prob-                         be able to identify hazards and risk,                          Editor: Alan Cooper
        tion, temporary employment service           lem, but it also adds value through                             how to report on them and manage                       Email: editorial@mediaevents.co.za
        (TES) providers are regarded as the          collaboration and being part of the                             efficiently.
employer of any TES worker placed within             clients’ planning and implementation                              TES providers also assist with,                         Sales & Marketing Manager:
a given organisation. However, according to          of health and safety protocols.                                 for example, legal requirements                                  Cheryl Murphy
the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)                In reference to the recent COVID-                            of health and safety during a time                      Email: cheryl@mediaevents.co.za
Act, the TES provider is not regarded as the         19 outbreak, many organisations did                             of a pandemic. Organisations can
employer, which means the responsibility of          not have the capacity and the insight                           adhere to the statutory laws in terms
the employees’ Health and Safety lies with the       to effectively deal with the protection                         of appointments, however, seldom                    Any news items, press releases, articles and
organisation itself.                                 of their employees. As a result, the                            apply thought to the enforcement                   photographs relating to business and industry
   This becomes a challenge due to the fact          importance of TES providers became                              and operational aspects of Health                 in KwaZulu-Natal are welcome. All contributions
that a TES provider is responsible for the man-      more evident than ever. The pan-                                and Safety. The TES industry can                         will be considered for publication.
datory reporting and if needed, the payment of       demic has subsequently resulted in some              therefore play a much larger role in the health
any injuries on duty (IOD) which pertain to the      organisations depending on TES providers to          and safety of employees through regular                      Disclaimer: The editor and management of KZN
OHS Act. This becomes particularly relevant in       assist them with relevant resources.                 engagement with employees and clients to                      Industrial & Business News make every effort
high-risk industries such as mining, manufac-           In this regard, TES providers can assist          discuss health and safety in the workplace.                   to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this
turing and warehousing to name a few.                organisations with services ranging from legal       Both TES providers and their clients all need to                                   publication.
   Despite the fact that the OHS Act states that     expertise, healthcare, finance and training, for     manage their workplace protocol which helps                  However, no warranty is made and no responsi-
the TES provider is not responsible for health       which organisations may not have resources.          them abide by the OHS Act.                                   bility will be borne by the editor or management
and safety, but rather the client, TES providers        Health and safety is in itself a complicated        Health and safety is there to protect us all,              of consequences of any actions based on infor-
still play a vital role in assisting clients with    process to implement and ensure the compli-          whether one is in a management position or                                     mation published.
their compliance to the OHS Act. This is usu-        ance thereof. With the addition of COVID, this       a junior role. Workers should all abide by the                    The views and opinions expressed in this
ally done by ensuring basic inductions based         has become even more cumbersome to clients           same rules and regulations in order to protect                 publication do not necessarily reflect those of
on the various industry requirements and fun-        to manage and enforce. TES providers should          themselves and their colleagues against any                             the editor and/or management.
damental protective equipment requirements           be included more holistically in their clients’      harm or injury in the workplace. The TES
are met.                                             implementation and enforcement of health and         industry, even though not recognised as a key
   However, over the past few years the TES          safety regulations.                                  player by the OSH Act, can and must play                     PUBLISHED BY: Hentiq 1910 (Pty) Ltd t/a THE MEDIA &
industry has adjusted its operating processes           In relation to the challenge stated previously,   a bigger role in the health and safety of its                                  EVENTS CO
to overcome some of these challenges by              the responsibility of employee safety – whether      employees and that of its clients.                             Reg No. 1999/019445/07 COPYRIGHT: All rights
becoming more involved with their client’s           employed permanently or contractually – can             Natashia Barnabas is Industrial Relations Specialist at                       reserved
operations. By streamlining processes and            be well split between TES providers and their                                    Workforce Holdings Limited
making them more transparent, the deeper             clients. When working together, it becomes                                                       Enquiry no: 4
N3 upgrade hailed Call to curb 'lawless' business forums NEWS that work has resumed on a series - KZN Industrial & Business News
February / March 2021
KZN Industrial & Business News                                                                         news                                                            Follow us on Twitter
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          Pulp heavyweight green lights
           KZN biorefinery pilot plant
S
      APPI has announced further progress in        commercial furfural plant at the mill.                 ket uses, including resins, solvents and                         South Africa, earning additional for-
      the development of its biorefinery capac-        Sappi CEO Steve Binnie (pictured) said,             platform chemicals to replace oil-based                          eign exchange and supporting the
      ity with the confirmation that it will con-   “We are very happy with the progress being             chemicals.                                                       country’s balance of trade.”
struct a pilot plant using technology developed     made by our biorefinery team. Biomaterials                He said the location of the commercial                           Turning to the markets which
in-house to prove the feasibility of a future       and biochemicals are integral to Sappi’s strat-        plant at an existing mill site would deliver                     the pilot plant will enable Sappi
commercial furfural plant.                          egy of extracting maximum value from wood              strong integration synergies, and the                            to explore, Kruyshaar said, “The
   The plant will be located at Sappi’s Saiccor     fibre, our natural and renewable resource. We          cost advantages offered by Sappi’s scale                         future commercial furfural plant will
Mill on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast and           have taken a significant step towards generat-         mean the company will have a globally                            be one of the largest, lowest cost
will use the co-product of the dissolving pulp      ing meaningful revenue from this new business          competitive cost base for furfural produc-                       and sustainable production facilities
process. It should be operational early in 2022.    segment”.                                              tion.                                                            in the world. It will be unique in using
Pending successful paper and pulp results              Louis Kruyshaar, EVP for Sappi Biotech said            “In addition, Sappi will be able to use its       wood-based feedstock from the dissolving pulp
and further approvals it the pulp and paper         furfural is a sustainably sourced bio-chemical         existing competencies in logistics and cus-          process, ensuring all year-round feedstock
multi-national plans to build a “world-scale”       with a variety of established and future mar-          tomer service to support global customers from       availability and production”.            Enquiry no: 7

Conveyor benefits stack up for Estcourt quarry
B
       LUROCK Quarries, whose opencast pit is                                                                 While this is no longer a factor, as the             “It’s a quiet machine and the ergonomics
       an institution in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal,                                                          local municipality is proactive in work-             are great. It also came standard with pro-
       recently took delivery of a Finlay TC-80                                                            ing with its large power consumers to                tectors on the front screen and top of cab.
Tracked Conveyor.                                                                                          reduce demand when necessary to avoid                “A 40t machine would have to work all day to
   This was after Chief Executive Officer                                                                  load shedding, Blurock Quarries enjoys               supply product to the static and mobile plants
Jeremy Hunter-Smith saw the unit in operation                                                              the flexibility provided by these machines.          whereas now we have a portion of the day
at a Bell Equipment customer open day.                                                                     In addition to the Finlay Conveyor, Blurock          where our Kobelco can be used to remove
   He said the company had been looking at a                                                               took delivery of a Kobelco SK500HDLC-8               overburden because it’s so efficient. We’re
stacking conveyor for several years, trying to                                                             Excavator and a Bell L2106E Wheeled Loader,          really chuffed we did the stats to make sure we
see where it would best benefit the operation.                                                             both of which are fitted with rock buckets,          bought the right size machine for our operation.”
   “Seeing it work, we should’ve bought one                                                                auto greasing systems and reverse cameras.           Commenting on the new Bell Wheeled Loader,
four or five years ago. For anyone manufactur-                                                             The Kobelco is Blurock’s primary production          Hunter-Smith said they previously operated
ing base and subbase products out of a mobile                                                              machine that feeds rock from the muck pile           two Bell L2606E machines.
plant it should be a standard part of the kit.”                                                            into a fleet of Bell ADTs that deliver the rock to      “We ran two because we always had one
   Hunter-Smith said one of the main benefits                                                              the static and mobile plant.                         in the quarry pit itself loading certain prod-
has been freeing up a wheeled loader. “With                                                                   “With the excavator, we were looking at a         ucts from the muck pile, but we’ve real-
mobile crushers the conveyors are always                                                                   smaller machine but when we did our stud-            ised that it’s not cost effective and to rath-
close to the floor, so you need a permanent                                                                ies again, we realised we needed the larger          er utilise excavators, which are made for
wheeled loader in the area, which means fuel                                                               machine. We weren’t happy with the fuel con-         that environment. Tyre damage running
burn as well as the risk involved and the inter-                                                           sumption on the competitor machine that we           into the muck pile was the main challenge.
action with the lower conveyors and people                                                                 own, so we bought the Kobelco.”                      “Now we have one L2606E loading interlinks
moving around the plant.                                                                                      He said the new machine is considerably           and the Bell L2106E, which is dedicated to our
   “In the same application our TC-80 uses a                                                               more fuel efficient at 28l/hr compared to the        wash plant, to handle the washed product. We
meagre 3,5l/hr compared to a wheeled loader                                                                33l/hr of its predecessor, delivering the twin       opted for a smaller machine because the main-
that burns 15l/hr. Now with the conveyor, our                                                              benefits of fuel saving and the productivity of      tenance and fuel burn are less.”
wheeled loader works half the time. It’s not hav-                                                          the larger machine.                                                                           Enquiry no: 8
ing to feed a machine plus then take product          Bell Equipment Sales Representative, Keith
away. Now it only feeds the mobile plant and           Milne, with the Chief Executive Officer of
we can utilise it to load customers’ trucks when        Blurock Quarries, Jeremy Hunter-Smith
before we would need to bring in an additional
loader. It contributes hugely to efficiencies in    ary section on the static side. Its versatility
each section of our mobile crushing operation.”     has been unbelievable. The next day it was
The TC-80 has also proved versatile. It was         back to the wash plant again to carry on
initially earmarked to work on base and sub-        work there. That is the advantage of mobile
base materials – G7, G5 and G2 – that are           plant, and the adjustable height is useful too.”
manufactured out of the mobile plant.               Hunter-Smith admits that one of his con-
   “When it arrived, we put it on our G5 pro-       cerns was the segregation of product from
duction, where it worked perfectly. When we         the conveyor but with the adjustable height
stopped that line the guys were keen to utilise     this isn’t an issue and Blurock is able to build
it at our wash plant because they could see         a much larger stockpile with the TC-80 than
the advantage of it, so it moved straight to our    those that are under the conveyor belts on its
wash plant creating the same time and cost          mobile equipment. With a discharge height of
benefits.                                           10m, the TC-80 can supply 300t/hour and is
   “Then we ran into another snag when our          therefore more than capable of handling the
static primary went down and the guys put           150t/hour production rate on the mobile plant.
their heads together and said they’ll use the       The mobile plant includes a Finlay J1175 Jaw
stacker to directly feed one of our static crush-   Crusher that feeds into a Finlay C1540RS
ers. We limped along but we were able to            Cone Crusher, and two Finlay 694 Triple Deck
get product through. We brought the product         Screens, which were bought with load shed-
to the stacker so it could feed our second-         ding in mind.

       Durban sustainability expert
       nets key global appointment
W
          ASTE       management        company      and I am proud to work for such a strong val-
          Averda has appointed two rising           ues-led company. It’s also uplifting to work for
          stars, Brindha Roberts and                          a company so supportive of women
Mariam Ansari, as Group Director of                           in leadership roles within the waste
Sustainability and Director of Plastics                       management sector, which is still
Recycling respectively.                                       very male-dominated,” Roberts said.
   According to a statement from the                            Ansari will lead Averda’s expan-
company, the global appointments                              sion in the plastics recycling sector,
reflect its “strategic focus on fostering                     working with the solutions & inno-
the circular economy in the emerging                          vation team, business development                                                                 If its not INVAL, it’s not Invincible
world as well as its commitment to                            executives and external partners to
staff diversity at a senior level”.                           identify and develop opportunities to
   A Durban native holding a mas-                             grow the company’s plastics recycling
ter’s degree in chemical engineering,                         portfolio.
and a graduate of University of Stellenbosch           With a master’s degree from Warwick
Business School, Roberts’ career has seen           Business School, UK, she joined the Averda
her hone her skills at Mondi Packaging, Sappi       Academy Programme in 2010 and has since
and Kimberly-Clark before bringing her exper-       steadily progressed through a series of
tise to Averda.                                     increasingly senior roles across the business,
   She has been Averda’s Head of                    including managing the company’s operations
Sustainability in South Africa since 2017 and       in the UAE and Qatar and, most recently, as
is now promoted to run strategic sustainability     Head of Special Projects.
initiatives across all Averda’s nine countries         “Plastic remains one of the biggest nem-
of operation -- South Africa, Congo, Oman,          eses of our planet’s sustainability. I am excited
Saudi Arabia, India, UAE, Qatar, Morocco            to be leading Averda’s plastics recycling team
and the UK.                                         with a clear vision to move away from today’s
   “Sustainable methods of waste manage-            linear take-make-waste model, and funda-
ment, within a broader circular economy, in         mentally rethink the way we use and reuse
the emerging world is Averda’s raison d’etre        plastics,” Ansari said.                Enquiry no: 9
N3 upgrade hailed Call to curb 'lawless' business forums NEWS that work has resumed on a series - KZN Industrial & Business News
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                                                                                                                                                                KZN Industrial & Business News

    Intercepting RICA: Concourt
 verdict hailed a victory for privacy
     By Rui Lopes and Kirsty Gibson,                having approached the Constitutional Court           • Adequately prescribe procedures to ensure
             Lopes Attorneys                        for confirmation of the declaration of uncon-           that data obtained pursuant to the intercep-
                                                    stitutionality in the 2017 High Court decision.         tion of communications is managed lawfully

S
      OUTH Africa’s highest court, the                 To this end, the Constitutional Court noted          and not used or interfered with unlawfully,

                                                                                                                                                               All industry
      Constitutional Court, handed down a           that various provisions of RICA were inad-              including prescribing procedures to be fol-
      significant judgment on 4 February            equate and thus unconstitutional in so far as           lowed for examining, copying, sharing, sort-
2021, declaring that certain provisions of          they failed to:                                         ing through, using, storing or destroying the
the infamous Regulation of Interception of          • Provide for safeguards ensuring that a                data; and

                                                                                                                                                              stakeholders
Communications Act (RICA) are unconstitu-              Judge designated in terms of section 1 of         • Provide adequate safeguards where the
tional.                                                the Act is sufficiently independent;                 subject of surveillance is a practising lawyer
   In this ground-breaking judgment, the            • Provide for notifying the subject of surveil-         or journalist.
court held that certain provisions of RICA are         lance of the fact of their surveillance as soon      The Constitutional Court ordered that such

                                                                                                                                                              can win from
unconstitutional in so far as RICA fails to pro-       as such may be given without jeopardising         an order for the declaration of unconstitu-
vide appropriate safeguards and adequately             the purpose of surveillance after such sur-       tionality is to take effect immediately and is
prescribe procedures in many respects when             veillance has been terminated;                    suspended for a period of 36 months in order
it comes to undertaking surveillance.               • Adequately providing safeguards to address         to afford Parliament an opportunity to cure the

                                                                                                                                                              SA rail boom
   This case was brought about by the ama-             the fact that interception directions are         defect causing the invalidity.
Bhugane Centre for Investigative Journalism            sought to be obtained ex parte;                                                       Enquiry no: 10

                                                                                                                                                              O
                                                                                                                                                                      PENING up third-party access to South
                                                                                                                                                                      Africa’s rail infrastructure would funda-
                                                                                                                                                                      mentally change the way freight moves

                                                                                                                       Always
                                                                                                                                                              in the country.
                                                                                                                                                                 This would not only grow the size of the rail
                                                                                                                                                              market for all players, but ultimately benefit a
                                                                                                                                                              range of industries and the entire economy.

                                                                                                                       Visible
                                                                                                                                                                 That’s according to James Holley, Chief
                                                                                                                                                              Executive of independent rail operator
                                                                                                                                                              Traxtion, who said giving third-party opera-
                                                                                                                                                              tors access to the rail network would not
                                                                                                                                                              only enable more efficient freight move-
                                                                                                                                                              ments within the country but unlock potential
                                                                                                                                                              new export markets by providing capacity
                                                                                                                                                              to freight goods to ports and the rest of the
                                                                                                                                                              continent.
                                                                                                                                                                 Granting third-party access to the country’s
                                                                                                                                                              core rail network within the next 12 months is
                                                                                                                                                              a key element of the Economic Reconstruction
                                                                                                                                                              and Recovery Plan presented by President
                                                                                                                                                              Ramaphosa last October. Under this policy,
                                                                                                                                                              private freight rail operators will be allowed to
                                                                                                                                                              operate on the state-owned rail infrastructure
                                                                                                                                                              alongside Transnet.
                                                                                                                                                                 Holley said there was a “significant” body of
                                                                                                                                                              cargo – including steel, agricultural products,
                                                                                                                                                              hazardous chemicals, specialised products
                                                                                                                                                              and general freight – that is well suited to
                                                                                                                                                              rail transport, but is not currently moved by
                                                                                                                                                              this way. Providing additional rail capacity to
                                                                                                                                                              service this demand would create an “unprec-
                                                                                                                                                              edented” boom in the rail freight market.
                                                                                                                                                                 “The rail industry in South Africa should be
                                                                                                                                                              pursuing getting as many extra tonnes on rail
                                                                                                                                                              as possible. One of the big winners would
                                                                                                                                                              be Transnet, who would benefit from access
                                                                                                                                                              fees generated from these new cargo flows.
                                                                                                                                                              Increasing rail capacity will improve the com-
                                                                                                                                                              petitiveness of South Africa’s economy. This
                                                                                                                                                              will stimulate growth and that means that jobs
                                                                                                                                                              created are not limited just to those that would
                                                                                                                                                              be created in the rail sector but many multiples
                                                                                                                                                              more upstream.”
                                                                                                                                                                 Holley said global manufacturing power-
                                                                                                                                                              houses like Germany, which has built effec-
                                                                                                                                                              tive transport routes into key markets across
                                                                                                                                                              Europe and the rest of the world, has created
                                                                                                                                                              a world-class rail network through state-owned

      Transport & Logistics
                                                                                                                                                              rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s long-standing
                                                                                                                                                              partnerships with a range of third-party opera-
                                                                                                                                                              tors.
                                                                                                                                                                 “We are already seeing strong demand from
                                                                                                                                                              freight movers that are eager to access this
      Keep every aspect of your fleet, Always Visible.                                                                                                        new rail capacity. What’s most exciting is that
                                                                                                                                                              this will lead to new business and expansions
                                                                                                                                                              to existing businesses who have needed this
      With Ctrack’s 30 years experience, we can help you unlock                                                                                               capacity to grow.”                    Enquiry no: 11
      better diagnostics, support compliance reporting, as well
      as provide tailormade analytics for both short term, and
      long-term decision making. Ctrack will optimise the right
                                                                                                                                                                  New SA distributor
      solution for your specific business needs.                                                                                                                 for top construction
                                                                                                                                                                   equipment brand
      Keep your eyes on the road                                                                                                                              K EMACH Equipment will no longer be dis-
                                                                                                                                                                tributing JCB Construction Equipment in
                                                                                                                                                              South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini
                                                                                                                                                              (formerly Swaziland) from 1 May 2021. This
            Iris Camera Solution                            Asset Monitoring                                  Temperature Monitoring                          after competitor Bell Equipment concluded a
            Front-Back-Side Facing Camera Options                                                                                                             deal with UK-headquartered JCB to distribute
                                                            Trailer Tracking                                  Remote Door Unlocking                           the full range of its construction equipment in
            In Cab Device                                                                                     Door Open/Close Sensor                          South Africa.
                                                                                                                                                                 Kemach CEO Les Lothian said the group
            • Job Dispatch                                   Driver Identification &                                                                          would continue to focus on, and intensify,
            • Navigation                                     Driving Behaviour Monitoring                     Fuel Level &                                    the development of its prominent brands
            • Messaging                                                                                       Consumption Monitoring                          that include McCloskey International,
            • Driver Behaviour Display                       Engine Performance                                                                               Kemach Forklifts and Stampede Compaction
                                                                                                                                                              Equipment.
                                                             Monitoring (CAN)                                 Vehicle & Fleet Tracking                           “Sales of these flagship product lines contin-
                                                                                                                                                              ue to be robust and is showing positive growth
                                                                                                                                                              in the Southern African market. Kemach
                                                                                                                                                              Equipment remains committed to providing
                                                                                                                                                              products and after-sales service that exceeds
                              www.ctrack.co.za | sales@ctrack.co.za | Call Centre: +27 (0)860 333 444                                                         customers’ expectations,” he said.
                                                                                                                                                                 The Kemach Group of companies outside of
                                                                                                                                                              South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini
                                                                                                                                                              that distribute JCB Construction Equipment will
                                                                                                                                                              be unaffected.                      Enquiry no: 12
N3 upgrade hailed Call to curb 'lawless' business forums NEWS that work has resumed on a series - KZN Industrial & Business News
February / March 2021
KZN Industrial & Business News                                                                                news                                                              Follow us on Twitter
                                                                                                                                                                                @kzn_indbiznews                    5

  The role of workplace                                                                   Solar industry body
 breathalysers in tackling
    alcohol addiction                                                                   welcomes power utility
         by Rhys Evans
                                                                                      boss’s supportive comments
G
        OVERNMENT’S              ban

                                                                                     T
        on alcohol as part of the                                                           HE South African Photovoltaic                                                        required changes.
        COVID-19 lockdown high-                                                             Industry Association (SAPVIA)                                                           “Increased deployment of embed-
lighted the devastating impact                                                              has welcomed comments made                                                           ded generation capacity will release
alcohol abuse has on socie-                                                          by Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter                                                                the pressure on Eskom’s already con-
ty. While alcohol was banned,             of alcohol their staff consumed.           recently in support of an increased                                                         strained supply. Simply put, distrib-
there were far fewer instances            Many of the workers’ wives noted           distributed generation license exemp-                                                       uted generation provides, rapid, clean,
of domestic abuse, and pressure           that, instead of coming home late          tion cap.                                                                                   additional capacity to the grid,” said
on hospitals was eased because            and drunk, their husbands would               Association COO Nivesh Govender                                                          Govender, adding that no one could
alcohol-related injuries and acci-        return straight after work.                said they believed distributed gen-                                                         disagree with the need for increased
dents were minimised.                        For many industries where               eration can add capacity to the grid,            support in this effort should encourage    capacity as the economy was “ham-
   However, this issue will not be        employees rely on no work, no              reduce load-shedding, and create jobs            more haste in regulatory changes from      strung by the ongoing blight” of load-
solved by prohibiting the sale and        pay, running the risk of not being         but there must be policy and regula-             the Department of Mineral Resources        shedding.
consumption of alcohol – the prob-        allowed into the workplace due to          tory action.                                     and Energy (DMRE) and National                He said distributed generation would
lem goes far deeper. The reality is       intoxication is not worth it for many         “SAPVIA has long been engaged in              Energy Regulator of South Africa           also create jobs and spur localisation
that South Africa has a culture           of such employees. Compulsory              advocating for the systematic easing             (NERSA).”                                  and industrialisation, which would be
of drinking and it has become             testing helped to control exces-           of licensing thresholds, to unlock the              He said the benefits of a specif-       vital in driving economic recovery.
normalised to consume exces-              sive drinking behaviours, as the           significant opportunity held by distrib-         ic allocation within the Integrated           “It is clear from Mr De Ruyter’s com-
sive amounts on a regular basis.          workers knew their jobs could be           uted generation. We therefore wel-               Resource Plan (IRP) and lifting of         ments that Eskom have realized that
A multi-level approach is critical,       on the line.                               come the support of the state-owned              licensing thresholds were now “com-        they must look for alternative solutions
and compulsory alcohol testing in            Some other benefits of reducing         utility for lifting licensing thresholds         mon knowledge” and as a key gov-           to combat the ongoing energy crises
the workplace has a pivotal role          alcohol consumption were fewer             from 1MW to 50 MW in order to accel-             ernment partner in the energy space,       and we are hopeful that this will be
to play.                                  instances of domestic abuse, as            erate distributed generation by large            SAPVIA remained committed to               followed up with the necessary legisla-
   Alcohol abuse is a complex             well as more disposable income             customers.                                       engaging and collaborating with both       tion changes to make this a reality.”
problem for which there is no             for education and food. For the               “As a key sector player, Eskom’s              DMRE and NERSA to develop the                                         Enquiry no: 15
single, magical solution. However,        business, they also saw improve-
there are steps that businesses           ments in productivity, reliabil-
can take to play a role in reducing       ity and employee health, as well
alcohol consumption, especially in        as fewer accidents, creating an
the workplace.                            improved working environment for
   The Occupational Health and            all.
Safety (OHS) Act specifies a zero-           Compulsory alcohol testing is                                                                                      These brands are proud members of
tolerance approach toward intoxi-         only one element of a multi-fac-
cation in the workplace. Enforcing        eted problem. Education on the
this with the use of alcohol testing      dangers of alcohol consumption
not only ensures compliance, but
it can also effectively reduce the
alcohol consumption of employ-
                                          needs to be driven from a young
                                          age and reinforced in the work-
                                          place.
                                                                                                      Avoid the
ees.                                         The ‘cool’ factor around drink-
   If staff know that they will or
may be tested when they arrive
at work, they will not be able to
drink to excess the night before.
                                          ing needs to be changed and
                                          the preconception that socialising
                                          has to involve alcohol must shift.
                                          In addition, establishments serv-
                                                                                                      purchase
                                                                                                       & use of
In addition, if they are tested upon      ing alcohol need to play a role in
returning from lunch, they will not       ensuring excessive consumption
be able to consume alcohol dur-           does not take place.
ing work hours. Regular testing              Ultimately South Africa needs a
plays a role in reducing excessive        change in culture and individuals
alcohol consumption and can help
to change culture in a small way.
                                          need to be held accountable. We
                                          need to become more respon-
                                          sible as a nation and knowing
                                                                                                         sub-
       KZN success story                  that we could be fired for drink-

  A paper mill in KwaZulu Natal
implemented compulsory alcohol
testing several years ago and
                                          ing too much is a really effective
                                          incentive to help control drinking
                                          behaviours.
                                                Rhys Evans is Managing Director at
                                                                                                      standard,
                                                                                                     dangerous
almost immediately experienced                                        ALCO-Safe
a huge reduction in the amount                                     Enquiry no: 13

  Call for probe into SA business
                                                                                                      electrical
   links with Zim tobacco cartels
                                                                                                     products &
T
       HE South Africa Tobacco
       Transformation          Alliance
       (SATTA) has called for an

                                                                                                      services.
urgent investigation into revela-
tions of an illicit international axis
involving Zimbabwean tobacco
smugglers, South African busi-
ness, and the Chinese state ciga-
rette manufacturer.
   The allegedly corrupt rela-            low,” the report said.
tionship between these players               SATTA spokesperson Zachariah
was revealed in a report on the           Motsumi said the report confirmed                                                                                                                          ALBERTON
Maverick Citizen news website             their view that urgent action need-
recently as part of an exposé of          ed to be taken against those
cigarette cartels and other corrupt       involved in the production and
activities.                               distribution of illicit tobacco.
   It says there is hard evidence            “Their activities are criminal and
of under-pricing of tobacco ship-         are undermining the South African
ments between China, Zimbabwe             economy, and in particular the
and South Africa, and that this –         law-abiding farmers, processors
along with a number of other fac-         and manufacturers who are try-
tors – is fuelling illicit trade.         ing their best in the face of an
   “Tobacco is being directly             onslaught of illicit products, par-
exported from Zimbabwe to China           ticularly since the introduction of                  Download your free guide from safehousesa.co.za
at market price, then purported           COVID-19-related lockdowns.
to be exported to [an unnamed]               “SATTA believes the details of
South African middleman,” the             individuals and businesses pro-
report said. “The middleman               vided in the report are more than                                                                                        Make a commitment to safety.
receives the payment from China,          enough ammunition for the South                        We don’t know what you know,                                              JOIN TODAY!
retains a significant amount in
South Africa, and remits a small-
                                          African authorities to institute an
                                          immediate investigation and a
                                                                                                        report unsafe
er amount to Zimbabwe as the              crackdown on the businesspeo-                             products & services.                                                 For more information contact:
export price.                             ple, freight companies and others                                                                                            Connie Jonker: Tel: 011 396 8251
   “Given that 99.5 per cent of           involved in illicit activity.                                                                                              Email: connie.jonker@safehousesa.co.za
tobacco exported to China from               “We urge them to act with speed                                                                                            Barry O’Leary: Tel: 011 396 8117
Zimbabwe between 2014-18 was              to bring to book those named in                             The SAFEhouse Association is a non-profit, industry             Email: barry.oleary@safehousesa.co.za
falsely declared as exports to            the report, and to help turn the tide                     organisation committed to the fight against sub-standard,
South Africa, there are clear indi-       against the growing illicit trade in                              unsafe electrical products and services.                       www.safehousesa.co.za
cations that certain exporters are        tobacco products,” Motsumi said.
colluding to keep the export prices                                 Enquiry no: 14
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  6                                                                                                      www.facebook.com/kznindustrialnews                   KZN Industrial & Business News

 INSTRUMENTATION, MEASUREMENT
 & CONTROL
       Harness the power of data to boost safety
M
        ANUFACTURERS            can    harness        “For many manufacturers, this new way to                                                              beams are tripped on the light curtain to better
        the power of data to substantially         understand safety not only helps keep peo-                                                               understand the cause of a downtime event.
        improve their safety compliance and        ple and processes safe, but also significantly                                                           Or they can take a sample of the light screen
performance. That’s according to Rockwell          expands productivity,” said Lane. “Traditional                                                           every 100 milliseconds to track profiles of prod-
Automation, which is offering two ‘smart’ devic-   safety devices provide little or no data. Smart                                                          ucts running through it and identify potential
es it says can do exactly that.                    safety devices provide better visibility into                                                            quality issues.
   According to a statement for the company,       operations and help users understand process                                                                CIP Safety is an extension to the Common
the new Allen-Bradley SafeZone 3 laser scan-       states, environmental conditions, and other                                                              Industrial Protocol (CIP), the application-layer
ner with CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP and           factors that affect safety and productivity.”                                                            protocol for EtherNet/IP. Smart products that
Allen-Bradley GuardShield 450L light curtain          The new SafeZone 3 laser scanner with CIP                                                             use CIP Safety with technologies such as
with CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP plug-in give      Safety provides area detection inside a work                                                             GuardLink help improve safety and productiv-
users access to critical data needed for a com-    cell. The addition of CIP Safety allows users to                                                         ity and simplify wiring. They also offer pre-
prehensive picture of machine or production        simultaneously operate multiple safety zones         available diagnostic data to alert users of com-    mier integration with an Allen-Bradley Compact
line status.                                       instead of switching from one to another. It also    mon failures, such as the presence of dust on       GuardLogix SIL 3 control system by using the
   “Ultimately, these devices create smart         extends the scanner’s field range and provides       the scanner’s lens.                                 Studio 5000 Logix Designer application.
machines that provide meaningful informa-          vital diagnostic data over a single EtherNet/IP        The GuardShield 450L light curtain with              “These and other smart products, such as
tion so users can monitor machine health,          connection.                                          CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP plug-in protects        the 843ES safety encoder and CompactBlock
increase uptime, improve flexibility and              This, said Lane, can improve productivity,        personnel from injuries related to hazard-          Guard Safety I/O universal encoder module,
enhance safety, while lowering total cost of       such as by notifying workers with an alarm if        ous machine motion. The CIP Safety plug-in          are part of the Rockwell Automation safety
ownership,” said Lee Lane, Vice President and      they are nearing a hazard to help prevent a          gives users more access to diagnostic data to       portfolio that combines simpler connectivity
General Manager, Sensing, Safety & Industrial      machine from slowing down or stopping. In            improve productivity and flexibility.               and powerful data for smarter, higher-perform-
Components Business, Rockwell Automation.          addition, the CIP Safety capability expands            For example, users can see exactly which          ing production.”                    Enquiry no: 16

6 steps to a tailored sensor solution                                                                       Partnership brings global
A
       PPLICATIONS for sensors that at first       find the best sensor solutions.”

                                                                                                            responsible engineering
       glance may seem trivial, can prove             They went to on to outline six key stages to
       to be highly complex on closer analy-       creating a tailored, customer-specific solution:
sis. That’s according to Instrotec, local             1. Define basic sensor specifications in order
suppliers of Keller, a brand with                        to select the appropriate component

                                                                                                                   drive to SA
50 years’ experience in the field of                   2.      Assess the environmental conditions
piezo-resistive pressure measurement                     to determine the appropriate design for
technology.                                                    the intended location
   “By taking the actual usage condi-                           3.      Design the requested cus-

                                                                                                        G
tions of the sensor into considera-                             tomer-specific solution taking all              LOBAL distributor of industrial and elec-   ficulties in accessing the economic benefit that
tion right from the outset, Keller                              standards and laws into account                 tronic products, Electrocomponents          the growing tourism industry offers through
has achieved major improve-                                4.           Assemble the electronic                 PLC, has signed a one-year partnership      employment, investment and direct tourist
ments in effectiveness and                                  modules, taking into account applica-       agreement with Engineers Without Borders            spending.
durability,” Instrotec said in                              tion-specific customer requests             International, an organisation promoting               “As well as providing essential funding to
a statement.                                               5.           Configure electrical inter-     responsibility in engineering around the world.     the Engineering for People Design Challenge,
   “Keller has found that a                              faces and connections                             For the duration of the partnership,             Electrocomponents is very much involved at
mutual exchange of exper-                              6.               Custom product labelling        Electrocomponents will provide financial            a practical level, offering critical skills training
tise with customers has been                             with laser engraving or labels                 and hands-on support to Engineers Without           to students to boost confidence in areas such
central to their success, and          shar-                                                            Borders South Africa and Engineers Without          as presentation skills, for example,” the sat-
ing that knowledge is what has enabled it to                                           Enquiry no: 17   Borders UK for the annual Engineering for           tementsaid.
                                                                                                        People Design Challenge, as well as for the            Electrocomponents will also sit on the judg-
                                                                                                        Inspiring and Building Community Leaders            ing panel at the Engineering for People Design
                                                                                                        programmes. The competition, now in its tenth       Challenge Grand Finals, where the best team
                                                                                                        year, is a collaboration in 2020/21 between         from the participating universities, previously
                                                                                                        three of the 60 Engineers Without Borders           selected by academics from each institution,
                                                                                                        organisations: UK, South Africa and USA.            will showcase their solutions in a bid to win
                                                                                                           According      to    a    statement      from    the Grand Prize of an educational bursary.
                                                                                                        Electrocomponents, the objective of the chal-       The runner up and People’s Prize winners will
                                                                                                        lenge is to encourage university students to        receive a shared bursary.
                                                                                                        broaden their awareness of the social, envi-           Electrocomponents’ collaboration with
                                                                                                        ronmental and economic implications of their        Engineers Without Borders organisations is
                                                                                                        engineering solutions. “The initiative embeds       part of a wider commitment by the Group to
                                                                                                        a globally responsible awareness during a piv-      ensure that the company delivers and pro-
                                                                                                        otal moment the students’ career and provides
      OGD with plastic                                                                                  an opportunity for them to develop solutions
                                                                                                        that could make a positive difference to com-
                                                                                                                                                            motes the highest levels of environmental,
                                                                                                                                                            social and governance (ESG) standards affect-
                                                                                                                                                            ing people and the planet.
      front lens                                                                                        munities and individuals around the world,” the
                                                                                                        company said.
                                                                                                                                                               Lindsley Ruth, CEO Electrocomponents, said:
                                                                                                                                                            “Our ESG aspiration at Electrocomponents is
                                                                                                           More than 7,000 first- and second-year uni-      to make amazing happen by inspiring a more
      and distance                                                                                      versity engineering students spanning three
                                                                                                        continents are competing this year to find prac-
                                                                                                                                                            sustainable world through education and inno-
                                                                                                                                                            vative solutions that improve lives. The themes
                                                                                                        ticable ways to improve the livelihoods of peo-     that run through our plan align perfectly with
      measurement                                                                                       ple in the neighbouring communities of Lobitos
                                                                                                        and Piedritas on the northern coast of Peru.
                                                                                                                                                            what Engineers Without Borders stands for
                                                                                                                                                            and we’re delighted to enter into this partner-
                                                                                                           Though popular as a surfing destination,         ship with them. We believe that through our
                                                                                                        the two towns still experience significant chal-    support and participation in the Engineering for
                                                                                                        lenges with sustainable waste management,           People Design Challenge globally, alongside
                                                                                                        energy, food and water supply, digital com-         other key programmes, that we can nurture
         For added safety                                                                               munications and transport infrastructure. The       the next generation of globally responsible
                                                                                                        COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the dif-           engineering leaders together.”        Enquiry no: 18

          High process reliability thanks
                                                                                                         More precise, accurate handheld manometers
                                                                                                        M
          to shatterproof plasticfront lens                                                                ANOMETERS offer many benefits                       life and robust housing with a practical and
                                                                                                           for engineers and technicians who                      user-friendly design.
          2 in 1: simultaneous output of                                                                need to measure and monitor pressure,                       “Since even the smallest deviations can
          distance value and reflectivity                                                                but critical elements such as high accu-                  lead to malfunctions, reliably measured
                                                                                                        racy, high-precision and ease of use,                     values are enormously important and not
                                                                                                        play a large role in the selection of the                 just for sophisticated heater systems.
          Identification and sorting of                                                                  best-for-application device.                                “The G 1107 fine manometer and the
          objects based on reflectivity                                                                     That’s according to Jan Grobler,                       G 1113 manometer can also be used to
                                                                                                        Managing Director of GHM Messtechnik,                      measure other leakage, gas pressure,
          Process values shown on                                                                       South Africa, who believes this is where                   gas flow or chimney draft measurements
          2-colour display and sent via                                                                 Greisinger’s investment into design and                    as the outstanding accuracy of these new
          IO-Link                                                                                       development puts them in the lead over                    devices, coupled with the high resolution
                                                                                                        competing handheld manometers.                      and fast measuring frequency, guarantee effi-
                                                                                                           Greisinger, part of the GHM Group of             cient results that improve operational safety
                                                                                                        Companies, recently launched their new hand-        and practical handling” said Grobler.
                                                                                                        held and fine handheld manometers, the G              At the heart of the manometer is the chip-
                                                                                                        1113 series G 1107 respectively, both of which      based MEMS sensor, which provides reliable
                                                                                                        claim to offer superior, faster performance,        results for calibrated and traceable measure-
                                                                           www.ifm.com                  higher accuracy with high resolution and posi-      ments. The G 1107 covers a high-resolution
                                                                                                        tion independency, when measuring differen-         range of up to +/- 200 hPa/20 kPa, whilst the
               You
              Tube   in                                            Int.: +27 12 450 0400                tial and relative pressure.                         G 1113 provides equally precise differential
                                                                                                           Grobler said the two models also offer uni-      pressure measurements of up to +/- 2000 hPa.
                                                                                                        versal port technology, above-average battery                                             Enquiry no: 19
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February / March 2021                                                                                                                                                    Follow us on Twitter
KZN Industrial & Business News                                        INSTRUMENTATION, MEASUREMENT & CONTROL
                                                                                                       @kzn_indbiznews                                                                                         7

             Africa measures up with launch of
             instrumentation education centre
E
      MERSON recently launched its                  “enabling Emerson to continue supporting          that nurtures learning among participants,
      first Middle East and Africa (MEA)            its customers during these unconventional         by providing full access to software and
      Education Centre for measurement              times of limited mobility and social distanc-     control systems from any location. It also
instrumentation, located in its Dubai head-         ing”.                                             provides virtual, instructor-led courses that
quarters.                                              Taleb said the facility would also strength-   resemble a live classroom experience with
  Mounir Taleb, MEA vice president of               en the company's virtual capabilities by          the convenience of remote accessibility”.
Emerson’s measurement solutions busi-               connecting to customers' production sites,          Emerson Educational Services has been
ness said the centre enables the company            making remote collaboration and train-            approved as an authorised provider by
to provide customers with an immersive,             ing easier. "The education centre enables         the International Association for Continuing
hands-on learning environment in field              Emerson to aid customers in enhancing the         Education and Training (IACET), which
instrumentation, analyser, and metering             skills of their current workforce and adapt-      means it can offer continuing education
technologies.                                       ing to the latest measurement and flow            units for its programs that qualify under the
  It has the capability to offer both con-          technologies."                                    ANSI/IACET Standards.
ventional face-to-face and virtual training,           It offers “a collaborative environment                                          Enquiry no: 20

 Local is lekker for                                                                                              How to ‘see’ sound and
 loadshedding and
   lightning-proof                                                                                                locate invisible threats
                                                                                                              maintenance routine — even during peak              formers, switch gears or high voltage power

   power supplies                                                                                             operation hours,” the company said in a state-
                                                                                                              ment.
                                                                                                                 The ii900 series acoustic imagers let techni-
                                                                                                                                                                  lines users need to be sure that a problem can
                                                                                                                                                                  be spotted quickly. Partial discharge that goes
                                                                                                                                                                  unchecked can cause blackouts, fires, explo-
                                                                                                              cians “see” sound as they scan hoses, fittings,     sions, or death from arc flashes.”
                                                                                                              and connections for leaks.                             In addition, having equipment go down can
                                                                                                                 “Its built-in acoustic array of tiny sensitive   cost millions of rand per hour of downtime.

                                                        C
                                                               ORONA, partial discharge as well as            microphones generates a spectrum of decibel            COMTEST said the Fluke ii910 Precision
                                                               gas, steam and compressed air leaks            levels per frequency. Based on this output, an      Acoustic Imager is specifically designed for
                                                               can hurt both production uptime and the        algorithm calculates a sound image, known as        high voltage electricians, electrical test engi-
                                                        bottom line.                                          SoundMap that is superimposed on a visual           neers, and grid maintenance teams that are
                                                          That’s according to COMTEST, local rep-             image.”                                             constantly inspcting and maintaining power
                                                        resentative of Fluke, which said that most               The SoundMap is automatically adapted            distribution and industrial high voltage equip-
                                                        manufacturers know that these types of leaks          depending on the frequency level selected so        ment.

C
       RITICAL equipment including security             exist, but up until now, it has been too time         that background noise is filtered out, making          “The higher frequency capability of the ii910
       devices and other electronics can now            consuming and tedious to tackle them.                 it incredibly simple to detect compressed gas       allows for earlier detection to facilitate early
       be operated with locally developed                 “With the new Fluke ii900 or ii910 and              leaks.                                              maintenance planning and is why the ii910 has
power supplies that have been specially                 minimal training, maintenance technicians can            Partial discharge is a particularly serious      a frequency range of 2-100Khz.”
designed to function on the local power grid            begin checking for leaks during their typical         issue. “Whether inspecting insulators, trans-                                             Enquiry no: 22
and have built-in features to make them
more robust than standard equipment.
   That’s according to GSS Group Director,
Greg Pritchard, who said more than 30                     New platform for managing and controlling low voltage loads
years spent in the security and electron-
ics industries had given the team the best
possible understanding of local operating
challenges.
                                                       R   S Components has added TeSys island
                                                           from Schneider Electric to its portfolio, say-
                                                       ing that this object-oriented digital load man-
                                                                                                             plex industrial systems.”
                                                                                                                This, it added, enables engi-
                                                                                                             neers to effectively offload much
                                                                                                                                                                                data. “This ensures that maximum
                                                                                                                                                                                operational performance is always
                                                                                                                                                                                upheld, in addition to helping with
   This, he said, had allowed them to develop          agement solution has “huge potential” in a            of the effort involved in the defin-                               preventive maintenance and fault
power supplies that are designed to handle             modern industrial automation context.                 ing and commissioning of each                                      identification.”
all of South Africa’s extremes, including load            “It can deal with motors and other electrical      constituent electro-mechanical                                        The island is compatible with
shedding and brown outs.                               loads (such as pumps, relays, programmable            component within the system.                                       all the main automation fieldbus
   The power supplies even have circuitry              logic controllers, conveyors) up to an 80A rat-       “This makes the hardware instal-                                   IOs - including Modbus TCP,
that is better able to deal with the highveld’s        ing,” the company said in a statement.                lation phase much quicker and                                      Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, and
well-known lightning storms.                              “Through its unique object-oriented approach       easier to complete - thereby reducing the            PROFIBUS. The platform can be integrated
   “Designed and developed by GSS Group,               with an array of 30 different predetermined           associated costs, as well as shortening the time     with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Machine
the power supplies are manufactured in                 application-specific functions that may be uti-       before systems can be put into action.”              Expert, plus Rockwell Automation’s Studio 5000
a quality-controlled manufacturing plant in            lised, this platform provides a straightforward          Through TeSys island, supervisors of indus-       and Siemens’ TIA portal and other proprietary
China which allows the costs of the high-              method for implementing and configuring com-          trial systems can gain access to key diagnostic      third-party automation systems.      Enquiry no: 23
quality componentry to be incorporated at
more affordable prices for the local market,”
he said, adding that several of the country’s

                                                                                                                 RADAR
large security and electronic distributors
have already switched to the local brand.
   “During my time in the industry I have
worked for some of the largest electronic
security equipment suppliers and gained
decades of experience and long relation-
ships with manufacturers in the East.
   "By setting up our manufacturing operation
alongside a large-scale electronics equip-
ment manufacturer we get to enjoy better
pricing as a result of the large volumes of
components purchased by the manufacturer

                                                                                                                 IS THE BETTER
monthly.”
   Pritchard said that by maintaining strict
control of the process, they have the agility
to change and customise the power supplies
to customers’ requirements and even bring
the customer’s own branding onto the supply

                                                                                                                  ULTRASONIC
where sufficient volumes are ordered.
   “This type of arrangement is only possible
as a result of our longstanding relationships
with suppliers in the East following dozens of
visits and a good understanding of the busi-
ness culture. As a result, our manufacturing
partners work with us to manufacture prod-
ucts that are as good or better than locally
available equivalents.”
   GSS Group power supplies carry SANS
IEC 60950, LOA and NRCS certification both
AC and DC power supplies and DC UPS, as
well as meeting SANS /IEC 61558 certifica-
tion for its range of linear transformers. The
products also incorporate EMI filtering and                                                                        Compact 80 GHz level sensor with in-head display
meet EMC standards.
   These standards are required for effective
use in IOT devices, electronics and security
applications which includes intrusion, CCTV,
access control and automation.
   He said the power supplies have subse-                                                                                                                 All advantages of the radar technology:
quently also found favour in the electrical
and alternate energy industries or wherever                                                                                                               www.vega.com/vegapuls
power supplies are required.
                                   Enquiry no: 21
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