• TECHNOLOGY
cost commodity-based items supplied to the country by China , Korea , India and other Asian manufacturing countries .
“ We will stop at no expense to win new projects that secure an install base , as we understand the benefits of a long-term client relationship . This was a strategy we followed during hard lockdown in 2020 when our competitors were claiming force majeure . The result was that we were able to execute the supply of several Greenfield projects on time and on budget in the DRC as well as Mozambique during the tough pandemic years . We are in a strong position in that we have the capacity to build Greenfield projects using inventory stock .”
Standardisation – increased end-user profitability Van Niekerk explains that the company ’ s premium products offer a longer lifespan , which automatically results in increased plant availability and production rates with higher revenue streams . Additional spin-off benefits lie in a lower attrition rate of valves and affiliated valving products , less maintenance and ultimately a reduction of replenishment purchase orders , and of course the benefit of increased profitability .
Over and above this , AR Controls ’ strategy is to drive as much standardisation as possible across all facets of the end-user ’ s operations , which in turn significantly reduces the end-user ’ s inventory portfolio . In parallel , the company provides its ‘ all-inclusive source and service ’ offering on large CAPEX projects for the end user ’ s convenience . The benefits to the end user are one purchase order and one accountable supplier . “ On average on a mineral processing and beneficiation plant CAPEX project we are able to supply around 90 % of the valve requirements , while the balance would be buyouts and third-party products ,” says van Niekerk . Standardisation streamlines installation , maintenance and the preservation of product .
After ex-gratia services like plant audits , assistance with valve selection and application engineering , in partnership with its end user , the company is able to deliver benefits such as a significantly reduced inventory , ensured uptime due to well-suited product for the application , and an additional spin-off of reduced training required on site in remote areas where skills are limited . AR Controls offers continual , regimented training programmes to combat the challenge created by a relatively high attrition rate on skilled and semi-skilled workers , particularly in the areas the company is currently expanding in like Eritrea , the Congo and Mauritania .
A case study in point The company ’ s strategy was put to the test in a large-scale copper processing complex in Zambia in 2012 . At the time the operation ’ s OPEX valve expenditure was USD10-million . By 2015 , after conducting plant and process audits , application engineering valve selection and installation , AR Controls had replaced 85 % of the valves on the plant , and the end user ’ s OPEX had been reduced to USD2,5-million , and has remained stable every year since – despite the copper price slumping in 2015 and the subsequent global commodity recession in 2018 and of course the pandemic that hit after 2020 .
“ The end user saved a massive 75 % in their valve spend within three years by moving over to a premium product and service solution , and the solution has pulled through to other members of the group , resulting in even further savings for the group . Our products speak for themselves ,” says van Niekerk . “ Once again , our success is not based on the features of the product , it ’ s based on the benefits the product and the service offering create for the end-user .”
The ARVALV – a local industry mainstay The ARVALV was a key product line in this case study and the range has achieved significant market penetration in critical process applications in the mining industry as the OEM continues to expand its footprint in key mining regions globally . Wholly owned by AR Controls and locally manufactured , the range has stood the test of time in the African mining industry from 1999 when the company first started its manufacture .
Unlike traditional push-through knife gate valves , the partially energised seats remain in their natural state when the gate is retracted . “ This design feature is due to the unique through-port gate , which makes permanent contact with the polyurethane sleeves , even when fully open ,” says Head of Engineering Ockert Jacobus ( OJ ) Labuschagne .
Slurry knife-gate valves with fully energised sleeves that need to expand sufficiently to form a seal with the gate retracted are prone to premature wear due to entrapped solids that damage the seat when the gate is next closed . “ A through-port gate eliminates the problem , not only extending service life , but increasing plant availability significantly ,” adds Labuschagne .
The ARVALV range has been proven in diverse applications , including dewatering slurries ( such as ferrosilicon ), cyclone suction / feed applications , dense media separation , concentrate transfer , booster and storage facility tailings , pump isolation applications , wet and dry hopper applications and pulp and paper feedstock .
The ARVALV through-port knife-gate valve range from AR Controls .
48 • African Mining • January 2023 www . africanmining . co . za