Bell Equipment has signed an agreement with global excavator
specialist, Kobelco Construction Machinery, for the exclusive distribution and
support of the Kobelco range of excavators in the southern African region.
According to Bell Equipment group marketing director, Stephen Jones, the
company is looking forward to developing a long-term relationship with
Kobelco that aims to provide both companies with the stability needed
to realise their growth potential in the excavator market. Bell will be
complementing its extensive product range by developing the full range of
Kobelco excavators, from the small 1t mini excavators through to the largest
85t units. This will offer customers options for the smallest applications, as
well as competitively priced and perfectly matched
loading tools for Bell articulated dump trucks
in the construction, quarrying, and
mining industries.
WearCheck IT manager Eddie Perumal
holding some of the devices onto
which the brand new WearCheck app
has been downloaded.
Durban-based WearCheck recently launched
a new interactive customer app, which allows
WearCheck customers to access a host of critical
information on machinery condition, including
reports and sample lists. This data is immediately
available even while patrolling the factory floor or
inspecting mining machinery on site. The app’s
design mirrors the look and feel of WearCheck’s
website, ensuring intuitive and logical navigation.
“All data is secure and the login process uses
the same username/password credentials as our
WearCheck Online website,” says IT manager
Eddie Perumal. “Customers registered on the
website can start using the app immediately.”
Customers can also submit sample data, ask
diagnosticians about specific samples, and
enter feedback on sample results, component
conditions or maintenance events. An optional
feature allows the app to track unread web/app
reports, and send notifications about items on this
list as reminders.
Bell Equipment will be
the exclusive southern
African distributor of
Kobelco excavators.
Volvo CE building tomorrow through wind power
of advances in technology and
international government support,
wind power has experienced strong
growth in the global market.
Located on the Eastern Cape
coastline of South Africa and
roughly 70km south-west of the
‘Windy City’, better known as Port
Elizabeth, construction of the
Kouga Wind Farm started in 2013.
The project began adding to the
national grid in March 2015, when
the first of the giant turbines came
online. With an ambitious national
target of producing 18 800MW
from renewable sources by 2030,
the Kouga Wind Farm was set up
as part of the Renewable Energy
Independent Power Producer
Procurement Programme
(REIPPPP) in response to South
Africa’s long-term energy need.
Prior to assembling the
turbines, weeks of structural
and enabling works took place
to ensure firm foundations and
easy access. Currently home to 32
turbines, the wind farm generates
approximately 300 million
kilowatt-hours (300GWh) of
clean electrical energy per year —
reducing greenhouse gases by up
to 270 000 tons.
The Kouga Wind Farm
is special not just for its
contribution to the renewable
sector, but also because of the
impact it has had within the
local community. Impressively,
the community surrounding the
wind farm also owns 26% of it
— thanks to the guidelines set by
the REIPPPP. As a result, so far
profits from the wind farm have
been used to supply schools with
computers, build sports facilities,
and develop clinics. In addition,
during the construction phase
of the venture, project managers
employed local labourers to help
them develop their skills.
“We chose to come to Kouga
because we wanted to highlight
a project that demonstrates
how our industry is making
the world a better place,” said
Mats Bredborg, global director
of brand management at Volvo
CE. “It really shows how the
transition to renewable energy
can boost business and at the
same time empower the local
community to a ‘greener’,
brighter, and more sustainable
tomorrow. We are grateful to
the management of Kouga for
allowing us to film at the site,
and the local community for
being so welcoming and helping
us bring Volvo CE’s latest brand
campaign story to life.”
The potential of wind power, which
is predicted to double by 2021, is
the focus of the third episode of
Volvo Construction Equipment’s
brand campaign ‘Building
Tomorrow’. The campaign, which
launched late last year, has seen
Volvo CE machines helping to
rebuild Sweden’s iconic Ice Hotel
and working to construct the new
sustainable city of Lusail in the
arid desert north of Doha, Qatar.
This latest episode focuses on the
rapid growth in renewable power
generation projects that are coming
on the grid all around the world.
Despite abundant natural
resources, coal alone will not
provide the energy needed
to power South Africa in the
long term. In response, a new
governmental programme has
been introduced, harnessing the
country’s ideal weather conditions
while integrating socio-economic
development. Kouga Wind Farm,
on the Eastern Cape coastline, is
considered one of the blueprints
for the programme.
Wind energy is an unlimited
source of clean energy, and for the
first time ever, in 2016, renewables
became the largest power source
in the world — surpassing coal.
Additionally, thanks to a mixture
The Kouga Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape aims to produce 18 800MW of
energy by 2030.
AUGUST 2017
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