AFRICA NEWS
Wacker Neuson’s new LTS Light Tower
closely emulates daylight quality, free of
shadowing, enabling work on building
sites to extend late into the evening. This
is especially important when it comes to
road and bridge construction, concreting
or other events, where a reliable light
source is indispensable.
SEW-Eurodrive South Africa has
supplied a 110kW variable speed drive
(VSD) for an urgent slurry application
to a major copper mine in Zambia.
Besides supplying the unit on a fast-
track basis over the Christmas 2017
period, it also assisted with on-site
commissioning, by dispatching an
electronics field service technician to
the site.
“This project was a major
achievement for us, not only due to
the large size of the unit, which is
one of the biggest VSDs we have
ever supplied, but the fact that
we have introduced this mining
producer to our electronics line-up,”
adds Export sales engineer, Philip
Steyn.
The adjustable vertical mast extends
to more than 8m in height and can be
rotated 340 degrees. Four engine options
with 50 or 60Hz and the possibility to
order two- or three-cylinder versions with
a CE certificate, makes the light tower
applicable for a variety of applications,
such as building sites, events, and
storerooms. The LTS Light Tower’s
long servicing interval ensures longer
operating times and lower downtime.
There are two LTS models available:
the LTS4K, with an efficient Kubota
engine and kitted out with LED lights;
and the LTS8L that is equipped with
a powerful Kohler engine and has
An advantage of the supplied VSD
is that the mine did not have to
upgrade its control system to have it
up-and-running timeously. Based on
this success, the mining producer
is looking to procure a second VSD
as a back-up unit — which SEW-
Eurodrive South Africa already has on
hand if required, as its stockholding
is a critical factor in the company’s
success, with the company’s Exports
department facilitating cross-border
projects such as this one.
The success of this project not only
increases SEW’s installed base in the
Zambian Copperbelt itself, but further
entrenches the company as a supplier
of solutions that make for the lowest
total cost of ownership.
metal halide standard illumination.
Additionally, both machines are made
with a 60Hz option.
The compact design and the vertical
tower facilitate transport of up to 10
units on a standard truck. In addition,
minimal space is needed on building
sites, events, and storerooms.
Volkswagen Group South Africa has made two senior
appointments. Mark Handley as head of Volkswagen
Commercial Vehicles, which is one of the three brands
currently operating in South Africa under the umbrella of
Volkswagen Group South Africa — the others are Audi and
Volkswagen Passenger cars. Ryan Searle becomes the
national sales manager for the Volkswagen brand, following
Handley’s move to Volkswagen Commercial brand and
will be responsible for all sales channels, with additional
responsibility for volume planning.
Handley played a key role in bringing about a significant
improvement in Volkswagen’s Dealer Satisfaction Index, thus
helping to make the Volkswagen franchise one of the most
desirable in the industry.
“Based on the incumbents’ track records with the
company, I am certain that these new appointments will
further strengthen the Passenger and Commercial brands
in South Africa,” says Stefan Mecha, sales and marketing
director of Volkswagen Group South Africa.
Gauteng-based Comar has
designed a more compact and
mobile plant for easier and more
economical transportation, as well
as quicker set-up time. The new
design is in line with international
trends towards increasingly
mobile and smaller configurations,
according to Comar director
Ken Basson. He emphasises,
however, that this does not mean
sacrificing plant capacity.
Comar operations manager
De Wet Dreyer says many
mobile plants still require some
components to be transported
on low-bed trucks and to be
erected using on-site cranes.
“We now have a fully mobile
design, which consists of two
units,” he says. “The first chassis
carries the feed bins and the
other the drum, bag house, and
other components.” The result is
quicker installation, allowing the
plant to be set up within hours,
rather than taking a week or
two as with traditional methods.
Operation of the plant can then
begin almost immediately. “There
is considerable market interest,
and we are preparing our mobile
plant design for manufacturing,”
he adds.
More mobility for asphalt plants
Comar’s design engineers have developed smaller, more mobile asphalt
plant configurations that the market has been demanding.
“The operation can be set up to
discard directly into a truck, for
those projects that only require
100 or 200 tonnes of production,
or it can be parked and configured
to feed into the standard Comar
skip rail and 100 tonne hot storage
facility for larger-scale projects.”
JULY 2018
7