Electricity + Control December 2016

ENERGY + ENVIROFICIENCY

ROUND UP

Times tough for the consulting engineering industry

The Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) Bi-annual Economic and Capacity Survey for the period January to June 2016, just released indicates that times remain tough. Confidence levels amongst firms have deteriorated over the last few years, alongside modest increases in fee earnings. The outlook for gross fixed investment has deteriorated and expected to fall behind GDP growth in the next three years. Over 537 firms employing just over 24 315 staff, who collectively earn a total fee income of R2 billion per annum, are members of CESA. Three key factors continue to influence the global outlook – these are the gradual slowdown and rebalancing of the Chinese economy; lower prices for energy and other commodities; and the gradual tightening of US monetary policy. The South African economy has faced several headwinds in 2016, some of which were expected, while others were not. Global factors play a much bigger role than may be suggested, with the sluggish global economy offering little relief in the demand for SouthAfrican goods and services which

and procurement continues to threaten the standard and performance of the industry. Firms from across South African borders are tendering at rates that are not competi- tive for local firms. Unlocking greater private sector partici- pation is seen as a critical element to fast track delivery, service delivery, especially at municipal level remains a critical burn- ing issue, fraud and corruption is affecting the ethos of our society, with a lot of talk and little action accompanying the growing evidence of corruption. Enquiries: Dennis Ndaba.Tel. +27 (0) 11 463 2022 or email dennis@cesa.co.za

has waned considerably over the last two to three years. Contractors have for some time reported on the slow pace by which contracts are awarded, as well as the slow roll out of government projects.This creates disconnect between opinions expressed by engineers and contractors, where projects are in planning stages, supporting earnings in the consulting engineering industry, but implementation is slow. With industry confidence levels well below average, there are many challenges to overcome. Regulation issues, including the procurement of consulting engineer- ing services, remain one of the biggest challenges faced by the industry. Unreal- istic tendering fees remain a concern for members, while the extended time it takes in which to finalise a proposal is affecting profitability in the industry. The quality of technical personnel is argued by some firms to have deteriorated, putting greater risk on the built environment sector. Skills short- age is regarded as one the most significant institutional challenges faced by the private and the public sector. The involvement of non-CESAmembers in government tenders

CESA CEO, Chris Campbell.

Reliable electric power generation

Vert Energy has positioned itself at the forefront of the energy sec- tor in Southern Africa.The company offers solutions for traditional petrol and diesel power generation and also has a range of prod- ucts for renewable energy sources, such as hydro, wind, natural gas and solar. “This range of premium branded products, which ensures reli- able electric power generation solutions, is enhanced by a technical advisory and support service, to ensure there is no interruption in power supply, as a result of load shedding or mains failure,” says Vert Energy’s managing director, Grant Robertson. “The company’s

focus on renewable energy sources to produce ‘green’ energy as a reliable source of electricity, encompasses sustainable solutions for wind power, hydroelectricity, photovoltaic (solar) and natural gas energy production. “Vert Energy’s extensive range of power generation components for the production of wind power caters primarily to domestic and light commercial applications using the NSM range of low voltage permanent magnet generators (PMG), to full scale power plant production for independent power producers and utilities, incor- porating low, medium and high voltage Leroy Somer alternators and DEIF generator controls for wind applications.”

Leroy Somer alternators – which are available exclusively throughout Sub Saharan Africa fromVert Energy – are known in the wind power generation sector for high electrical efficiency, reliability and strict compliance with environmental constraints. (Leroy- Somer is ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified). Enquiries: Ryan Robertson. Tel. +27 (0) 11 453 9669 or email ryan.robertson@vertgroup.co.za

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