Electricity and Control May 2025

Control systems + automation

WRITE @ THE BACK

Advanced automation supports continuing growth Earlier this year, FUCHS LUBRICANTS SOUTH AFRICA celebrated the o icial opening of its expanded facilities in Isando, east of Johannesburg. The new headquarters, new plant and new warehouse support the company’s growth strategy in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, which has already seen it achieve a compound annual growth rate of 6% in sales volume since 2015. Leigh Darroll, Editor of Electricity + Control , spoke to Paul Deppe, Managing Director of the company and Regional Vice President - Sub Saharan Africa, and Thami Mzolo, Manufacturing Executive, about the new plant and the advances it enables.

S peaking at the o”icial opening, Deppe had noted that the company’s growth would not have been possible without the FUCHS Group having the confidence in its subsidiary in South Africa. He said more than R650 million has been invested in creating capacity at the South African subsidiary over the past eight years. “This is confirmation of the group’s confidence in the country and a huge confidence boost for the FUCHS business in South Africa,” Deppe said. Reflecting the significance of this investment, the event was attended by Dr Ralph Rheinboldt, Chairman of the South African subsidiary and member of the FUCHS SE Executive Board responsible for EMEA, Dr Sebastian Heiner member of the FUCHS SE Executive Board and CTO, and Matthias Spethmann, Vice President of EMEA OEM sales. The completion of the expanded plant in Isando marks a significant milestone for FUCHS in South Africa. Deppe says the project began in 2020 with the purchase of a site adjacent to its existing facilities to accommodate the company’s growth. He adds that this expansion follows the initial investment in a new grease plant commissioned in 2018. The newly built facility represents a R500 million investment in creating capacity and technological advances. The development has been a key factor in FUCHS’s growth. The company now employs nearly 450 people, up from 250 in 2015. Deppe highlights that no sta” redundancies took place during this period, and the company continues to invest in employee training and upskilling. Key consultants In developing the new facilities, FUCHS worked closely with selected partners to bring the project to completion. Deppe clarifies that the FUCHS Group operates on a decentralised model that enables regional o”ices to operate with a degree of independence, with clear reporting lines to group head o”ice. He says the new plant in South Africa is unique to the needs of the regional operation and the site and its existing facilities, rather than being modelled on an international prescript. But he emphasises that the company did draw on the strong engineering support that is always available within the group. In South Africa, FUCHS has an established relationship with global engineering firm DRA Global, which it worked with in 2016/2018 when the firm was selected from four that submitted tenders to handle Engineering, Procurement and Construction

Thami Mzolo, Manufacturing Executive, in the new plant.

Paul Deppe, Managing Director, FUCHS LUBRICANTS SOUTH AFRICA.

Management (EPCM) for the new grease plant, and it was again appointed as the EPCM consultant for the newly expanded facilities. Deppe adds that working with DRA Global, FUCHS now has a blueprint for future planned developments on its Isando site. Other consultants that contributed significantly were the architects, GPD Studio, warehouse designer, ILS, the fire engineer, ASP Fire, plant automation specialists, Stadler & Schaaf, and the electrical engineer, Handson Electrical. As well as the new o”ice complex, the project includes: - A new 7 000 m® warehouse, four and a half times larger than the previous one, incorporating SAP warehouse management technology supported by integrated scanning systems. It is designed with narrow- and wide aisle racking for flexibility and to maximise use of space. The automated fire system conforms to NFPA standards and includes automated spill barriers. - A new laboratory, upgraded to support the critical as pects of quality control and product development, and the growth of operations. - And a new tank farm, blending plant and filling hall de signed for future growth. The tank farm includes capac ity for 1.3 million litres of base oil storage, 120 000 litres of heated additive storage and 300 000 litres of blend ing capacity. The blending process is fully automated, which ensures precise dosing and consistent process

4 Electricity + Control MAY 2025