MechChem Africa January-February 2024

ISO-Reliability announces strategic partnerships Leading provider of reliability and lubrication solutions, ISO-Reliability Partners, has capped off a highly successful 2023 with a landmark five-year tender to supply Royal Purple premium lubricants to Transnet Engineering for lubrication of high speed traction motor bearings. “I n the mining industry, we add considerable value to milling and processing plants. We have grown our market share in the open gear Performance Lubricants (Pty) Ltd. As a result of this acquisition, the company now con trols distribution of both the industrial and consumer range of Royal Purple’s energy saving premium lubricants.

ISO-Reliability's Royal Purple range offers substantial improvements to asset protection.

to address this by offering innovative tech nologies to improve efficiency and reduce electricity wastage. Its collaboration with Royal Purple of the US, which has developed energy-saving lubricants capable of signifi cantly lowering electricity consumption, is testament to this commitment. “Dynamometer tests reveal an increase in engine output of around 12% gained by reduced frictional losses through the engine and drivetrain,” FitzGerald points out. Friction accounts for 15% of all energy usage worldwide. Therefore, Royal Purple has developed energy-saving lubricants for a range of industrial equipment. It is capable of lowering electricity consumption by 4% to 18%, while achieving the same production output. “A commonsense approach to fric tion reduction results in considerable cost reductions,” argues FitzGerald. Looking to 2024, FitzGerald says his outlook remains positive. ISO-Reliability Partners fosters an environment of inclu sion and positivity, with focus-driven goals to grow its valued client base and range of cost-reducing technologies. “Our employees are the heart of the business. As such, a large effort is made in terms of technical and managerial training to raise the skill levels of our employees and add value to the service we offer our clients,” he says. ISO-Reliability Partners has consolidated knowledge and expertise in the fields of fil tration, lubrication and tribology, providing industry with substantial and quantifiable improvements to plant and asset protection. “The well-being of the environment is of key concern but is often overshadowed by business needs. Through the more efficient use and handling of commodities such as fuel and lubricants, we reduce pollution through lower usage and disposal of lubricants, conserve electricity usage while achieving higher production outputs and better asset protection. Not only is this better for the environ ment, but it also lowers the lowest cost of ownership for plant and machine operators,” concludes Craig FitzGerald. www.iso-reliability.com

lubrication field by onboarding new custom ers looking to improve production output while lowering operating costs,” notes Craig FitzGerald of ISO-Reliability Partners. In addition, the company showcased its expertise by demonstrating the enhanced compressor performance achieved by Sasol Synfuels when it adopted Royal Purple Synfilm GT, resulting in improved protection and reduced energy consumption. “Our success has come with challenges,” continues FitzGerald. The company had to address attempts by unscrupulous competi tors to replicate its pioneering Filter Focus branded micro fine filtration technology, for example. Despite copied products re sembling the original, these underperform significantly. ISO-Reliability’s strategy for 2024 involves continued education efforts to inform customers about these imitations and emphasise the superior performance of authentic Filter Focus products. Another milestone goal for next year is establishing a predictive maintenance platform powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), in partnership with a leading German AI technology firm. FitzGerald expects to announce these partnerships early next year, with the aim of delivering substantial cost-saving initiatives to its client base. To extend its offering and break into the consumer and retail markets for premium motor vehicle lubricants, ISO-Reliability Partners has acquired 100% of Power

In terms of latest trends, FitzGerald says AI “is undoubtedly one of the biggest trends that our industry will see for many decades to come.” The company anticipates leverag ing AI for real-time equipment monitoring, providing early insights into potential issues and enhancing safety through reduced hu man interaction with equipment. Condition monitoring requires regular analysis performed at predetermined intervals to evaluate changes in machine vibration, wear particle analysis of lubri cating oils, and temperature increases through thermographic inspections. Most importantly, it requires human interaction and the use of off-site laboratories, with results often only available up to three days after a site visit. AI, on the other hand, can continuously monitor equipment in real-time at a fraction of the cost. It can provide early insights into potential machine issues months before the techniques used at present. “AI will dramatically reduce the costs as sociated with condition monitoring, with the added value of safety by eliminating human interactions with equipment. Our solutions provide automated fault reporting with root cause identification and recommendations for fault repair,” notes FitzGerald. He highlights the industry’s concern about the availability and security of elec tricity in South Africa. The company aims

“AI will dramatically reduce the costs associated with condition monitoring,” notes Craig FitzGerald of ISO Reliability.

10 ¦ MechChem Africa • January-February 2024