MechChem Africa July 2019

⎪ Products and industry news ⎪

UpgradingitsJetParklaboratoryhasgiven CHRYSO Southern Africa the capacity to expand its solutions to customers in fields including aggregates, concrete aesthetics and cement. Staffed by specialist engineers in in- terface physical chemistry, the CHRYSO Southern Africa laboratory conducts research and development (R&D) and testing. It also designs its own molecules for industrial-scale production. “There are a number of challenges World class lab at CHRYSO provides solutions facing our customers, including energy costs, environmental regulations and the recently introduced carbon tax,” Mpume Mlalazi, R&D manager at CHRYSO Southern Africa, says. “By enhancing our world class laboratory facility, CHRYSO can develop solutions that mitigate these challenges.” Among the capabilities of the labora- tory is a recently launched sand and clay diagnosis tool (patent pending) for accu- rate quantification of various clay miner-

als in aggregates, says Mlalazi. This helps customers address the growing issue of problematic aggregates in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible way. “Our solutions, rheology robustness enhancers and clay enablers, use polymer science to allow customers to make use of readily available aggregates, without having to wash the material extensively with water,” she says. “The environmental benefits of this technology are substantial, especially in water-scarce areas.” The facility has an extensive colour testing capability to support CHRYSO’s new concrete aesthetic range. Accurate measurement of colour canbe conducted, allowing customers to easily match the colours that are required for a particular project. The expansion of technology also meansthelaboratorycanscientificallytest demouldingoils, another important aspect of the company’s offering. www.za.chryso.com

New laboratory equipment for wet cement chemistry testing.

Specialised demolition services for furnace structures

Furnaces in the steelmaking, glass, or gen- eralmanufacturing industries have afinite lifetime before requiring significantmain- tenance and repair work. Jet Demolition offers specialised demolition services easily adapted to suit the challenging conditions of a furnacedemolitionproject. The company owns a variety of spe- cialised plant machines and equipment modified towork in the confined spaces of furnace structures. “These specialisedma- chinesofferusthebestchanceofimproving onprojectschedules,resultingindecreased downtimeforourclients,”saysKateBester, contracts manager, Jet Demolition. JetDemolition recently liftedmodified

mini excavators onto engineered scaf- folding, enabling it to demolish refractory lining at height. This activity has histori- cally only ever been done by hand at this specific facility, Bester reveals. “We use specialised lances and tubes, affording us a better burn-rate through solidified iron, and have applied metal- lurgical research into developing unique wire-packs specifically suited to the base-metals within the furnace to be de- molished,” he highlights. Because of the nature of the works, it is not uncommon to have a demolition contractor working alongside an installa- tion contractor. As a result, it is imperative

that all programmes arewholly integrated, with every person understanding where risk-activities are being executed. Furnace demolition activities range fromworking in awet environment during quenching and cooling toworking inanex- tremely hot environment with restricted visibility during lancing activities. “Just about every element of a furnace structure is large and heavy, and has the potential to cause harm. Thus, it is impera- tive that there is no slip in focus or atten- tion throughout all phases of the works,” Bester concludes. www.jetdemolition.co.za Removal of refractory lining from within hot- blast main.

BI appoints development leader Leading supplier Bearings International (BI) has appointedKathyShepherdasbusinessde- velopment leader (BDL): wholesale and retail. The latest appointment reflects Shepherd’s strongupwards trajectory at BI, which started with her as Germiston branch manager in 2013, and East Rand branch manager from August 2017. She reports directly to Hudaco Industries’ GM Shenton Botes.

means of expanding the product basket onoffer. Our goal is to offer our customers more of an engineering shop type experience, so it gener- ates repeat business,” she explains.

Theproductbasketatthevariousbranches will be tailored according to that region’s specific requirements and customer base. With22years’ industry experience, Shepherd has gained significant market and industry knowledge that stands her in good stead in her new role. www.bearings.co.za

Shepherd’s remit is to expand BI’s market share on the cash side of the business, which represents a significant growth opportunity. “I will oversee, and interact with all of the branches in order to increase cash sales by

30 ¦ MechChem Africa • July 2019