MechChem Africa May-June 2024

⎪ Products and industry news ⎪

Bühler SA: Addressing food and mobility challenges Bühler Southern Africa is deeply com mitted to addressing food security, both regional and across the continent. “We are actively participating in various dis cussions, highlighting the importance of this issue and our dedication to finding solutions,” says MD Marco Sutter. successful and, as a result, a culture based on self-responsibility and collaboration,” adds Sutter. Values are the basics of any company culture, and Sutter highlights that Bühler Southern Africa cares equally for its cus tomers and colleagues. “Our mission is innovation for a better world. What does that mean for us in our region? We have a huge responsibility. We create solutions for safe and affordable food for everyone.”

filling pharmaceutical products, and in the food industry for dairy products, juices and sauces, for example. With this new seal system, GEMÜ makes it possible to elevate the safety, accuracy and speed of the filling process to a much higher level. www.gemu-group.com Bühler has been operating in South Africa since 1972 and has over 220 em ployees at present. Its Johannesburg op eration provides sales and service, project execution, and manufacturing and logis tics. In addition, it has service stations in Cape Town, Lusaka, and Maputo, offering its extensive client base spares and wear parts, roll re-fluting, and die refurbish ment. “We offer a strong and trusted local presence in Africa, with a state-of-the-art workshop and local spares stockholding,” concludes Sutter. www.buhlergroup.com flexibility and agility to achieve success. Therefore, we need to inculcate a culture of high self-responsibility and collabora tion,” says Sutter.

As a result, the company has started off 2024 in full swing. “Our mission is in novation for a better world. The food and mobility challenges we face demand in novative solutions, technologies, process solutions and business models,” he says. “We want to contribute to a sustainable world that affords the next generation the same chance to live and develop as today’s society. The digitalised world we live in requires higher flexibility and agility to be

Sutter affirms that Bühler is the tech nology leader in the food industry, setting new trends with its advanced solutions. “We develop new process solutions and business models for the industry and nurture fresh talent for the region. The world we currently inhabit requires more

Innovative adaptation for hygienic filling With its new patented seal system for fill ing needle and filling pipe systems, valve specialist GEMÜ has brought to market the first ever adaptation option for filling needles that ensures hermetic separation between the actuator and medium. This means that any lift effect and contamina tion of the medium can be avoided.

packing seals is required. The danger of contamination due to lubricants from the actuator or due to the lifting effect is also avoided. The new GEMÜ PD, in combination with GEMÜ F40 and GEMÜ F60 high-performance actuators, improves the hygiene and performance of every filling applica tion with filling needle and/or filling pipe systems, across all media and containers. Filling needle and filling pipe systems are often used in fluid filling applications of liquid and viscous media. This principle is used primarily in the cosmetics industry, for

On the basis of the GEMÜ F40 and GEMÜ F60 servoDrive filling valves, tried and tested plug-diaphragm (PD) technol ogy has been expanded to include a new PD version with a stainless steel thread, which is pressed directly into the PTFE in the sintering process. With the new seal system, no more flushing behind the gland

A plug diaphragm with the new filling needle adaptation for the GEMÜ AF40 actuator.

Afrox has partnered with SLI Investments to bring the first LPG vending machines to the South African market. “Today’s GAZ2GO: vending machines dispensing of LPG gas customers are looking for quick and convenient accessibility to whatever product they are purchasing, and LPG is no exception,” says Afrox’s Trevor Boshoff, Business Manager, LPG Handigas.

from another locker. The entire process should take no longer than a minute.” GAZ2GO intends to position the vend ing machines at malls, shopping centres and garage forecourts. At the core of the vending machines is sophisticated soft ware that will facilitate live monitoring to ensure restocking as required. Each vending machine is fully compliant with LPG regulations and can hold up to 27 full cylinders. The GAZ2GO vending machines will be manufactured in South Africa with a de livery time of approximately 60 days. The first units will be available in the Western Cape before being rolled out in Gauteng and the rest of the country. www.afrox.com

Operating under the brand name GAZ2GO, the fully automated vending machines will offer convenient and safe access to LPG 24/7, 365 days a year. “Afrox is excited to extend this initiative from SLI Investments to offer customers a more ac cessible and modern way of obtaining LPG for heating, cooking and outdoor leisure purposes,” said Boshoff. “The process will be as simple as swip ing your card to make payment, then plac ing your empty cylinder, if you have one, in one of the lockers and taking a full cylinder

GAZ2GO intends to position the vending machines at malls, shopping centres and garage forecourts.

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