MechChem Africa November-December 2020

Forever forward with Bonfiglioli Henco du Plooy, the newly appointed managing director of Bonfiglioli South Africa, talks about the heritage and future vision of the global designer, manufacturer and distributor of gearmotors, drive systems, planetary gearboxes and inverters. “G lobally, Bonfiglioli serves more industries and ap- plications than any other drive manufacturer and

solutions, he continues, which Bonfiglioli can offer thanks to the skills of its people and an extensive product range. “By collaborating, innovating and acting togetherwith our part- ners, we strive to identify new opportunities for tomorrow. Through customer trust and loyalty, Bonfiglioli has been able to continue togrow in this periodof volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), with sev- eral projects and strategic initiatives having been introduced,” he tells MechChem Africa . The most notable recent project was the €60-million investment in EVO in Italy, the largest-everBonfigliolimanufacturing facility. Sustainable with zero impact on the environ- ment, this plant offers a production capac- ity of 800 000 units a year and employs 600 workers. The compactness of the building, its external structure, the use of high perfor- mance energy systems and the production of energy from renewable sources are some of the characteristics that contribute tomaking it a near zero energy building.

we are a market leader in many sectors.” says Du Plooy. “We design, manufacture and distribute tailored drive solutions for all kinds of applications that impact daily life: the food we consume, the roads we drive on, the clothes we wear and the lights in our homes,” he begins. Established in1956, Bonfiglioli operates in 21countries,has14productionfacilitiesanda global network of 500 distributors and 3 770 employees.“OurSouthAfricaoperationshave enjoyed great success formore than30years, whichwe attribute to the guaranteedproduct and service quality that we offer our custom- ers and partners, alongwith our commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability,” he suggests. In today’s highly competitive market, customers expect optimal fit-for-purpose

“For us, EVO is far more than just an inno- vative plant, it is a philosophy based on evo- lution, continuous growth and improvement. It represents our future goal for significant transformation and growth, lays the foun- dation for the Bonfiglioli Group’s leap into digitalisationand signals our determination to realign production to Industry 4.0 – because all our partners deserve more than standard. “At Bonfiglioli we are constantly in- novating. We understand that continuous development in skills and technology is what is required to be a strategic partner to the best manufacturing companies in the world,” Du Plooy concludes. www.bonfiglioli.com

18 ¦ MechChem Africa • November-December 2020