MechChem Africa September-October 2020

Specialist diagnosis and repair for Cat injection systems

Specialist expertise and equipment allow Reef Fuel Injection Services to accurately diagnose faults in Cat fuel injection systems quickly, and get these machines back on the road in double-quick time.

nostic tools to zoom in, so that if it is only the injector that requires attention, we attend to that directly.” The company’s field services team can evenattend to themachineonsiteat short no- tice, oftenmuch quicker than theOEM. Using service exchange components, downtime can be significantly reduced. Should the customer choose, the fuel injection components can be removed on site and taken back to the Reef Fuel Injection Services workshop for comprehensive testing and a detailed report. TheOEM is not equipped to conduct this level of investigation. “Our advanced facilities allow us to pro- vide a cost-effective remanufacturing service insteadof simply replacing expensive compo- nents,”Hauser says. This factor becomes even more important for customers in timesof rand volatility against the dollar, and in the face of potential disruptions to global supply chains for spare parts. The Reef Fuel Injection Services message is clear: Cat owners can benefit considerably fromcorrectdiagnosisupfront,lessdowntime of equipment and the competitivepricing that comes with quality remanufacturing. Reef Fuel Injection Services caters to the full range of Cat diesel engines. www.reeffuel.co.za

“U sing advanced Cat fuel- system-specific equipment, weareexperts inpinpointing the root cause of failure,” says Warren Hauser, manager at Germiston- based Reef Fuel Injection Services. “This essentially ensures that we are not trying to fault-find through a process of elimination at the customer’s expense.”

of a breakdown, for a workshop to replace the entire fuel injection system, including the diesel pump, injector and common rail to resolve an issue. “With economic conditions becoming more difficult, it is unlikely that Cat owners can afford to replace entire diesel fuel injec- tion systems, if this is not strictly required,” says Hauser. “We use our specialised diag-

It also means that parts are not changed unnecessarily. It is not uncommon, in the case Left : Specialist expertise and equipment allow Reef Fuel Injection Services to diagnose work-stopping faults in Caterpillar fuel injection systems quickly and accurately. Right: A remanufactured Caterpillar 920 sleeve metering on est at Reef Fuel Injection Services.

Bosch Rexroth SA’s essential hydraulic services

in line with the lockdown restrictions to minimise downtime of these essential plant processes.” Hytec Engineering provides end-to-end hydraulic cylinders services for mines and industries across sub-Saharan Africa. www.boschrexroth.africa

When Bosch Rexroth company, Hytec Secunda, was tasked with overseeing the urgent repair of a two hydraulic cylinders for a large regional customer, all the stops were pulled out to overcome COVID-19 lockdown challenges. Working with fellow Bosch Rexroth South Africa Group company, Hytec Engineering, the cylinders were delivered and installed in just 10 days, despite the challengesofSouthAfrica’snationwidelock- downduring the period, ensuring downtime on the associated important plant functions was kept to a minimum. Hytec Secunda was responsible for all site work, as well as transport of the cylinders between the plant and Hytec Engineering’s cylinder manufactory in Johannesburg. There, the 250/115x1060FFfilter press

cylinderwasoverhauled,includingstripping, inspection, refurbishment, honing and test- ing. This cylinder works in a filter press that solidifies gunk and separates the liquid from the solids for further processing. Hytec Engineering also manufactured a new cylinder for a flopper gate. An older

cylinder is currently being repaired thatwill beused as the backup cylinder for this equipment in the future. “Repairing an hydraulic cylinder can be far more cost-effective than pur- chasing a newone,” explains Andr é Lindeque, Hytec Engineering’s general man- ager. “The challenge was to rapidly coordinate the service of this equipment

The cylinder repair work was executed during South Africa’s national COVID-19 lockdown to minimise downtime at the plant.

10 ¦ MechChem Africa • September-October 2020