MechChem Africa September-October 2022

⎪ Maintenance and asset management ⎪

cians at our premises using the latest software and specialised tools,” says Spies. According to Spies, the standardHVAC systems used onmany off road mining vehicles are unable to cope with the constant vibration, extreme temperatures anddust encountered inmining environments. “Our customised units are more expensive than these products but they are durable and can function for 20 years, or even longer, if maintained correctly,” says Spies. “By contrast, the life of standard units can be very short – no more than two or three years. Buying them is false economy.” He points out thatmost ‘off-the-shelf’ HVAC systems are designed to cope with temperatures of around 35 °C. “This is fine if your ma chines are working in Europe but totally inadequate for mining areas, suchas theNorthernCape, where temperatures can soar into the40s,” he remarks. “This why our HVAC systems are designed for ambient temperatures of up to 45 °C.” He adds that Booyco Engineering has such confidence in its HVAC systems that it offers a five-yearwarranty to customers, whichhe says is ground-breaking. Booyco Engineering is currently engaged in a fresh push into the mining sector to expand its mining footprint –– and is stressing to potential customers the benefits of the planned maintenance it can offer, not just onBooycoHVAC systems but also those of othermanu facturers. The company offers free site assessments to ascertain the current condition of customers’ fleets and to propose the most cost effective solution to ensure HVACs operate at acceptable levels and meet availability standards. “As part of our push, we’ve been on many mines recently and what we’ve noticed is that very few of them are maintaining their HVAC

systems,” he observes. “For the most part, they do not have any consistent maintenance programmes in place and they entrust their maintenance work to technicians who have no real understanding of HVAC and who certainly don’t have any in-depth understanding of the refrigeration cycle. At best, they will assign the task to one of their mechanics or auto-electricians, who theymight send on a one or two-day refrigeration course.” He notes that – by contrast – Booyco Engineering’s technicians are the best in the business and have been thoroughly trained by the company in every aspect of HVAC maintenance. These technicians are deployed on, or close to, customer sites throughout South Africa. According to Spies, HVAC systems ideally need to be thoroughly checked for leaks and have their return and fresh air filters cleaned on amonthly basis. Every threemonths, chemical cleaning of the con densers shouldbe carriedout andwiring, fasteners, V-belt tension, gas leaks and refrigerant pressures thoroughly checked. Annual services will include a compressor oil level check and chemical cleaning of the evaporator coil. Spies says that Booyco Engineering can provide these services under a range of maintenance offerings, either long or short term, and is happy to negotiate appropriate arrangements with customers. “Our preference, however, is for ‘man on site’ contracts where our technicians are on the spot, maintaining systems according to a carefully planned maintenance programme and able to respond im mediately to any breakdowns,” he says. “We regard this as the most efficient and cost-effective option from the mine’s point of view and onewhich, over the longer term, will lower the total cost of ownership very significantly.” www.booyco.co.za

Regular machine maintenance key to operational efficiency

Operational efficiency is paramount for in dustry that is under ever-increasing pressure to increase production outputwhile reducing input costs. Fundamental to seamless and efficient operational processes is machine and equipment reliability. And here regular machine maintenance conducted by trained professionals plays a critical role. “There is no argument against the fact that well-maintained machines perform optimally and efficiently over longer periods, ensuring increased uptime and production and reduced operating costs,” says Marcus Visser, Strategy and Operations Lead at GreenTech Plastics Machinery. Established in 2016, GreenTech is a leading supplier of premiumEuropeanplastic injectionmoulding machinery, systems andancillaryproducts to Southern African industry. Visser also notes that even the best quality machines need regular maintenance to prevent unexpected breakdowns and to ensure sustainable performance levels. “The exorbitant costs brought about by the criti cal failure of unmaintained machines due to subsequent unplanned halts in production are further compounded by repair costs. Moreover, machines that are not regularly and properly serviced can also put the safety of personnel at risk.” “We therefore strongly

cost-savingadvantages.” SomeofGreenTech’s service offerings include machine audits, tie-bar stress units, thermographic imaging, machine levelling, oil checks and the lubrica tion of critical parts. Regularly maintained equipment is more energy efficient and delivers savings when it comes to spare parts, which can some times account for as much as half the total maintenance costs. Visser explains that, by switching from reactive to preventive maintenance and reducing the frequencyof failures, the need for spare parts is reduced too. In addition to streamlining spare parts management, a maintenance programme helps to keep an up-to-date record of all system repairs, maintenance, spare parts and services. “As part of preventive main tenance, all work performed on our injec tion moulding machine is recorded in the logbooks,” states Visser. “The resultant increased production and decreased operational costs of well maintained machines delivers lower total costs of ownership while helping to shrink customers’ carbon footprints. Taking into account all these advantages, the imple mentation of a maintenance programme makes soundbusiness sense,” he concludes. www.greentechmachinery.co.za

encourage our customers to have a solid maintenance programme in place,” contin ues Visser. By allowing GreenTech’s team of qualified specialists to carry out profes sionalmachine inspection at least once a year, customers stand to benefit from numerous

Customers stand to benefit from numerous cost saving and reliability advantages from GreenTech’s maintenance programmes.

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