Mechanical Technology July 2016

⎪ Industry forum ⎪

Compressor donation helps care centre create jobs

In brief Local IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) specialist Xperien , together with IT Asset Management specialist services company ITAMSA , has now introduced the first IAITAM certification train- ing in South Africa. “An IAITAM Certification award shows the IT world that the holder is an IT professional that is prepared to handle the tasks necessary for the role of IT Asset Manager,” says ITAMSA managing partner Steve Klements. The Capital Equipment Group (CEG) of Invicta Holdings Limited has appointed Chris White- head as managing director of DISA Equipment (Pty) Ltd, trading as Doosan Construction Equipment . Whitehead is now responsible for all Doosan Construction Equipment operations within South Africa. WearCheck has further enhanced its oil analysis and reliability solutions services with the recent appointment and promotion of several skilled specialists: David Schumacher as diagnostician for the Durban condition monitoring labora- tory and Steven Lara-Lee Lumley as technical manager for WearCheck Durban; Thomas Madlala is now head of business development and technical support at WearCheck Steelpoort with Josephine Rakolota dealing with sales and customer support; and Sharon Pieterse has joined WearCheck Rustenburg to handle busi- ness development and technical sales. Konecranes has established a parts distribution centre (DC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The centre, which services the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, provides full support to customers with fast turnaround times for queries and orders. “Our highly-trained spare parts team offers as- sistance in identifying the right parts and our southern African Parts DC has high availability of parts in stock, which has resulted in a signifi- cantly better delivery punctuality,” says Celeste Viljoen, DC operations manager. Following a decision to increase its footprint in the SADC region, Goscor Lift Truck Company (GLTC) it has appointed several new distributors in neighbouring countries. The latest is the ap- pointment in Gaborone, Botswana, of Brenham , a general industrial sales and service organisa- tion, which is owned and managed by Ronnie van der Nest and David Nunes, both highly experienced in servicing and sales of machinery. Besam door systems from ASSA ABLOY En- trance Systems are operating seamlessly at the head office and three franchises of one of South Africa’s largest fast food companies. Following the first installation of Besam Unislide bi-parting doors at the Johannesburg head office, the com- pany has placed an additional two orders for the installation of entrance and exit door systems at its Kathu and Krugersdorp franchises.

Rockwell Automation is strengthening its vision of becoming the leading provider of industrial automation and information solutions and services in sub-Saharan Africa with the inauguration of its new Johannesburg premises. The occasion coincided with the announcement of the joining of forces with two well-known and influential South African trusts, Ma Afrika Tikkun Endowment Trust and Simanye Trust, as their B-BBEE shareholder. This collaboration represents an op- portunity “to pursue a focused strategy based around education, employment and enterprise opportunities that can make a genuine contribution to what we see as our responsibility to uplift underprivileged communities,” explains Barry Elliott, managing director, Rockwell Automation sub-Saharan Africa. Maranatha Care Centre in Benoni uses a Ceccato compressor donated by Atlas Copco to do various repair and mainte- nance jobs around the facility including building fences, putting up burglar bars and even pumping tyres. “We help to cre- ate employment opportunities for jobless and homeless people by assigning this type of work to them,” explains Lukas van den Bergh who founded the Care Centre in 1991. Maranatha Care Centre is a haven for the homeless and destitute, providing much needed food, shelter, clothes and counselling. “We also provide transport to and from doctors, dentists and schools and we even monitor and assist learners with their homework,” adds Van den Bergh. He explains that the aim of the Care Centre is to assist people in such a way so that they are able to again enter the workplace. The facility is currently caring for ap- proximately 46 adults and 12 children re- siding independently on plots in Brakpan. “While they are basically taking care of themselves, we have provided temporary homes and we also send weekly food donations to assist them until they get back on their feet,” he adds. “We can accommodate approximately 80 people in total.” Kgothatso Ntsie corporate communica- tions manager for Atlas Copco Holdings South and Sub-Sahara Africa, accompa- nied by Multi Brands’ Sibongile Mtaopane, business line manager and Katlego Ntsie,

sales and marketing specialist, handed over the Ceccato Beltair Pro 90 compres- sor to the centre in May 2016. “Suitable for any application that requires dry air, the stationary two-stage belt-driven piston compressor features a pre-installed and tank-mounted dryer to deliver top performance and quality air,” says Mtaopane. “This all-in-one quality air solution will save both time and costs while the machine’s reduced footprint also offers the advantage of space saving during storage.” Says Ntsie: “Our support of a number of organisations goes beyond once-off donations of cash, products and other goods; we build long-term partnerships with them, identify and meet their real needs and we are able to see the progress they make over time; this is how Atlas Copco makes a difference.” www.atlascopco.co.za Katlego Ntsie, Multi Brands; Kgothatso Ntsie, Atlas Copco; and Sibongile Mtaopane, Multi Brands, hand over the Ceccato Beltair Pro 90 compressor to Lukas van den Bergh. “It’s not just corporate social respon- sibility, it’s a social licence to operate,” Elliott continues. “We looked for a strate- gic shareholder through whom we could make sure our social development objec- tives could achieve maximum impact in the communities and people that need it most. This is a long-term investment in our country.” Afrika Tikkun, with its Cradle-to- Career model that supports children from infancy into adulthood, has helped close to 20 000 beneficiaries per an- num for the last 21 years become more employable, productive and responsible, enhancing their self-efficacy. “Afrika Tikkun is the perfect vehicle to match the corporate social responsibility objectives of Rockwell Automation,” says Elliott. www.rockwellautomation.co.za

Rockwell automation strengthens roots in Africa

Mechanical Technology — July 2016

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