Sparks Electrical News March 2017

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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ONLINE PORTAL FOR SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTRICIANS

stay connected and to offer a one-stop service through the online portal that meets all electricans’ needs. Online training courses are designed for all types of electrical businesses and are continually refreshed to keep up with any industry changes; such as product and regulatory developments. “The key objective now is to ensure that we work with various electrician stakeholders in South Africa to ensure maximum uptake and ongoing usage of the Schneider Electric Partner Portal for electricians,” Dalglish says, adding that Schneider Electric wants every single electrician from small, medium and large sized businesses to register and use the portal to gain maximum benefit through the comprehensive electrician’s offer available on the portal.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC has developed an online portal to connect with electricians and to help them manage and grow their businesses. The company’s Partner Portal for electricians features a host of online tools designed to make projects and jobs easier and it also serves as a network that provides access to information on latest products and energy management solutions. “We are excited about the impact this platform will have, not just on the businesses of South African electricians, but on the economy as a whole,” says Zanelle Dalglish, Electricians Manager. The easy-to- use platform provides detailed resources for the efficient running of an electrician business. It includes sections on business development such as: Promote My Business, Grow My Business, Finance My Business, My Business Partners and I am a new electrician. Additional categories include: Quote & Plan, Finding Products, Electrical Installation Guide and Technical Support.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 254 6400

MANAGING COMPLEX TURNKEY PROJECTS WITH EASE Specialised features on the portal provide access to practical tools tailored for electricians to grow and manage their businesses. Industry access links are also available on the portal to ensure that partners

Chris Ngobeni, winding assistant at Marthinusen & Coutts, perform- ing final checks on the generator rotor panel.

T he ability of Marthinusen & Coutts, a division of ACTOM, to manage complex turnkey projects was again underpinned by the successful completion of a project for Impala Platinum Mine. Clive Myall, Marthinusen & Coutts’ field service manager, said the leading electrical rotating machinery service provider was awarded the contract to refurbish two mobile generator sets. The generator sets provide backup power at the mine outside Rustenburg. The project involved servicing the 2 200 kVA alternators and MTU engines as well as managing the servicing and refurbishment of all associated equipment. Myall said that some of the electrical equipment had to be replaced and upgraded with the help of specialist suppliers and service providers. Both mobile units, originally manufactured in 1986, were taken to Marthinusen & Coutts’ Power Generation equipment repair facility in Benoni, where they underwent a complete strip-down assessment. New radiator cores and piping were manufactured for the cooling system. A new engine pre-heat system was designed, manufactured and installed and minor engine repairs were performed. The original analogue control systems in the control rooms were replaced by state-of-the-art automated digital systems, along with compatible engine governors. This work was subcontracted to automation specialists. Myall said that the upgrade involved a complete redesign of the control panels and wiring and that it represented a big advance over the old system in terms of speed, efficiency and automatic monitoring of the condition of the entire generator set equipment.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 607 1700

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MARCH 2017