Electricity + Control April 2019

TRANSFORMERS + SUBSTATIONS

WEG Transformers Africa offers customers the advantage of its dedicated jobbing production line at its Wadeville operation.

Customised engineering and production The transformers and miniature substations pro- duced at the Wadeville facility are customised units, designed and manufactured to specific re- quirements for particular applications. This is a key differentiator forWTA. It is one of only a few manu- facturers in this sector that can offer its customers the flexibility that running a jobbing production line allows. All engineering design and production drawings are done in-house; most of the components are produced in the same facility – the transformers used in the miniature substations, for example, are all manufactured to order at the Wadeville factory to SANS 1029:2016; and testing of the products to given specifications is also carried out on the premises. Streamlined operations This streamlining of operations not only provides for customisation of the equipment produced but also supports manufacturing efficiencies, quality control and time and cost savings. It enables WTA to reduce lead times and pass on cost savings to its customers. The company’s recent upgrade of its Wadeville manufacturing facility, completed over a planned three-year programme through 2013 to 2015, has also contributed to operational efficiencies and other improvements. It introduced, among other things: new cranes; a new core cutting machine and a new semi-automatic foil winding machine, while conventional hand-winding methods are also still employed; a new nitrogen drying oven; a new test bay and a new test laboratory.This investment brings together the company’s extensive know- ledge and experience with modern design tools, new technologies and new skills.

cutting and stacking are all handled in-house at the Wadeville plant.

Miniature substations WTA Wadeville manufactures miniature substa- tions from 100 kVA up to 1 600 kVA/22 kV (and 33 kV specifically for some mining applications). This represents a wider range than is available, as standard, from other manufacturers. The miniature substations are used in township reticulation projects, or for individual industrial consumers (private owners), surface mining, con- struction sites, and new building developments – industrial, commercial or residential. The company also manufactures vandal-proof mini substations which it designed and developed to Eskom approv- al for high-risk areas. All miniature substations are designed, fully manufactured and tested at the Wadeville factory, in a quality controlled production environment cer- tified in terms of ISO 9001:2015. The substations are produced to SANS 1029:2016 specifications or higher customised standards – such as may be required by Eskom or individual municipal utilities handling electrical distribution.

The transformers and miniature substations produced at the Wadeville facility are customised units, designed and manufactured to specific

requirements for particular applications.

The vacuum drying oven at WTA's Wadeville facility can handle transformers up to 20 MVA.

Electricity + Control

APRIL 2019

29