Sparks Electrical News September 2016

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SPARKS
ELECTRICAL NEWS SEPTEMBER 2016
3 CONTRACTORS’ CORNER
Tmax XT Strip Sparks 2016.indd 1 7/29/2016 10:50:21 AM
PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH: JOHAN VAN NIEKERK
SUCCESS IS THE SUM OF SMALL EFFORTS REPEATED CONSISTENTLY
JOHAN van Niekerk is the chief commercial officer at Shaw Controls,
part of the Zest WEG Group. He’s been at Shaw Controls for 14 years
and is one of those rare people who loves what he does and has fun
doing it.
A deep thinker with an analytic mind, Johan pays close attention
to each minute detail and carefully considers every possible potential
outcome before making a final decision – in other words, a born engi-
neer. He’s cool, calm and collected – a mainstay in a crisis and the go-
to person when a problem needs to be solved. Integrity is everything
to Johan – there are definitely no short cuts and no compromises on
quality. Not ever.
Sparks: Where were you educated?
JvN: I went to St Benedict’s Preparatory School and Dawnview High
School. I studied electrical engineering at Germiston Technical College.
Sparks: How long have you been involved in the electrical industry?
JvN: I’ve been in the electrical industry for 32 years.
Sparks: When and where did you start your career?
JvN: I began my working career at AECI Modderfontein, initially as an
apprentice and thereafter as a technician.
Sparks: What are the greatest changes you have seen over the years?
JvN: I would say that, for me, the greatest change has been South
Africa’s move from being an isolated nation to its integration into the
international community. I say this with reference to the resultant
changes in thinking, the benefits of technology flow and also the chal-
lenges presented by international competition.
Sparks: What major projects have you worked on and what is your
greatest accomplishment?
JvN: I have worked on many diverse projects. Some particular high-
lights for me were: the upgrade of drum reclaimers at Sishen in the
Northern Cape; the spent fuel handling crane at Koeberg Nuclear
Power Station; implementing the drives solution on the longest over-
land conveyor in South Africa at Zibulo Colliery; one of the first MV
variable speed drives (VSDs) with frozen charge protection at the
Burnstone Gold Mine; a man-riding conveyor; a hot metal crane with a
dual hoist drive; and a ship-to-shore bucket crane system.
Sparks: Have you won any awards?
JvN: I achieved the highest marks in the Republic for electrical tech-
nology when I was an electrical engineering student.
Sparks: Who has been your inspiration or have you had a mentor who
has influenced your career?
JvN: I haven’t had a specific mentor and there hasn’t been one individ-
ual who has been an inspiration, although I do admire the leadership of
Abraham Lincoln. He put together a diverse team during an extremely
difficult time in the US’s history. Throughout, he was forgiving – and
accepting – of those who opposed him: his enemies and those who
were on his team but who failed him. In many ways, one can see simi-
larities between Lincoln and our own Madiba.
Sparks: What, to your mind, is one of the biggest challenges facing the
industry at this time?
JvN: The biggest challenge for this industry is the general decline
in standards locally – especially when seen in conjunction with the
opening up of international markets and the aggressive expansion by
China into Africa. This is placing additional unnecessary pressure on
the industry.
Sparks: What do you enjoy most about your job?
JvN: I enjoy beating major international competitors, seeing oppor-
tunities opened up for people, and bringing innovative solutions into
industry.
Sparks: How do you motivate your staff?
JvN: I try to allow as much liberty and room for individual initiative as
possible within a framework of trust and responsibility
Sparks: If you could ‘do it all again’, would you change anything? If so,
what would that be?
JvN: No, because I don’t like to think along those lines.
Sparks: Would you advise a person leaving school to enter the electri-
cal industry? And why?
JvN: Yes, I would because this is an industry that is essential and in-
dispensable; and it provides an exciting and stimulating environment
in which to work.
Sparks: What is your advice to electrical contractors and/or electrical
engineers?
JvN: My advice would be to continually strive to maintain and improve
a professional standard. It is essential that we do not compromise
simply because it seems as if that is what the entire country is doing.
Sparks: What is your favourite quote?
JvN: I don’t have an all-time favourite quote although periodically, I will
find a quote that addresses the ‘season’ such as: “Success is the sum
of small efforts repeated consistently,” and “People rarely succeed un-
less they have fun in what they are doing”.
Sparks: Name three things on your ‘bucket list’ (things you want to do
before you ‘kick the bucket’).
JvN: I would like to do complete the Comrades Marathon; ride a five-
day mountain bike stage race; and do an overland trip that will include
Etosha, Moremi, Chobe, Savuti, Victoria Falls, Luangwa, Ngorongoro,
Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and the Masai Mara.
Johan van Niekerk.
Robust relay and current transformer test set
The Megger MRCT is a light weight,
robust, portable unit used to perform
demagnetisation, ratio, saturation,
winding resistance, polarity, phase deviation,
and insulation tests on current transformers.
The MRCT automatically calculates ratio er-
rors, saturation curves, and knee points. The
MRCT provides a microprocessor-controlled
variable voltage and current output and preci-
sion instrumentation for automatically testing
single and multi-ratio CTs, reducing testing
time and increasing productivity. The MRCT
will directly connect to multi-ratio CTs and
perform all tests – saturation, ratio and polar-
ity, winding resistance and insulation – on all
taps with the push of a button and without
changing leads.
The MRCT can be controlled via Megger’s
Smart Touch View Interface (STVI) control-
ler. The STVI controller is a full colour, high
resolution, LCD touch screen which allows
the user to perform manual and automatic
testing quickly and easily using the manual
test screen, as well as using pre-constructed
test routines. The large colour display permits
the user to easily read all pertinent data while
the test is being performed and provides the
ability to view the current transformer’s satu-
ration curve. The unit can also be configured
to come without a Megger STVI and can be
controlled via a laptop with Megger’s Pow-
erDB software. Current transformers can be
tested in their equipment configuration, such
as being mounted in transformers, oil circuit
breakers or switchgear. It is necessary for the
equipment to be completely isolated from
the electrical system prior to testing.
Enquiries: +27 11 391 3832