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CONTRACTORS’
CORNER
ONLINE PORTAL
FOR SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTRICIANS
MANAGING COMPLEX
TURNKEY PROJECTS
WITH EASE
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.
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
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.
Enquiries: +27 (0)11 254 6400
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
Chris Ngobeni,
winding assistant
at Marthinusen &
Coutts, perform-
ing final checks
on the generator
rotor panel.
SPARKS
ELECTRICAL NEWS
MARCH 2017