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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
MAY 2017
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side of the business, especially driven by the
strategic international OEM partnerships,
which are helping Scania capture the
industrial aftermarket business locally.
“We have international agreements with
OEMs such as Terex and Doosan. Locally we
focus a lot on the aftermarket side of the
business, having already supplied engines to
these OEMs,” says Lyons. For Terex, Scania
engines power a range of machines including
dumpers, crushers and cranes, while for
Doosan it’s mainly the dumpers driven by
Scania engines.
The OEM venture constitutes about 80% of
Scania’s business on the industrial engines
and gensets side of the business, while the
other 20% is with end users. The company
also has special agreements with both OEMs
and end users on the Marine engines side of
the business.
Wide range
Scania has a big range of gensets,
ranging from 250 to 700 kVA. With three
engine sizes and power ratings ranging
from 202 to 566 kW, Scania’s industrial
engine platform meets every existing and
foreseeable emission legislation. Scania’s
marine engines can get up to 1 200 hp,
depending on application.
Meanwhile, Scania SA has since
introduced a Scania V8 gas engine to the
local market, said to be the flagship product
moving forward. “We see a lot of potential in
the gas engine market in South Africa in the
near future. With our solutions we can help
drive the ‘green’ initiative. The range comes
in several models, from standby to prime
power models,” says Walter.
“We have one unit currently running as a
pilot project at a company in Johannesburg.
Commissioned in February this year, it is
running in a gas generator, and will run on
pilot until around October 2018. The focus for
the pilot project is to test the capabilities of
our gas engine in South African conditions,”
says Lyons.
The gas engine comes in two variants of
1 5000 rpm, which generates 50 Hz, and the
1 800 rpm version, with an output of 60 Hz.
As a result, the only application ideal for this
particular engine is for generators. While the
gas offering for power generation is a new
venture for Scania locally, the company has
already gone down the gas engines route
with several of its buses already running on
gas engines locally.
Looking ahead, Lyons is upbeat about
prospects of growth this year. “When it
comes to volumes, we are on target for
the year. We are looking to have a better
penetration for the year compared with
2016, for both engines and gen-sets,” he
concludes.
b
a total of 504 units, including gensets and
engines.”
In 2016, the Eskom grid stabilised and as
a result sales dipped. The Rand lost its value
against major currencies, amid a generally
difficult business year premised on lower
commodity prices. The market was also
saturated due to a flurry of sales during the
previous year.
Standby generator units led the demand
in South Africa, with many businesses,
including shopping centres, hospitals,
casinos, fuel stations and airports, resorting
to backup power plans. Meanwhile, several
mines also transitioned to prime power
solutions, especially in the Mpumalanga
area.
Prime solutions are entirely separate from
the national grid, and supply load power on a
24/7 basis. This option requires considerably
better planning and far greater investment,
as the entire outcome of the operation
depends on the power supply. This means
that the most important aspect to take into
consideration is the OEM. As part of its
prime power solutions, Scania has the ability
to provide a full and comprehensive range of
services, including conceptualisation, design,
construction, installation, commissioning,
operation and maintenance.
Both Lyons and Walter are encouraged by
the huge upturn on the industrial engines
Rune Walters, Export Sales
Manager Scania Engines &
Gensets (left) and Johan Lyons,
newly-appointed General
Manager Engines at Scania SA.