Mechanical Technology February 2015

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6 Mechanical Technology — February 2015
⎪ Industry forum ⎪
FLSmidth’s major investment in estab-
lishing its Delmas-based Supercenter as
an extensive aftermarket hub is benefiting
an increasing number of customers. This
is the first FLSmidth Supercenter to open
on the African continent and only the
seventh of its kind worldwide. The facility
provides strategic stockholding, rebuild,
repair and manufacturing facilities, and
serves as a training centre and a base for
the construction team.
SA’s first female Snell thermography instructor
Comtest, leading lo-
cal provider of test,
measurement and pro-
cess control equipment
solutions from world
leading manufacturers
to the southern African
market, has proudly
announced the inclu-
sion of Jeanri Mellanby
into the ranks of The
Snell Group’s (TSG)
certified instructors.
Me l l a n b y, w i t h
Comtest Technologies
in Johannesburg since
2007, is the first woman worldwide to
become a certified Snell Thermography
Instructor. She is also one of only seven
women worldwide to have attained Snell
Level III Thermography accreditation.
Mellanby has trained with TSG’s American
infrared expert, Ron Conner since 2013 to
become a Snell Authorised Licensee.
Jim Fritz, TSG’s president and CEO says,
“We are very pleased to welcome Jeanri as
a TSG Instructor. All her hard work and ef-
forts have paid off, as we recently authorised
Jeanri to present Level I courses indepen-
dently, as a Snell Group Authorised Licensed
Thermography Trainer. As it stands today,
there are five Level I and one Level II classes
scheduled to be presented by Jeanri over
the next 14 months in Johannesburg. We
hope that many would-be thermographers
will have the opportunity to work with her
in person, both in South Africa as well as
in the USA ”
The next IR Thermography Level I course
will be held in Johannesburg from 16 to 20
February, 2015.
Gas market leader Afrox has commis-
sioned a German-engineered Bruker FTIR
(Fourier Transform Infrared) instrument
at its ISO 9001 Gases Operation Centre
Laboratory in Germiston.
The Bruker FTIR was designed spe-
cifically to analyse low-level atmospheric
contaminants, including; CO, COS,
H2S, NOx, SO x, and will identify and
Delmas Supercenter: an extensive aftermarket hub
The facility works alongside custom-
ers to boost their competitive advantage
and fortify their safety record, since
repairs and rebuilds take place off site
in a controlled environment. The facility
itself has established an exemplary safety
record, with zero lost-time injury hours
recorded from when it began construc-
tion at the beginning of 2012 to when it
became operational in June 2013.
“Our Delmas Supercenter has already
established itself as a star player in our
service network,” says Stephan Kruger,
general manager. “The establishment of
this state-of-the-art facility demonstrates
the company’s intention to become a
partner of choice to its customers. It
forms part of FLSmidth’s global strategy
to bring critical services closer to custom-
ers and, to date, we have undertaken
many diverse projects focusing on the
rebuild, repair and supply of products.”
One of the most important benefits
to customers is that rebuilds and repairs
are undertaken by an OEM, bringing in-
house engineering competence to bear on
all the work performed, based on readily
available manufacturing data records of
all this equipment.
In addition, the trial assemblies are
conducted before equipment is deployed
to customer sites. During this process,
no-load testing and verification of all op-
erating parameters are carried out, effec-
tively minimising the potential challenges
often experienced during installation and
commissioning and accruing savings in
time, labour and site costs.
FLSmidth has seen nearly 150 Super­
center orders since it opened, of which
85 are currently active, including: the
manufacture, assembly, testing and sup-
ply of 13 vibrating screens and feeders.
“Reducing costs for our customers is a
major driver and the Supercenter has
afforded us the opportunity to participate
in cost saving initiatives with our custom-
ers in regard to new equipment, as well
repair, rebuild and complete refurbish-
ments,” Kruger assures.
The FLSmidth Supercenter in Delmas offers rebuild,
repair and manufacturing capabilities, such as welding of
an underflow chute pictured here.
Bruker FTIR instrument commissioned
quantify chemical species found in the
atmosphere around us. It uses Opus
7.0 software to compare spectra from
gas mixtures to those registered on the
atomic spectra database of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST). This improves the analytical
tolerance of the mixtures that Afrox can
analyse and supply. It complements the
low-ppm reactive component calibration
mixtures Afrox has been offering in stabi-
lised cylinders, resulting in high accuracy
and extended shelf life.
The instrument is equipped with an
eight-meter glass gas cell with gold-
coated mirrors to ensure that the reactive
components in the sample do not react
with the cell itself. The MCT detector
is cooled to -196 °C, a temperature
where the infrared detector is at its most
sensitive.
Afrox manager for special products
and chemicals, Marietha Strydom says
that this instrument will enable the analy-
sis of gases to medical, pharmaceutical
and aviation standards now required by
Afrox customers. “It is also part of the
ISO 17025 programme that Afrox has
embarked on, in order to register as a
calibration laboratory.”
The Bruker FTIR was designed specifically to
analyse low-level atmospheric contaminants.