Chemical Technology April 2016

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Chemical Technology • April 2016
FOCUS ONDESIGN & MATERIALS
Leading South African PTFE manufacturer
Trident Plastics, T/A Hardomid Plastic, re-
cently announced the sale of the company.
The new owner, AZ-Armaturen Valve
Group, has been an important customer of
Trident Plastics since its inception and has
a strategic vision for significant business
expansion.
The two previous owners of Trident Plas-
tics, Albert Dos Santos and Greg Halsted,
have decided to retire as members of the
company and hand over the business to
its long-term partner and valve group AZ-
Armaturen. Albert Dos Santos’ decision to
retire as Managing Member will bring to a
close a remarkable career of nearly 18 years
of continuous service to the company and
its stakeholders.
“It has been a privilege to lead one
of the top PTFE manufacturers in South
Africa and work alongside with customers
and suppliers from various industries.”
said Dos Santos. For another six months,
he will support the new owners in order to
ensure a smooth transition into the com-
pany and assure the transfer of know-how.
Trident Plastics continues its opera-
tions as an independent company from
Trident Plastics announces new ownership
Previous owners Greg Halsted and Albert Dos Santos together with Erich Ermel, the appointed
Managing Director of Trident Plastics.
AZ-Armaturen and all the employees will
remain in the business.
The trading name Hardomid Plastic will
no longer be used. “We believe that Trident
Plastics has a bright future ahead. Our
strategic expansion plans and the techni-
cal know-how of Trident Plastics will allow
us to target new markets and industries,”
commented Erich Ermel, Trident Plastics’
Managing Director. Erich Ermel has been in
the manufacturing industry for many years
and has a profound knowledge about PTFE,
seals and gaskets gained from his work ex-
perience at a previous seals manufacturer
in Switzerland.
Trident Plastics is a manufacturer of
PTFE products, high quality plastic parts
and supplies the industry with various
sealing solutions. The products of Trident
Plastics are used in various applications in
the chemical, petrochemical, mining, food,
pharma and valve industry.
For more information contact:
+27 (0) 11 824 0696; or
email:
Solution for installing HDPE piping underground in tight spaces
Plasson Line 87 from Incledon is an excel-
lent solution for the installation of 110 mm
HDPE piping underground in tight and hard-
to-reach places. An example of this range’s
acceptance in the local mining industry is
its successful application at Anglo Plati-
num’s Modikwa Mine in Burgersfort, states
Phillip Bawden, national product manager
for plastics at Incledon.
Manufactured in accordance with SANS
14236: 2003 specifications, the Plasson
Line 87 range features a ‘revolutionary’
seal system. The seal compresses when
the nut is tightened, ensuring a hassle-free,
water-tight system. There is no contact with
the seal during insertion of the pipe, which
means that the pipe slips in easily until it
makes contact with the centre register.
“Plasson Line 87 fittings make it particu-
larly easy to join HDPE pipes in confined
areas in underground mining,” Bawden
notes. A Plasson wrench is utilised to simply
tighten the fitting once the pipe has been
properly inserted.
Bawden explains that the sealing sys-
tem itself comprises the nut, a compress-
ible seal, an insert and a split ring. The
latter is positioned in the insert by means
of pins on the split ring. It slots into the
insert, which ensures that the split ring
slides through the insert without gripping
the nut in the initial stages of the tighten-
ing process.
The nut then impacts on the shoulder
of the insert, pushing it into the fitting
body and thereby compressing the seal.
“The nut must be tightened until it is flush
with the fitting body in order to ensure
adequate seal compression and split ring
contact,” Bawden notes. The Plasson Line
87 range comprises couplings, tees, male
and female adaptors, shouldered adaptors,
45 ° tees, end plugs and flange adaptors,
all rated at PN 16 pressure.
“In order to be a convenient and con-
structive supplier to the mining industry,
Incledon has established branches in
most of the major mining areas,” Bawden
highlights. These include Burgersfort,
Lephalale, Welkom, Klerksdorp, Kathu,
Rustenburg and Secunda, which are all
serviced by fully-stocked branches.
“Incledon strives to be able to supply,
among other things, a full range of pipes,
both steel and plastic, associated fittings
and valves and pumps. We also have instal-
lation teams capable of installing these
products as and when required,” Bawden
comments.
“HDPE pipes and fittings sometimes
require tailor-made solutions at some
mines, and Incledon is now able to offer
this service,” he concludes.
For more information contact
NGAGE Public Relations on
tel:+27 11 867-7763; email:
or go to
The Plasson
Line 87 range
features a ‘revolu-
tionary’ seal system.