Mechanical Technology July 2016

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Mechanical Technology — July 2016 7
⎪ Industry forum ⎪
In brief
Local IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) specialist
Xperien, together with IT Asset Management
specialist services company ITAMSA, has now
introduced the first IAITAM certification train-
ing in South Africa. “An IAITAM Certification
award shows the IT world that the holder is an
IT professional that is prepared to handle the
tasks necessary for the role of IT Asset Manager,”
says ITAMSA managing partner Steve Klements.
The Capital Equipment Group (CEG) of Invicta
Holdings Limited has appointed Chris White-
head as managing director of DISA Equipment
(Pty) Ltd, trading as Doosan Construction
Equipment . Whitehead is now responsible for
all Doosan Construction Equipment operations
within South Africa.
WearCheck has further enhanced its oil analysis
and reliability solutions services with the recent
appointment and promotion of several skilled
specialists: David Schumacher as diagnostician
for the Durban condition monitoring labora-
tory and Steven Lara-Lee Lumley as technical
manager for WearCheck Durban; Thomas
Madlala is now head of business development
and technical support at WearCheck Steelpoort
with Josephine Rakolota dealing with sales and
customer support; and Sharon Pieterse has
joined WearCheck Rustenburg to handle busi-
ness development and technical sales.
Konecranes has established a parts distribution
centre (DC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The
centre, which services the whole of sub-Saharan
Africa, provides full support to customers with
fast turnaround times for queries and orders.
“Our highly-trained spare parts team offers as-
sistance in identifying the right parts and our
southern African Parts DC has high availability
of parts in stock, which has resulted in a signifi-
cantly better delivery punctuality,” says Celeste
Viljoen, DC operations manager.
Following a decision to increase its footprint in
the SADC region, Goscor Lift Truck Company
(GLTC) it has appointed several new distributors
in neighbouring countries. The latest is the ap-
pointment in Gaborone, Botswana, of Brenham,
a general industrial sales and service organisa-
tion, which is owned and managed by Ronnie
van der Nest and David Nunes, both highly
experienced in servicing and sales of machinery.
Besam door systems from ASSA ABLOY En-
trance Systems are operating seamlessly at the
head office and three franchises of one of South
Africa’s largest fast food companies. Following
the first installation of Besam Unislide bi-parting
doors at the Johannesburg head office, the com-
pany has placed an additional two orders for the
installation of entrance and exit door systems at
its Kathu and Krugersdorp franchises.
Rockwell Automation is strengthening its
vision of becoming the leading provider
of industrial automation and information
solutions and services in sub-Saharan
Africa with the inauguration of its new
Johannesburg premises. The occasion
coincided with the announcement of the
joining of forces with two well-known and
influential South African trusts, Ma Afrika
Tikkun Endowment Trust and Simanye
Trust, as their B-BBEE shareholder.
This collaboration represents an op-
portunity “to pursue a focused strategy
based around education, employment
and enterprise opportunities that can
make a genuine contribution to what
we see as our responsibility to uplift
underprivileged communities,” explains
Barry Elliott, managing director, Rockwell
Automation sub-Saharan Africa.
Maranatha Care Centre in Benoni uses
a Ceccato compressor donated by Atlas
Copco to do various repair and mainte-
nance jobs around the facility including
building fences, putting up burglar bars
and even pumping tyres. “We help to cre-
ate employment opportunities for jobless
and homeless people by assigning this
type of work to them,” explains Lukas
van den Bergh who founded the Care
Centre in 1991.
Maranatha Care Centre is a haven for
the homeless and destitute, providing
much needed food, shelter, clothes and
counselling. “We also provide transport
to and from doctors, dentists and schools
and we even monitor and assist learners
with their homework,” adds Van den
Bergh. He explains that the aim of the
Care Centre is to assist people in such a
way so that they are able to again enter
the workplace.
The facility is currently caring for ap-
proximately 46 adults and 12 children re-
siding independently on plots in Brakpan.
“While they are basically taking care of
themselves, we have provided temporary
homes and we also send weekly food
donations to assist them until they get
back on their feet,” he adds. “We can
accommodate approximately 80 people
in total.”
Kgothatso Ntsie corporate communica-
tions manager for Atlas Copco Holdings
South and Sub-Sahara Africa, accompa-
nied by Multi Brands’ Sibongile Mtaopane,
business line manager and Katlego Ntsie,
Compressor donation helps care centre create jobs
sales and marketing specialist, handed
over the Ceccato Beltair Pro 90 compres-
sor to the centre in May 2016.
“Suitable for any application that
requires dry air, the stationary two-stage
belt-driven piston compressor features a
pre-installed and tank-mounted dryer to
deliver top performance and quality air,”
says Mtaopane. “This all-in-one quality
air solution will save both time and costs
while the machine’s reduced footprint
also offers the advantage of space saving
during storage.”
Says Ntsie: “Our support of a number
of organisations goes beyond once-off
donations of cash, products and other
goods; we build long-term partnerships
with them, identify and meet their real
needs and we are able to see the progress
they make over time; this is how Atlas
Copco makes a difference.”
Katlego Ntsie, Multi Brands; Kgothatso
Ntsie, Atlas Copco; and Sibongile Mtaopane,
Multi Brands, hand over the Ceccato Beltair
Pro 90 compressor to Lukas van den Bergh.
Rockwell automation strengthens roots in Africa
“It’s not just corporate social respon-
sibility, it’s a social licence to operate,”
Elliott continues. “We looked for a strate-
gic shareholder through whom we could
make sure our social development objec-
tives could achieve maximum impact in
the communities and people that need
it most. This is a long-term investment
in our country.”
Afrika Tikkun, with its Cradle-to-
Career model that supports children
from infancy into adulthood, has helped
close to 20 000 beneficiaries per an-
num for the last 21 years become more
employable, productive and responsible,
enhancing their self-efficacy.
“Afrika Tikkun is the perfect vehicle to
match the corporate social responsibility
objectives of Rockwell Automation,” says
Elliott.