Mechanical Technology February 2016

Mechanical Technology — February 2016

⎪

Local manufacturing and beneficiation

⎪

The full range of

WEG transformers

are now guaranteed

for three years,

with the option to

extend to five years

by taking out a WTA

Service plan.

Above:

The newly commissioned automatic

foil-winding machine at the WTA Wadeville

facility.

Left:

Zest WEG has extended the guarantees

on its WEG motor range to five years, while

if bought in combination with WEG motors,

its VSDs and soft starter guarantees are

extended to three years.

out the new

technologies,

materials and opti-

mised manufacturing

techniques required to

meet international prod-

uct standards,” Daines points out.

By linking local manufacture

with WEG’s global technology

expertise and its R&D capability,

WTA can now manufacture and offer

custom-designed, oil-filled transformers

of up to 40 MVA at 132 kV; mini-sub-

stations of up to 2 000 kVA; transformer

repairs for units of up to 100 MVA; as

well as on site service and maintenance.

“On the Engineering side, we have

software that links directly to Brazil for

electrical performance, modelling, wir-

ing and accessories, for example, which

enables us to design and manufacture

total engineered solutions according the

highest global standards,” he adds.

The Hawker Siddeley factory has been

completely stripped out and re-equipped

to accommodate the higher quality levels

required. “We have even reversed the

direction of the assembly line, from west

to east to east to west,” Daines says be-

fore listing some of the new equipment

investments: new cranes with capacity

of up to 25 t; core cutting and stacking

systems; new shot blasting and acid

bath facilities; a powder coating bay; a

new fabrication workshop; and new foil

winding machines, amongst others. “And

the refurbishment of the two bays of the

factory was accomplished without having

the halt production,” he says.

Citing, in particular, the core cutting

and stacking system he says: “Core cut-

ting and stacking are labour intensive

tasks, so we have installed new tables

and an innovative stacking rod table to

minimise error and improve the consis-

tency of our transformer cores.”

Also added is a R20-million state-

of-the-art test facility where the perfor-

mance of every transformer manufac-

tured is measured and recorded. The

testing station is directly linked to the

engineering software so that performance

can be automatically compared to that

specified in the original design. Four test

bays are available, capable of testing

units of up to 100 MVA at 132 kV – and

all tests are conducted in accordance

with SANS 780 and IEC specifications.

In addition, Zest WEG Group acquired

TSS Transformers in 2015 to bring repair

and service components to its offering.

“With the deterioration of the local skills

base, we felt the need to compensate by

offering complete maintenance and ser-

vice contracts to electrical infrastructure

operators,” Daines explains.

Added capabilities include: trans-

former oil sampling and analysis; oil

analysis interpretation; oil purification,

regeneration or replacement solutions;

and repairs and maintenance, either on

or off site.

“Our oil purification system

is one of the largest in the country

and we can purify oil onsite and

in situ. Also, depending on the

voltage, we can even do it live,”

Daines notes.

WTA already employs 300 staff

at its Wadeville and Heidelberg facilities,

has an active skills development pro-

gramme and has benefitted from total

capital investment of R250-million. “We

are now 100% aligned with National

Treasury requirements for local manu-

facture of transformers, which it has

identified as ‘designated products’.

This means that all municipalities and

utilities in South Africa are mandated

to use transformer products with 90%

local content. WTA puts us into an ideal

position to supply into this market with

technology that meets the highest global

standards,” Daines believes.

Meiring concludes: “This is all in

line with Zest WEG Group’s strategy of

forming long-term relationships with our

customers. Last year we were 35 years

old and through that time, we have al-

ways strived to offer customers absolute

peace of mind.

“We plan to continue to bring inno-

vative initiatives to market that will add

value to customers’ operations – and

despite being part of a major global cor-

poration, we have not lost the flexibility

and responsiveness for which we have

always been known.”