African Fusion June 2016 Final

SAIWmember profile: Transnet Engineering

AFRICAN FUSION

June 2016

he contract between Bombardier

Transportation South Africa and

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) for 240

Bombardier TRAXX Africa locomotives

is part of the largest locomotive supply

project in South Africa’s history, with

overall orders for 599 electric and 465

diesel locomotives from four different

suppliers. TFR will use the 240 TRAXX

Africa dual-voltage electric locomotives

– valued at approximately R13-billion

based on the original list price and

exchange rates –for its general freight

business.

As part of the localisation require-

ments, the fabrication of 480 bogies

required by TFR for the locomotives

has now begun at the Durban facilities

of Transnet Engineering. Before doing

so, however, EN 15085 certification for

themanufacture of railway vehicles and

components was required.

EN 15085 applies to the construc-

tion, manufacturing and testing of weld-

ed rail vehicles and their components.

“This is the European railway engineer-

ing standard and, for Bombardier, as a

European OEM, it is a non-negotiable

quality standard,” says Baloyi. “For us,

therefore, all of the fabricated bogies

that we are contracted to build are re-

quired to be welded in accordance with

EN 15085,” he adds.

The localisationof the railway indus-

try cannot be achieved unlessmanufac-

turers of vehicles and components are

successfully audited and certified to this

code. As TE in Durban we are mandated

to comply with EN 15085 for the 1064

project. We cannot comment about the

certification requirements of other fab-

rication companies, except to confirm

that it was required as a pre-condition

that we are EN 15085 certified.”

In addition, before a fabricator can

be certified for manufacturing welded

railway vehicles, it has to already be

operating according to ISO 3834, quality

Transnet Engineering:

the first CL 1-certified

rail fabricator in Africa

Transnet Engineering’s executive manager of R&D, Collin Moopanar; welding engineer, Dhurusha

Govender; and the company’s internationally certified welding engineer, Rodwell Baloyi (IWE).

African Fusion

visits Transnet Engineering’s EN 15085-certified Durban facility and talks

to welding engineers, Rodwell Baloyi (IWE) and Dhurusha Govender, along with Collin

Moopanar, the executive manager of R&D mechanical.

requirements for fusion welding of me-

tallicmaterials. “And the railway require-

ments are different again. EN 15085 is a

different andmore rigorous standard to

any of those we have previously imple-

mented,” adds Govender.

Transnet Engineering’s Durban

facility has been accredited to ISO 3834

Part 2. Then, late last year, the facility

became the first fabricator in the South-

ern Hemisphere to be certified to the

highest level (Certification Level 1 or

CL 1) of EN/ISO 15085-2. This certifica-

tion level is essential for any new build,

conversion or repair of railway vehicles

or components, including: bogies and

under frames; vehicle bodies; draw

and buffing gear; supporting frames;

wheel-setmountings, axle boxes, spring

supports, shock absorbers and vibration

dampers; brake equipment; supporting

frames for heavy duty vehicles; welded

bolsters; fuel tanks; and any safety criti-

cal welded component.

“Aligning to EN 15085 involves a

mind-set shift, mainly due to person-

nel changes,” reveals Baloyi. “While

ISO 3834 does not specifically require a

welding engineer as part of the fabrica-

tion team, for example, EN 15085 insists

that all weldingoperations areunder the

direct control of an internationally certi-

fied welding engineer (IWE),” he adds.

Baloyi and Govender are both qualified

welding engineers, while Baloyi also

holds the IWE qualification, as required.

“At any given time, vehicle OEMs

such as Bombardier or CNR need to be