Construction World June 2015

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FUEL AND OIL

GETTING TO GRIPS with Africa’s operating conditions Reef Fuel Injection Services offers a full diagnostic and fault analysis service to help its customers get to grips with the harsh operating conditions in Africa. “Fuel contamination is a major problem in Africa, whether it is just dirt and water in the filling station tanks or buying blended diesel at the roadside because it is cheaper,” says Warren Hauser, operations manager.

that market continually. It is a very impor- tant new market for us and we have the necessary infrastructure and skills in place in order to be able to service multi- national companies.” Reef Fuel Injection Services is a subsid- iary of Metric Automotive Engineering, which is positioning itself as a world-class diesel engine component refurbishment centre. “Everyone thinks that engine rebuilds or repairs can only be done properly in Europe or America. However, we have facilities here that are comparable to anywhere in the world. In addition, it is a lot cheaper to carry out such repairs or rebuilds locally due to the exchange rate,” Hauser says. Metric Automotive Engineering is South Africa’s most comprehensively equipped heavy diesel engine and component re-man- ufacturer. Established as a family business in 1969, the company has a strong ethos of investing in both quality equipment and expert personnel. This attitude towards customer service and constant product innovation has sustained the company since its inception. It can refurbish large diesel engine components and offers services such as cylinder head remanufacture, cylinder block line boring, milling, honing and boring, camshaft grinding, crankshaft grinding, engine assembly and dynamometer testing. The company continues to make signifi- cant investments in the latest technology to improve the quality and capacity of its repair and rebuild services. These investments include a new Rottler F109 extra heavy duty multi-purpose CNC machining centre and a Berco RTM 575 crankshaft grinding machine. “This will also facilitate access to the diesel locomotive and marine engine sectors, where the engines are much larger than standard,” Hauser concludes. The service is available for Cater- pillar common rail and electronic fuel injection systems, as well Caterpillar HEUI (Hydraulically Actuated Electronically Con- trolled Unit Injector) systems.

While older fuel systems could tolerate a certain level of fuel contamination, the newer systems comprise advanced electronics

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to replace or repair a full set,” Hauser says. “This is a unique service offering that places us at the forefront of the automo- tive repair industry in South Africa,” Hauser says. He adds that the service is available for Caterpillar common rail and electronic fuel injection systems, as well Caterpillar HEUI (Hydraulically Actuated Electronically Controlled Unit Injector) systems. In other developments, Reef Fuel Injec- tion Services has also been accredited by Bosch to conduct warranty repairs for its CP4 common rail direct fuel injection system, a standard feature on many of the latest passenger and light commercial vehi- cles. The latest trend in direct fuel injec- tion systems is higher injector pressures to improve atomisation of the diesel, which results in a more complete burn and hence less harmful emissions. The added benefit is improved fuel efficiency and less consumption. “These issues are very much in the spotlight at present, particularly in terms of rising fuel costs and increasingly stringent environmental regulations. However, the latest systems such as Bosch’s CP4 require specialised test equipment, which is where Reef Fuel Injection Services stands to play a major role,” Hauser says. The company has the capability to run up, test and report on Bosch’s CP4 system, as well as to rebuild and calibrate. “The diagnostic aspect is critical, espe- cially the calibration. If the injector pres- sures are out of specification, it can result in substantial damage to an engine. There- fore the perceived cost-savings of having such repairs done cheaply at a non-ap- proved repair facility are very much short term,” Hauser says. Growth Looking at growth opportunities, Hauser says that Africa is a defi- nite focus. “We have a few notable customers and are trying to grow

and are much more susceptible to fuel contamination. Hauser says that apart from having the necessary technical expertise on hand, Reef Fuel Injection Services has invested in the latest diagnostic equipment. Hauser says that the current techno- logical focus is on fuel economy and emis- sions levels and that there have been huge advancements made. He adds that it is important for South Africa to remain up to date with the latest international trends. “If you do not keep up, you get left behind and the competition can close in.” Accessing latest advances South Africa is able to access the latest advances once these have been through the developmental stages in the international arena, meaning that the adoption of new trends is far easier and efficient. However, Hauser points out that not all global tech- nology is applicable to the African market, which has to contend with remote locations and difficult operating conditions. Reef Fuel Injection Services is helping to reduce the downtime of its Caterpillar customers by offering an in-field fuel system diagnosis. “We can pinpoint what the exact problem is, right down to a specific faulty fuel injector, which we can then remove and rebuild, as well as recalibrate the rest. This provides a massive cost-saving for our customers in that we are able to test injectors individually, rather than having

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Warren Hauser, operations manager at Reef Fuel Injection Services, operating the Hartridge CRI (Common Rail Injector) machine.