Some of the team from WEG Africa’s branch in Ghana. (Image source: WEG Africa)

Set up in 2009, initially to provide parts support to the growing installed base in West Africa, WEG Africa’s Ghana operation is today a fully-fledged branch

Through an expanded network of Value Added Resellers (VARs), the branch has boosted its capacity to deliver tailored and responsive solutions to a diverse customer base in West Africa. It places customer success at the centre of its operations, and offers customised solutions that speak directly to market requirements in West Africa.

Foster Yeboah Owusu, regional manager – West Africa – sales at WEG Africa, said VARs play a pivotal role in ensuring customer satisfaction. The branch has a total of eight VARs in key markets such as Nigeria (two), Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania.

The Ghana entity offers a complete range of WEG solutions across the different product families – industrial electric and electronic equipment, power generation and transmission and commercial and appliance motors. The current focus is on industrial electric and electronic equipment, catering largely for oil and gas, and mining markets.

The main product line includes electric motors, variable speed drives and controls, softstarters, switchgear, geared motors, distribution boards and customised E-houses. This is complemented by a selected range of power generation and transmission products such as oil-cooled and dry-type transformers as well as mobile substations.

Mining drives West African growth

Armed with the globally renowned WEG product offering, coupled with a strong support regime that entails technical support, training and high spare parts availability, WEG Africa’s West African business has seen substantial growth in recent years. The growth has largely been driven by a thriving West African mining sector.

Commenting on emerging trends in the market, Owusu highlighted the accelerated move towards energy efficient solutions. In Ghana, for example, the Government has introduced Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for about 20 different electrical products including transformers, electric motors and air conditioners, amongst others.

As a key industry stakeholder, WEG Africa was part of the electro-mechanical technical committee that prepared the standards on which the MEPS for electrical motors are based. Through this process, the Government of Ghana has set MEPS for electric motors at IE2, up from IE1. The industry, however, is already moving to IE3 and IE4 efficiency standards. Given that electric motors consume 50% of global energy, Owusu explained that the adoption of higher MEPS is a welcome development.

“Governments in West Africa have a big focus on sustainability and environmental management,” added Owusu. “On the back of rapid industrialisation, there is a growing renewable sector in the region. To cater for this market, we intend to expand our offering with WEG’s other existing solutions such as solar systems, hydro and wind turbines.”

This article was authored by WEG Africa. Learn more about the company, its services, and the Ghanaian branch at: www.weg.net

The FLS NexGen Polyurethane will deliver unmatched performance and flexibility. (Image source: FLS)

For FLS, supporting customers in achieving optimal plant performance is more vital than ever, a concern that has driven the company’s service focus at Electra Mining Africa this year

At the exhibition in Johannesburg, running from 2-6 September, FLS will highlight how it is driving sustainable productivity through its solid and growing support and maintenance infrastructure. According to Alistair McKay, vice president mining: Europe, Arabia and Africa at FLS, this includes engaging visitors at the event on the value of the company’s innovative digital solutions.

“In addition to our market leading solutions for mining plants, we will be sharing our extensive foundation of expertise, technical services, spares and consumables to support customers,” said McKay. “The show gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how these resources can lower operating costs and drive profitability.”

Key to FLS’s success in doing this is its understanding of exactly how its solutions are performing in customers’ processing facilities. As the original equipment manufacturer, he argued, the company is best placed to partner with mines to optimise performance and to maintain equipment health at the highest level.

“There is a global shortage of skills to conduct this important work, making it essential that we continue to both replenish and enhance the necessary levels of expertise for our ever-advancing equipment,” McKay explained. “This is why we invest so heavily in our training facilities and trainers – to upskill not only our own people but those of our customers.”

Helping customers meet strategic priorities

McKay highlighted that there is “nothing worse” than for customers to invest in high quality, high production equipment, which then underperforms due to insufficient knowledge. The company is also leveraging digital solutions in this endeavour.

“While there is a plethora of digital solutions in the market, we have focused our energies on creating solutions that meets strategic priorities,” said McKay. “This means being able to monitor and analyse the health of the asset, while leveraging this data to optimise the performance of that asset.”

Visitors at the exhibition can also see how FLS’s digital solutions integrate with its control centre, from which it can provide customers with 24/7 support.

In terms of new offerings at the FLS stand, visitors will be witness to the launch of the new NexGen Polyurethane formula for the company’s wear products and can discuss application opportunities with the company’s experts. The NexGen Polyurethane is relevant to screening media and mill trommels – particularly at the front-end of the concentrator where impact and abrasion is high.

“We will also be talking to visitors about our local production facilities that allow products like these to be readily available to our mining customers,” McKay remarked.

Visit FLS in Hall 6 Stand D16 at Electra Mining in September. 

This article is sponsored by FLS, for more information, visit the company website at: www.flsmidth.com

Once the ProPress is commissioned, customers are introduced to a local CDE CustomCare team to provide aftersales support. (Image source: CDE)

CDE, a leader in the design and engineering of sand and aggregate wet processing solutions, has revealed a new ProPress high-performance filter press at Hillhead 2024

At the show, which ran from 25-27 June in the United Kingdom, the leader in waste recycling and natural minerals processing sectors, displayed the latest addition to its lineup of water management and recycling systems. According to the company, the ProPress features patent-pending technology, benefits from a flexible design and variable throughput that can be scaled to fit the processing volume of any operation. It has been delivered to meet the evolving needs of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling, quarrying, and mining sectors.

A break from the norm

Unlike traditional filter presses, the system is dual feed, meaning sludge is fed from both sides of the ProPress for improved efficiency and faster cycle times. Optimised sludge feed pressure also allows for faster dewatering to increase overall throughput. This is further supported by an overhead beam design that ensures reliability by reducing stress on the unit and improving its durability.

The ProPress features plates that are 25% larger (2.5 m x 2 m). Greater chamber volume and overall fewer plates serve to provide maximum capacity on a smaller footprint and improve mechanical cycle times.

Safe and efficient maintenance is made possible by integrated plate-shaking technology which addresses filter cake build-up within chambers to help reduce the need for manual intervention. An access walkway provides clear and unobstructed means to carry out maintenance safely and efficiently, and flush mounted drip trays reduce material entrapment and lock in place to provide a secure maintenance platform for operators.

The smart design is supported by an innovative, multifunctional robot, which serves as the main workhorse for the ProPress, controlling plate opening, plate shaking, cloth washing, plate winch, and the maintenance platform.

The CDE ProPress is available in a range of different sizes to suit all markets and applications. Available globally, the ProPress is also largely pre-assembled to expedite commissioning, allowing operators to get up and running quickly to help achieve fast return on investment.

With the CDE ProPress, owners and operators can recycle up to 95% of process water for immediate reuse in their wash plant while simultaneously cutting waste disposal fees by recovering a filter cake product that can be used for pipe bedding and landfill capping. This eliminates the need for settling ponds which typically require extensive maintenance, consume labour resources, and incur significant costs.

“Tackling the most challenging of materials is our expertise,” said CDE’s business development director, Darren Eastwood. “We’ve poured over 30 years of engineering excellence into the development of the ProPress. We’ve listened to and worked alongside our customers around the globe to design a solution that is adaptable to their needs, be they in the waste recycling or natural minerals processing sectors.

“Those needs were clear: sustainable water management was key to minimise fresh water dependency and maximise water recycling, all while improving processing capacity, reducing operating costs, and minimising maintenance downtime. The ProPress is our response to all of this and more and it is already delivering for our customers. By the end of the year, the ProPress will be found on eight plants across three regions, processing around 1000tph of material.

“Our most significant product launch in recent years, the ProPress really encapsulates CDE’s purpose: to create our best world, a ton at a time. It represents a constant push for improvement to make our equipment, our customers’ operations, and the sectors we operate in more efficient and less wasteful. We’re very pleased to finally bring this latest innovation to the wider market to help maximise the availability of our natural resources and reduce the industry’s waste burden.”

Discover the enhanced JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders, arriving in South Africa this July with upgraded features for superior performance. (Image source: Bell Equipment)

The updated range of JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders is set to arrive on South African shores this July, promising to build on the brand’s popularity with enhanced features aimed at delivering improved comfort, versatility, and productivity, thereby reducing costs and boosting efficiency

Bell Equipment sales product manager for JCB products, Massyn Jansen Van Vuuren, commented, “This new model range will replace the existing JCB 3CX Eco, 3DX and 3CX Global product lineup. The new cab makeover is the most noticeable change and is bound to impress. The striking new design uses high quality moulded plastics, and the pillars and roof are light grey in colour to give a lighter and more spacious feel.

“Most importantly the new cab places a huge focus on operator safety, comfort, and ease of operation. For example, the loader lever has been simplified to operate like a wheel loader. The 3CX range now has a single lever loader control incorporating an F-N-R directional switch so an operator can control the loader and transmission with one hand. In addition, there is a proportional switch on the side of the lever to operate the 6-in-1 bucket, which further reduces the effort needed to operate the machine.” 

Enhanced features

The new EasyShift transmission with 'kick down' comes standard across the range, simplifying gear changes via a rotation of the F-N-R directional lever next to the steering wheel. The kick down switch, located on the floor, allows operators to shift from second to first gear for added power during loading or site work."

“All cabs are ROPS/FOPS certified and the seat rotation area is larger to give the operator more room, which together with improved cab sealing to keep out water and dust, creates a cleaner and more pleasant workspace. There is also improved visibility to the working area behind the machine,” remarked Massyn.

In addition, the 3CX Plus model introduces a high-performance HVAC air conditioning system with 21 adjustable air vents strategically positioned around the front console, ‘B’ pillar, and rear of the machine, optimising comfort and demisting performance. The 3CX features a standard fan mounted on the B pillar."

Under the hood, the JCB 3CX range benefits from enhanced hydraulic efficiency due to new standard variable displacement piston pumps across all models. The larger pump provides 150lpm, a 39% increase over the previous model, allowing for reduced engine speed while maintaining productivity, effectively cutting fuel consumption. Moreover, the variable flow pump operates on demand, reducing engine load and further improving fuel efficiency.

The Plus and Pro models feature a standard Smooth Ride System for improved road handling and can be equipped with a versatile 6-in-1 shovel, optionally fitted with flip-over forks for increased functionality. “The 6-in-1 shovel can be used for dozing, loading, digging, grabbing, spreading, and grading while the optional flip over forks are ideal for machines that will double up as a forklift for pick and place activities around the work site and to unload vehicles,” he added.

Lighting has been upgraded with six LED work lights replacing halogen lights. Front-mounted adjustable LEDs and rear-mounted LEDs, two of which are adjustable, enhance nighttime visibility. A 'guide me home' light system keeps work lights illuminated for 30 seconds after the ignition is turned off, aiding safe exit from the machine and worksite during nighttime operations.

Other standard features include an in-cab boom lock, front and rear wash/wiper functions, Return To Dig function, electronic throttle control, Bluetooth radio and USB ports, front and side LCD display, adjustable steering column, and a battery isolator key for electrical isolation during maintenance.

"All in all, the new 3CX range has a machine to suit all requirements and we expect these new machines to add real value and strengthen JCB’s position as the world’s leading brand of Backhoe Loaders. We have a fleet of units that will be used across the country to familiarise customers with the new range and the improvements, so we encourage customers to contact their nearest Bell dealer and experience the machines for themselves,” concluded Massyn.