2 Ria C11 3 repro - Foundry-planet.com

castings savolume 11 number 3

OCTOBER 2010

castings sa vol 11 no 3 October 2010 1

castings saA specialised journal covering the technology,

processors and materials field for castings

vo lume 11 number 3October 2010

cover storyHA Falchem SA (PTY) LTD

industry newsKEW Foundries; Bridging the skills gap; SAIF elects new President; SAIF iron & steel casting technology conference; Industry sector plan; Scrap traders; Flexicor Cables; Steel industry; Mr Aluminium retires; Beta Steel; Foseco South Africa; 2011 Castings Industries Directory; Change of venue for WCIF annual dinner/dance; Jay-Bee Castings

international newsGIFA / NEWCAST 2011;Süd-Chemie and Ashland;HA Internationalacquires Wedron Flux;GIFA/NEWCAST/METEC/THERMPROCESS 2011; New Inductotherm contract

product reviewThe Flip Screen - a revolutionary but simplescreening and recycling attachment; Air motors for power tools; Weighing up the advantagesof repairing castings; Nikon metallurgical inverted microscope Eclipse MA200; Wireless sensors from the sensor specialist

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6Castings SAvol 11 no 3ISSN 1605-7589

Publishing EditorBruce Crawford

Editorial BoardMarc Hindle

Technical ArticlesReprinted with permission fromInstitute of Cast Metals Engineersjournal – Foundryman and FoundryTrade Journal published by dmgBusiness Media Ltd, UK.

Production ManagerWendy Crawford

ReproductionJericho Graphic Design

Printed ByMasterpack

Advertising Bruce Crawford/Wendy CrawfordTel: +27 11 463 0489Cell: + 27 83 628 7654E-mail: [email protected]

castings sa is published by BA Crawford SpecialisedPublications (Pty) Ltd. PO Box 69 299, Bryanston,South Africa, 202141 Arklow Road, Bryanston, South Africa, 2021Tel: + 27 11 463 0489E-mail: [email protected]

SubscriptionsAnnual – Local: R120.00 (incl. VAT)International: On application

CopyrightAll rights reserved. No editorial matterpublished in Castings SA may be reproduced in any form or languagewithout written permission of the publishers. While every effort is madeto ensure accurate reproduction theeditor, authors, publishers and theiremployees or agents shall not beresponsible or in any way liable for anyerrors, omissions or inaccuracies in thepublication whether arising from negligence or otherwise or for any consequences arising therefrom. Theinclusion or exclusion of any productdoes not mean that the publisher oreditorial board advocates or rejects itsuse either generally or in any particularfield or fields.

castings sa is the official journal of the South African Instituteof Foundrymen (SAIF)

2 castings sa vol 11 no 3 October 2010

EDITOR’S COMMENT

The aim of the SAIF is to promote and develop withinSouthern Africa the science, technology and application offounding for individuals and involved industries.

Individual Member (local) – R550.00 Individual Membership (country) – R330.00 Junior Member – R100.00 – must be enrolled as a fullschedule student, in an accredited educational institutionin the Metals Industry as a trainee, and who has notreached his 23rd birthday.Retired Member – R250.00 Company Member (local) – 1 to 150 foundry relatedemployees – R2 275.00 Company Member (local) – more than 150 foundry relatedemployees – R4 600.00Company Membership (country) 1 to 150 foundry relatedemployees – R1 350.00 Company Membership (country) more than 150 foundryrelated employees – R2 750.00 Overseas Membership – R1 000.00 per annumAll of the above fees exclude VAT and are per annum

President – Luis DiasVice President – Enno Krueger

Immediate Past President – Mark PotgieterPrevious Immediate Past President – Richard Seymore-WrightTreasurer – Wessel Watt

Bruce Crawford Nigel PardoePeter van Wyk John Davies Blennah Ramushweu Takalani MadzivhandilaMpho Mabotja Wouter Retief Grant Estman

President - Willy PolisTraining Coordinator – Anthony O’ BrienFinancial & Technical Speakers – Dean Horne & Sean StadlerAdministration – Kevin MissenheimerSocial Co-ordinator & Technical Speakers –Mike Killain

University of JohannesburgMetal Casting Technology Station - MetallurgyRoom G101, John Orr Building, Corner Siemert and Beit Street, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng.Postal Address: P.O. Box 14863, Wadeville, 1422.John Davies - Tel: 011 559 6468; Cell: 083 630 2809;Email: [email protected] Kleynhans - Tel: 011 559 6455, Cell: 083 598 7840;Fax: 011 559 6526: Email: [email protected]

Website: www.foundries.org.za

Contact details for Western Cape: Tel: 021 573 7311; Fax: 021 573 7296; Cell: 072 313 8375

Address Details

Western Cape

Elected Members

Constitutional Members

Council Appointments for 2010/2011

Fees

south african institute of foundrymen

The good and the bad

Focusing on positive, uplifting,good news articles is something I always try to

cover in the two magazines that I publish. There are plenty of inspirational stories to cover in ourindustry and indeed there are anumber in this issue. I have areport about Flexicor Cablesachieving their company's ten yearmilestone in this issue, and further on an article about Jay-Bee Castings.

Both companies have been investing in plant and equipment as well as upgrading their manufacturing processes. As a result they are seeing immediate benefitsand I am sure will grow their outputs in the future.

Sadly you have to report the bad news stories as well. The first of these appears in the Letters section on page

four. The writer, John Bryson, is lamenting the country's nonproductive labour force, or as it is referred to by a delegateattending a recent conference on the manufacturing industryin the Northern Cape: "As our typical workforce primarily consists of the sick, lame and lazy" we will struggle to compete on a global basis. This statement is generalising butyou have to agree with John when he justifies his argumentfurther on in his letter. He states that in South Africa it takesapproximately 135 man hours per ton which is more thanfour times the international norm. These figures should beringing alarm bells in every foundry in South Africa, especiallyif you consider the rising costs of other input expenses.

We all know that the non productive labour syndrome isnot unique to the foundry industry and labour themselvesknow if they are guilty or not. But what do they do - they go onstrike and make wage demands when internationally employeesare taking salary cuts just to keep themselves employed. Putthis in the mix with the talk of nationalisation, and then itcomes as no surprise when you hear that the internationalcommunity would rather invest in Zimbabwe of all places.

Next there is the story about Beta Steel ceasing manufacturing. In the last issue of Castings SA there was aletter published about the new electricity tariffs that are beingcharged at much higher rates than the stated increases.Basically Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) hadjumped on the bandwagon, changed the rules without priornotification and did not care a toss whether manufacturingcompanies could afford the increase or not. Clearly it hascome home to roost and management at Beta Steel haveshut up shop and are now going to source product internationally. Management will not be affected that muchbecause 90 to 95 % of their product is sold internationally. Infuture they will not have to deal with an unproductive labourforce (they have all been laid off) and, they will not have tomeet with downright rude and uncaring public servants atEMM. These are just a couple of factors why the managementat Beta Steel will sleep more peacefully at night.

I dislike being so negative, however these are the factsand it is about time our Government and our labour force woke up to the realities industry in South Africa faces on a daily basis.

Irecently attended a conference in Kimberley where thefocus of attention was on growing the manufacturingindustry in the Northern Cape. Much of what was tabled

was constructive and I believe promising. However, why is it when any form of Government, or

Government funded enterprise is present we are discouraged from discussing anything that can be construed, or more often misconstrued, as being politicallyincorrect. One delegate tabled that, "As our typical workforce primarily consists of the sick, lame and lazy" we will struggle to compete on a global basis, and that asthe Northern Cape is probably worse than most of our other Provinces we will struggle to compete nationally. His comments were noted as being inappropriate and didnot form part of the "Action Plan".

From a recent UNIDO SPX Supplier Benchmarking exercise performed for the Foundry Industry in SA one themain threats to us globally, was identified as the productivity of our labour force. There are two main criteriato measure labour efficiency i.e. cost of labour as a % ofoverall costs and man hours per tonne. The first can be auseful "in-house" measurement but should not be used asa national or international comparison as it is easily distorted, for example where a foundry uses expensive

raw materials such as ferro-nickel, chrome or other alloysand another does not. Man Hours per tonne is more easilycomparable, and it should be noted that in South Africa foran average of 67 foundries these were 135 compared tothe international norm of 30-40. I accept that there has notbeen much capital investmentin our industry, as comparedto the Brazilians who cansecure loans at less than1.0% interest or the Chineseat closer to nil, compared tothe best we can hope forbeing 6.25% through the IDC.Even with acceptable financial assistance howmany of us are prepared toinvest aggressively, asopposed to defensively in ourcompanies, until the government especially the DTI can assure us our fairshare of the various marketsand parity in the pricing ofraw materials.

Without such capital investment we will remain overdependant on our high labour forces, and on even ignoringmy associates claim that the work ethics of the averageemployee in our country are found wanting, we can justlook at the high incidence of absenteeism for statutory reasons. The majority of employees at our company, on anannual basis, are entitled to 20 days leave, 10 days sick, 3 days family responsibility leave and 12 days public paidholidays. Every year 17.2% of our workforce is being paidnot to produce! This compares to many overseas countrieswhere with 15 days annual leave (some in the USA are aslow as 10), 8 public holidays and sick leave pay not beingobligatory the percentage can be as low as 8.8%, i.e. theyare 8.4% better than us before the year begins!

The actual loss of production because of public holidaysis increased by the fact that they are often midweek, ascompared to countries such as the UK where the majorityfall on a Monday. We also cover absent employees withcontract labour who are not as well trained plus we have toincur high overtime costs to maintain delivery schedules.

This scenario does not include other absenteeism suchas IOD's, where many of our Doctor's no longer refuse toidentify the malingerers, but rather encourage them to visittheir surgeries in the interest of self finance, court appearance and of course plain old AWOL.

As in 2011 we are to renegotiate the main agreement itis important that these issues are tabled. The belief thathigh leave entitlement and shorter working weeks will create more jobs is just not the truth. The high cost oflabour will eventually force mechanisation, downsizing ofoperations and the possible closure of even more of our foundries. All of which will increase unemployment.

John Bryson,Foundry Director, KEW Foundries

letters

Productivity


The high costof labour will

eventually forcemechanisation,downsizing ofoperations and

the possibleclosure of

even more ofour foundries


cover story

HA Falchem SA (PTY) LTDincorporated into

SI Group SA (PTY) LTD

This transaction led to a very successful joint venturepartnership in South Africa between two global companies, SI Group Inc (USA) and Huettenes Albertus

Chemische Werke GmbH (Germany). Through this process,Huettenes Albertus Falchem SA (PTY) LTD became a whollyowned subsidiary of SI Group SA (PTY) LTD.

"In order to streamline operations and make it morecost effective, it has been decided to flatten this structureand incorporate HA Falchem SA (PTY) LTD into SI Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd. This will be effective 1st October 2010" said General Manager GordonMcNeilage.

"The product and service levels that you have enjoyedfrom HAF will in no way beaffected as the exact samepersonnel and manufacturingplant will continue to serviceyou. The same access to HA technology and "Best TotalSolutions" will remain. HA isand will remain a long termpartner of SI Group in South Africa" he continued.

"To emphasise this, a newlogo has been created forfoundry products. This jointlogo shows that the partnership is not a temporarycollaboration, but a lastingrelationship our customers candepend on" said McNeilage.

"In summary, the onlychange you will see is theshared branding of SI Groupand HA on our foundry products."

New alkaline system raises reclamation levelsFollowing a recent break through in alkaline phenolic

resin technology, the SI Group - HA Foundry Division hasintroduced into the South African foundry industry a resinsystem capable of taking reclaimed silica sand levels topreviously unheard of reclamation levels.

The system, known as ALPHACURE replaces ALPHASETas the companies 'flag ship' alkaline product.

"The advantages of alkaline over the conventional acid

set systems is well known to South African foundrymen,Advantages include user friendliness, lack of corrosivefume, casting finish, ease of knock-out and resistance tohot tears/rat tails etc" said McNeilage.

"However, early experiences of reclaiming ECP (estercured phenolic) showed that repeated recycling of bondedsand resulted in a marked reduction in bond strength making it necessary to add large quantities of virgin sandin order to maintain an acceptable level of L.O.I. The everincreasing cost of virgin silica coupled with new stringentlocal authority dumping regulations made the developmentof an alkaline system with improved reclamation imperative" continued McNeilage.

To tackle this problem, theSI Group -HA Foundry Divisionthrough it's HUTTENUS-ALBERTUSEuropean and American technical partners concentrated mainly on thebinder residue contaminates(mainly alkali metal salts)deposited on the sand grainsurfaces during the ECP polymerisation process. Thepresence of these salts causereduction in rebond strengthby three mechanisms:

1. Inhibition of the polymerisation process.

2. Formation of alkalimetal silicate glass at hightemperatures preventingresin adhesion to the

sand grain surface.3. The dehydrated and hydroscopic nature of the

contaminates restricts full utilisation of the binder additionto the sand. This problem has previously been (and still is)rectified by the addition of water prior to binder addition.

The destructive nature of these binder residues andtheir progressive build up on grain surfaces eventuallymanifests itself in the reduction of bench life, sand flowability and poor sand compaction, all to the detrimentof mould quality.

It has been six years since the SI Group South Africa purchased Zeta Resins and HA Falchem.

“The product and service levelsthat you have enjoyed from HAF

will in no way be affectedas the exact same personnel

and manufacturing plantwill continue to service you.”


Using the information gained from these studies, workwas undertaken to develop a system producing fewer contaminates as well as being more resistant to thedestructive effects of alkali metal salts. The result of thislatest development work is the ALPHACURE system.

"Successful foundry trials have led to many foundries inthe U.S.A. converting to the ALPHACURE system, oftenachieving reclaim levels above 90% using conventionalattrition methods of reclamation without the advantage ofthermal or secondary attrition equipment" said McNeilage.

South African foundry trial a successForbes Bros. PTY LTD. hosted a trial of the new

ALPHACURE system which commenced in February 2010.Since 2004 the foundry had utilised the ALPHASET

system to produce high quality castings in grey iron, SG iron, high chrome iron, steel and manganese iron, ranging in size from 2 kilograms to 5000 kilograms whilereclaiming at around 70% to 80%. The quantity ofreclaimed sand despatched to local land fill sites was typically 150 tons per month. Attempts by the foundry toincrease reclaim levels while maintaining mould strengthhad previously been unsuccessful.

In order to allow the new binder to 'condition' the sandover a number of cycles, the ALPHACURE system was

introduced in a straight switch for the old binder, maintaining resin / hardener / water / virgin sand additionrates at their established levels. Reclaim sand quality wasclosely monitored for the duration of the trial period andshortly into this 'conditioning period' mould strengthimprovement was observed which, over a period of weeks,allowed the foundry to decrease binder additions significantly while maintaining similar mould strength.

"At time of writing, binder additions had been reducedby a total of 21%. A 'knock-on' benefit of this is a reductionin L.O.I. currently maintained at around 2.7%" saidMcNeilage.

"During the second and third months of trial, the newsand addition rate was gradually reduced until a reclamation level of around 90% (with no detrimentaleffects to mould quality) was reached and maintained" hecontinued.

"I'm delighted. The new ALPHACURE system is fantastic.Apart from the obvious financial benefits, the ease ofknock out and break down qualities of the moulded sand isso good I'm considering modifying and shortening myreclaim system significantly as a result" said Peter Forbes,MD of Forbes Bros. PTY LTD.

For further details contact the SI Group -HA FoundryDivision on TEL: 011 864 4608

“I'm delighted. The new ALPHACURE system is fantastic.”

KEW Foundries supplies sheave wheelsto various TWP projects

In the most recent project, KEW Foundrieswon the contract to

supply sheave wheels toKonkola Copper MinesPLC, to be used on theKonkola No. 4 shaft. Thecontract, involves thedesign, manufacture andsupply of five sheavewheels for the deepestnew shaft sinking projectbeing conducted inZambia. The contractforms part of an intensivecapital upgrade of themine, known as theKonkola Deep MiningProject (KDMP).

"The sheave wheelswill be installed in No. 4shaft's eighty one metrehigh headgear and willservice the mines Blair Multi-rope winder," says JaimeGoncalves, Technical Director, KEW Foundries. The sheavewheels, each with a diameter of 4877 millimetres, will be usedto hoist materials from depths of 1430 metres. The suppliedsheave wheels will facilitate hoisting speeds of eighteen metresper second, with a payload of twenty six tons.

KEW Foundries received operational parameters from theKDMP project managers for the required sheave wheelsdetailed in specifications drafted by the team at TWP. "Once wehad received the parameters, our design team was able to

design a solution which isnot only cost-effective, butwill also withstand theharsh operating conditionspresent on the mine. Oursheave wheel solutionsfeature a cast iron construction method anda bolted assembly technique. We have foundthat this process of manufacture increasesmine uptime, as thesheave wheels require farless maintenance thansheave wheels constructed using a welded assembly technique," explainsGoncalves.

KEW Foundries hasbuilt up a professionalrelationship with TWP and

Konkola Copper Mines PLC, based on quality workmanship,cost-effective solutions and proficient service delivery.Goncalves extrapolates, "We have been supplying sheave wheelsolutions to Konkola Copper Mines even before VedantaResources acquired the company in 1998. KEW Foundries hassupplied solutions to both the Nchanga shaft, and the KonkolaNo. 1 shaft. To date our solutions have performed outstandingly."

For further details contact Jaime Goncalves, TechnicalDirector, KEW Foundries on TEL: 053 841 0474

KEW Foundries has supplied sheave wheels for a number of TWP Mining projects,including the Konkola No. 4 shaft project in Zambia,

and the Impala Platinum No. 20 shaft project where the multi-disciplinaryconsulting engineering firm was the EPCM contractor.

KEW Foundries is supplying sheave wheels for a new Sasol coal shaftas part of its latest contract with Coilmech


industry news

Institute aims to bridgethe skills gap

The South African Institute of Foundrymen (SAIF) is involvedin a variety of initiatives to tackle the need for skills development and education

in the foundry industry.


SAIF CEO JohnDavies says thatvarious research

studies conducted overthe past few years haveidentified a significantneed for technical skillsin the metal casting andrelated industries. In2008, a Rapid Appraisalof Local InnovationSystems (RALIS) exercisecarried out by theUniversity ofJohannesburg (UJ) identified the need andthe shortage was seenagain when the NationalFoundry TechnologyNetwork (NFTN) carriedout benchmarking studies during 2009.

Therefore, the institute is involved in avariety of long and shortterm training initiatives,which aim to bridge thisgap and focuses onexisting foundry employees and also newentrants to the industry.

"We are currently working together with UJ to create acareer path framework for the foundry industry, whichcould lead to higher trade qualifications. The institute hasbeen successful in an application for a training programmethat it put forward to the NFTN last year.

The Career Path Framework Project, which is scheduledto start in August will enable 18 school leavers to betrained at three of the major companies in the industry," he says.

Davies explains that the programme is multifaceted andwill focus on three main areas, namely melting, mouldingand pattern making processes.

"There will be a final selection in the last phase of theprogramme where learners can choose in which field theywant to specialise. When the programme has been completed, the learners will be available to work in theindustry," he adds.

Davies explains that if the pilot project shows that the

programme is successful, the institute will follow this up ina year's time with the second batch of learners and mayinclude people that are already employed in the industry.He adds that it is a long-term developmental and trainingprogramme and, therefore, the impact of it will only be feltin a few years time.

The institute is also currently in the process of rollingout short course programmes to up-skill existing foundryemployees in Gauteng, which has previously been successful in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, Davies says that the industry has beenadversely affected by the recession and the continuedincrease in imports, both of which have also created a substantial reduction in orders for foundry operations andthe industry is in dire need of increased volume orders.

"The number of orders has been reduced by about 40% since 2007 and to demonstrate this a few foundrieshave had to shutdown," he adds.

The increase in the number of imports has also negatively impacted on the industry. Therefore, there is a

The first set of learners that have been chosen to participate in the Pilot Program Approachwithin the Career Path Framework Project. The launch of this project took place at ArcelorMittal in August.

Learners will spend time at ArcelorMittal before going on for further training at Scaw Metalsand then Atlantis Foundries. The SAIF has been instrumental in getting this program started


significant need for more investments into the local market. "It would be beneficial if more focus is placed onlocal content, creating jobs in the local economy ratherthan going for the more competitive price," says Davies.

"We are currently engaging with government departments to influence this spending pattern as webelieve that more canbe done to drive localcontent procurementinitiatives, which canlead to foundriesreceiving more orders,which will create morejobs, and better usecapacity, which will ultimately lead to morecompetitive pricing," heexplains.

Further, he explainsthat there are currentlyabout 200 foundriesoperating in the country, of this thereare about 20 large andsemi-large foundriesthat dominate thisindustry. The balanceof the industry is madeup of small and medium-sized companies with fewerthan 100 employees.

This has resulted inthe industry being fragmented, as largecompanies have thenecessary resources tofacilitate training anddevelopment, whilesmall and medium-sized operations do not havethis capacity, he says.

Although there havebeen signs of improvement in theindustry it is too earlyto determine if the situation is improvingbecause these signswere measured against2009, which was thelowest point in terms ofeconomic activity thisdecade, and is not anencouraging base, concludes Davies.

The SAIF wasformed in 1964 andaims to promote anddevelop withinSouthern Africa the

science, technology and application of founding for individuals and involved industries through the appropriate education and training, dissemination of relevant information and knowledge, building cooperation and fellowship, and developing and promoting careerawareness.

“We are currently working together with UJ to create a career path frameworkfor the foundry industry, which could lead to higher trade qualifications.”


The South African Institute of Foundrymen (SAIF) is pleased to announce thatLuis Dias has been appointed President of the SAIF for the period 2010/2011.

SAIF elects new President

Luis will be supported byEnno Krueger as Vice Presidentalong with the other council

members Wessel Watt (Treasurer),Bruce Crawford, Nigel Pardoe, Peter van Wyk, Blennah Ramushweu,Takalani Madzivhandila, Mpho Mabotja, Wouter Retief, Grant Estman and CEO John Davies.

Luis has been a SAIF councilmember for a number of years andbrings to the position a wealth ofexperience in the foundry industryhaving run his own foundry equipment design, manufacture, supply, install, procure and commission company, Endeco cc, forover 25 years. Endeco has established a reputation as a maincontractor, able to project manage anentire turnkey project including all thecivil engineering aspects that are involved in installing equipment.

Luis takes over as President during an exciting period of theSAIF history, the institute having just appointed its first CEO aswell as obtaining funds to implement a variety of long andshort term training initiatives.

"The institute has made great strides in achieving its goalof becoming a full time professional body with a view to assistin the enhancement of the skills and the know-how in theindustry. This year we have seen a number of short course programmes completed, as well as others that are currentlybeing run. These courses are very well attended and are gaining momentum. It is imperative that we up-skill existingfoundry employees in the Gauteng area for the long term benefit of the industry."

"The SAIF is also involved in running a pilot project, underthe auspices of the Career Path Framework, whereby a numberof learners are spending time at ArcelorMittal, Scaw Metals

and then Atlantis Foundries. Thelearners are school leavers and arebeing introduced to the foundryindustry. The programme is multifaceted and will focus on threemain areas, namely melting, moulding and pattern makingprocesses. These learners will beavailable to work in the industryonce this initial training is completed."

"The SAIF is also involved in setting up a small practical trainingfoundry in the Western Cape. AtlantisFoundries has allowed us to use abuilding at their facility in Atlantis tooperate the training foundry. Theequipment has been ordered andshould be installed by the end of theyear. The training foundry is an initiative of our Western Cape branchand they will be responsible for both

the theoretical and practical training of learners in that area.The long term planning is to set up a similar facility in theGauteng area," explained Luis.

"The SAIF has also been very instrumental in organisingfunding for a National Pavilion on the GIFA/NEWCAST 2011exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany next year. This is beingorganised by the DTI and at the moment we have 12 companies that are keen to exhibit with another five that areshowing interest. GIFA/NEWCAST only takes place once everyfour years and is a must for serious foundrymen to attend."

"During my tenor as President I am determined to get theindustry more involved with the SAIF activities. We as councilmembers, both here in the Gauteng and in the Western Cape,have worked tirelessly to get the institute into a position whereby it can show that the institute is doing positive thingsfor its members and the industry. Now it is time for the industryto reciprocate and sign up as members of the SAIF andbecome more involved."


SAIF iron & steel castingtechnology conference

The South African Institute of Foundrymen (SAIF) held avery successful technology conference for iron andsteel casting, in mid-September. The conference took

place at the University of Johannesburg and was held overfive days. This is the first such conference that the SAIFhas held for a number of years.

"The conference was very well attended because wewere able to focus on different areas of the casting process on the individual days. This enabled foundries and suppliers to send delegates on a one day basis andattend those presentations that they were interested in,thus not having a person out of the foundry for the full week" said conference organiser and SAIF CEO John Davies.

"We were also pleased to have international presentersfrom the German Foundry Association, the Technische

Bergakademie Freiberg University, Gießerei-Institut,Germany and a number from international equipment manufacturers, as well as local experts."

"Judging by the positive feedback from delegates itlooks like a conference of this nature should take placemore regularly."

Day one focused on the subjects of pattern and moulddesign methods with risering, running and gating systemsfor iron and steel castings and on Tuesday it was sandcores and moulds. On the third day the subject matter was melting, pouring and metallurgy followed by shot blasting, fettling and heat treatment on Thursday andsafety, health, environment and quality in foundries onFriday.

Pictured is a selection of delegates that attended thesocial get-together on the Wednesday evening.

John Taylor of Spectroand Clifford Holster of Weir Minerals

Patrick Lück of ABP Induction Systems, Germanywith Jacque Swanepoel of Insimbi Alloy Supplies

Enno Krueger of Weir Minerals, Luis Dias of Endeco,Werner Nisi of Induction Furnaces

and Wessel Watt of Saveway

Rui Dias of Endeco with Peter Forbesand Willie Coetzer, both of Forbes


Justin de Beer, Takalani Madzivhandilaand Mpho Mabotja, all of the University of Johannesburg

with Jones Papo (second right) of Mintek

Lucky Juganan of the University of Johannesburg, Dr Claudia Dommaschk and Dr Gothard Wolf, both of

Freiberg University with Paul Ochs of Saveway, Germany

"The conference was very well attended because we were able to focuson different areas of the casting process on the individual days.

This enabled foundries and suppliers to send delegates on a one day basisand attend those presentations that they were interested in,

thus not having a person out of the foundry for the full week."

Gauteng to unveilindustry sector plan within weeks

Economic DevelopmentMEC Firoz Cachaliareports that a team from

the University of theWitwatersrand has completed astudy of the potential industries and that his department is in the process of finalising the adoption plan.

The programme forms partof a broader national industrialisation thrust, whichis also integral to the emerging'New Growth Path', being developed jointly by FinanceMinister Pravin Gordhan,Economic DevelopmentMinister Ebrahim Patel andTrade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies.

Gordhan has indicated thatthis new plan should aim toachieve yearly trend growth of7% for a sustained period of 20 years, but he has alsostressed that its success willdepend on the development ofa social compact between government, business, labourand civil society.

A national industrial policyactions plan, or Ipap2, hasalready been unveiled and hasa focus on rebuilding SouthAfrica's manufacturing base,particularly around the R800-billion-plus public infrastructure roll-out.

However, it also has a sector focus with automotive,nuclear, metals fabrication, capital equipment, chemicalsand so-called green industries receiving priority attention.

Cachalia reports that the provincial plan will focus primarily on labour-absorbing and growth-generating sectors, with automotive, information technology and greenindustries likely to feature strongly.

The plan will also seek to align local industrial capacitywith provincial and municipal procurement programmesthat have been designed to deal with social and economicinfrastructure backlogs.

The province is also in the process rationalising variouseconomic agencies - including Blue IQ, the Gauteng

Economic Development Agencyand the Gauteng EnterprisePropeller - GautengDevelopment Agency, into asingle development agency,which will help drive the newsector vision.

"The main challenge now isto identify the sectors and tobuild the capacity to deliversupport to them," he says.

The industrial plan wouldalso feed into a larger growthand development vision for theprovince, which Cachaliaexpects to unveil duringSeptember.

The current suite of Blue IQprojects, including severalautomotive supplier programmes, would also besynchronised with the newindustrial strategy.

Also high on the agenda, isthe overhaul of freight logisticsin the province, with Blue IQCEO Amanda Nair indicatingthat new freight hubs would becreated in a bid to improve thecompetitiveness of landlockedGauteng as a producer ofexportable goods.

A task team has been setup involving Blue IQ, theIndustrial DevelopmentCorporation and theDevelopment Bank of Southern

Africa, as lead arranger, to set in motion a plan to movemore freight on rail and to limit freight transit throughurban centres.

Three hubs are envisaged, including:• A development in Southern Gauteng along the N3,

north of Heidelberg and south of Vosloorus.• A hub at Chamdor on the West Rand.• And, a freight centre around 'Auto City',

in Rosslyn, near Pretoria.

By January, Cachalia believes that the province will bein a position to outline its growth targets and to elaborateon the instruments and incentives available to support private sector growth in the province.

The Gauteng provincial government expects to unveilthe identities of the business sectors that it plans to support under a refined

provincial industrial policy action plan within weeks.

Gauteng Economic Development MEC Firoz Cachalia

Cachalia reports thatthe provincial plan will focus

primarily on labour-absorbingand growth-generating sectors,

with automotive,information technology

and green industries likelyto feature strongly



Commission seeks penaltyfor scrap traders facing collusion charges

South Africa's Competition Commission recentlyrequested that the Competition Tribunal imposea 10% of yearly turnover penalty on eight of

the 13 scrap merchantsaccused of collusion.

The scrap metalstraders face allegationsthat they colluded toset prices, divide themarkets, and fix tradingconditions, through anumber of agreements,arrangements andunderstandings.

The Commission'sinvestigation was initially initiated in2006, following allegations of exclusivedealing, price fixing, fixing of trade conditions, market allocation and collusivetendering in relationto ferrous and non-ferrous scrapmetal.

The scrap merchants facing these allegationsinclude SA Metal andMachinery, National Scrap Metal,Ben Jacobs Metals,Power Metals Recyclers(PMR), Ton Scrap, Rand Scrap, Scaw Metals Group,Amalgamated ScrapMetals Recycling,Abbedac Metals, Ben Jacobs Iron andSteel, Cape Town Ironand Steel Works andThe New ReclamationGroup (Reclam).

The commissionsaid that Scaw andRand Scrap were granted conditionalimmunity from prosecution by the commission providedthat they fully cooperate with theinvestigation and prosecution of thiscase.

Reclam and PMR

settled with the commission prior to the referral and thesettlement agreements were confirmed by the Tribunal on May 7, 2008, and July 14, 2010.

One of the great things about my job as an editor for thismagazine is the opportunity I'm afforded to visit interesting and innovative companies within our industry

and establish and maintain relationships with many "top drawer" companies and individuals within them. It is moresatisfying to revisit companies that are successful and continueto grow despite the difficult economic situation. One such company is Flexicor Cables.

This year Elio Gualdi and his company Flexicor Cables celebrated a milestone anniversary of 10 years of manufacturing water and air cooled furnace cables, braidedflexible connectors for transformers and rectifiers, plain andtinned copper strands, automotive wire for the aftermarket andbattery and booster cables.

The company set up shop in its first manufacturing facility,a 1 000 m2 factory in City Deep, Johannesburg in January2000. Increased orders led to the company looking for largerpremises and in 2002 Flexicor moved to the current location inWadeville, Gauteng. At the time the 2000 m2 factory was seento be a bit ambitious but this was soon proved incorrect.Expansion requirements soon forced Flexicor to purchase thefactory next door which more than doubled the space undercover.

Now Flexicor has further expanded its operations with thepurchase, 18 months ago, of another factory alongside its current facility. The extra 3 500 m2 under roof has allowedGualdi to pursue his vision of being in control of the completemanufacturing process of his products and not having to relyon outside suppliers, in some cases his competitors. It will alsoenable Flexicor to invest in its future and manufacture most ofits product in house and not depend on suppliers for criticalaspects of the production line.

As a result Flexicor today is one of the leading South Africanmanufacturers and distributors in the "copper cable" industry.

"Ultimately we will be controlling the whole productionprocess and, more importantly, save on costs which we will beable to pass onto our customers. Our business is about processing copper rod, which is sourced from the mines inZambia, and leaves our factory as a finished product."

New equipmentCoupled with the investment in the building Flexicor has

also spent money on new equipment. "Our most significant investment has been in the plant to

tin the copper wire that is the heart of our business. In thisarea we were totally reliant on outside suppliers. Copper wirepossesses exceptional conductivity, making it an essential component in many electrical systems. Coating the wire with tin provides it with even more durability and strength. Tinnedcopper wire lasts up to 10 times longer than non-tinned wire. Italso resists water corrosion and acts as an anti oxidant"explained Gualdi.

"The tinning plant was imported from Italy and was installed

at the beginning of the year. It has increased our capacity andefficiencies in this area of the business and ultimately made usmore competitive" continued Gualdi.

"We have also purchased another wire drawing machinewhich has enabled us to increase the range of the diameters ofwire that we draw. As a result we can now offer furnace cableswith a cross-section of 1 500 mm²."

Stock - off the shelfThe extra space under roof has allowed the company to

vastly improve the work flow, from manufacturing to dispatch."We were falling over each other in many areas and we werealso virtually manufacturing on a just-in-time basis. Howeverbesides taking a strategic decision to bring all manufacturinginhouse, another reason for purchasing the building next doorwas to increase our stock levels. We have invested a sizeableamount of money in this area and are now in a situation whereby we can supply all our products on an off the shelfbasis.

Recognised for its quality, Flexicor implemented ISO 9001:2000 in 2002 and has continued to achieve the status every year since. Besides its quality, a major contributingfactor to its success has been its ability to come up with solutions for its clients. A design department is an integral part of the manufacturing process.

Correct selection of furnace cable critical to long term performance

Flexicor Cables faces recurring problems with the miningand foundry industries where furnace designers and engineersspecify the incorrect cable.


Flexicor Cablescelebrates 10 year milestone

Flexicor today is one of the leading South African manufacturersand distributors in the "copper cable" industry.

Flexicor owner Elio Gualdi holding a cross-sectionof 1 500 mm² furnace cable

"When a project goes wrong, someone once said that therewas not enough time or money to do the job properly. Strangethat there is always enough time and money to put it rightafterwards," commented Gualdi.

"This is the situation when specifying cable. Over the pastsix months we have had numerous mines and foundries call onus and when assessing damaged cables, we have discoveredthat smaller and inferior cables had been specified and this ispurely false economy on the part of the purchaser."

Core design requires careful consideration with regard tothe design of the conductor strands, which by their very natureis sometimes a trade off between performance and longevity.

Types of electric furnaces vary from small induction orresistance heating element types to large open arc steel re-melt furnaces with capacities from a few kilograms to manytons.

The common factor in most of these furnaces, due to themethod of operation, is the requirement of a flexible electricconductor system to carry the power from the busbar source tothe power consuming furnace.

"One major problem that faces the industry is that cable isbeing specified with far less copper than what is needed to runthe furnace. The cost of a cable comes down with less copperin the core and this causes premature burnout," commentsGualdi.

"It is common knowledge that the copper price is setaccording to the international metal price index and this affectsthe price of cable."

In order to ensure that the most efficient/effective flexiblecables are installed on a furnace it is essential to study all thecharacteristics of the furnace, i.e. its environment, the quality,quantity and reliability of its cooling water supply, the power


The new plant that processes the tinning of the copper wire Copper wire that has been tinned

supply, the physical layout of the electrics and the method ofoperation of the furnace.

Modern flexible electric cables for electric furnaces are veryreliable, provided they are correctly specified, assembled andappropriately used.

In addition, it is imperative to ensure that all necessarytests and quality control procedures are correctly undertakenon all materials and processes that are encountered in theproduct. Full traceability of these procedures must be offered.

To avoid premature burnout, plant managers must makecertain that their cable designer/supplier has experienced andqualified personnel available to asses the specifications of thefurnace.

"A number of our recent orders have been for the replacement of inadequate cables. This exercise is costly notonly from a premature replacement point of view, but the

downtime that it brings about. This is a clear case of cheaperdoes not work," continued Gualdi.

Flexicor's staff compliment has increased from 18, whenthe company first started just over 10 years ago, and nowstands at 68.

Copper price and theftWith the copper price being so high these days, the

occurrence of copper cable theft a national sport in South Africaand copper cable being Flexicor's main line of business, I hadto ask Gualdi how he controlled these areas and his answerwas very philosophical. "We can't control the theft and price sowe have to live with it but eight former employees are in jailtoday. Does that give you a better idea of our security situation?"

For further comment and information contact Elio Gualdi ofFlexicor Cables TEL: 011 865 5110


Flexicor has increased stock levels and is now in a situationwhereby they can supply all products on an off

the shelf basis

Flexicor's business is processing copper rod, which is sourcedfrom the mines in Zambia, and leaves the company's factory in

Wadeville, Gauteng as a finished product

Steel industrywill be forced to comply

Our research, our analysis now is telling us there wereobligations and we are going to ensure that thoseobligations are fulfilled. That is basically what we are

looking at in our task force, identify the possible options."The Minister, who spoke on the sidelines of a press

briefing that saw renewed calls from MPs for regulation,declined to say what form of intervention the state wouldchoose.

He said an interministerial task team has found thatdevelopmental goals for the steel industry were fundamentally undermined by enshrining them in contractswith Kumba Iron Ore and ArcelorMittal South Africa.

The weakness has been highlighted by the ongoing dispute between the two protagonists, which is now subjectto arbitration.

"We believe that the unbundling of Yskor in 2001...embedded two very important developmental objectives

and the first one was that a proportion of all ore which ismined at Sishen is made available at cost plus three percent to support competitive steel manufacturing inSouth Africa.

"And the second one was that the beneficiary... wouldbe required to pass that on in the form of a competitivesteel price for downstream industries that use steel.

"The weakness that has probably emerged is that thoseobligations were entrenched in contracts between two discreet companies and those contracts then became thesubject of dispute."

The task team, grouping officials from trade and industry, economic development and mining, was looking athow government could "reinstate those developmental obligations".

"I am not prepared to say what we are going to do, whatleverage we are going to deploy but as I said we are goingto identify the levers that we have to ensure that we get thepublic and developmental objectives on a higher ground,"the minister added.

His remarks came after Joan Fubbs, the chairwoman ofParliament's portfolio committee on trade and industry,announced that she would call public hearings to "interrogate" ArcelorMittal and other industry players, onthe impact of steel prices.

Fubbs said she was not expected to wait for the finalrecommendations of the task team as the situation was toodire.

"We take it so seriously this matter of irresponsible pricing, without justification, that we are now going to....interrogate this in such a manner that industrialists, manufacturers who are feeling in industry and manufacturing the impact of this, will come and comment.

'We cannot wait as it were for the completion of thework of that task team. Good heavens, what will they getup to next? We have to arrest them in their tracks as theywere.

"They are making their millions without beneficiation atall," she said.

DTI deputy director general Nimrod Zalk earlier inSeptember said ArcelorMittal had failed to pass on the benefits of the low-priced steel it received from Kumba IronOre to downstream industries and it was clear that "moralpersuasion" was not enough to change the situation.

Fubbs said the committee was prepared to considerintroducing legislation to force the main players in theindustry to adhere to a developmental steel price.

She said the fact that ArcelorMittal was a multi-nationalcompany posed no obstacle to doing so.

MPs have in recent weeks sharply criticised the department for allowing ArcelorMittal for the past six yearsto get away with prices that failed to meet the agreeddevelopmental model.

Government is intent on using policy tools to achieve competitive steel pricing to benefit downstream industries, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said.


"

These were the opening words of Dr Tony Paterson,Technical Director of the Aluminium Federation ofSouthern Africa (AFSA) and also fondly known as

mad professor number one. Tony was speaking on the occasionof his retirement function, held at the Johannesburg CountryClub (Woodmead) in July. Tony was also Executive Director ofAFSA from 1985 until 2002, before handing over to a marketdevelopment specialist. He resumed the role again in 2007 for a year.

"The Tour de France has come and gone. Lance Armstrongcame 23rd. The book on his life recalled how when he was fithe would assist training friends up hills by applying pressure ontheir backs. He also recalled that when he was recovering fromcancer his friends repaid him by assisting him up hills as hetrained. This picture appeals to me as descriptive of how Ilearned from the industry, how, apart from the few books available, I learned from people inside and outside the industrywilling to show me the technology, to answer questions or topose problems" continued Tony.

"Other local material trade associations and overseas aluminium associations also proved a source of information. I owe many a debt of gratitude for the push they gave and hopeI have been able to assist in turn. I would also like to thank thevarious AFSA staff members with whom I have worked for theirsupport and companionship."

"One of the best choices I made was when I married mywife in 1976. I am delighted that she and the immediate familyare here. I recognize that when I retire it will be on the understanding that when I married it was for better or worse - but not for lunch. So whilst I have officially retired fromAFSA after some 25 years and continue working for a couple ofdays a week for the next year, I hope to still be working albeit ata less frantic pace in future years. I may have passed my sellby date; my expiry date is ahead."

"My entry to the aluminium industry was almost by chance.Trained as a civil engineer in the hippy 60's, I had worked forsome years to pass my part three, Professional Engineer, qualification, before returning part time to study from 1976 tocomplete post graduate degrees in structural engineering andproject management and, full time, to complete a multi-disciplinary PhD at UMIST in the UK. Even then, my totalexposure to materials was to mild steel (no grades) and to concrete. I returned to the country in the early eighties lookingfor work at a time when civil engineering was depressed. Most potential employers did not know how to treat a multi-disciplinary degree. Through the IDC, I was offered a jobat Alusaf. What I found was that exposure to materials properties started to expose and answer questions that arosefrom structural design issues. The one line job description wasto expand the aluminium industry. The perception was that asthe US per capita consumption was around seven times higherthan our own, it should be fairly simple. Eighteen months later,

from May 1985, I was seconded to AFSA for a two year stint.Two years turned into twenty five."

"The job description remained. A pre-competitive platformwas envisaged. Three challenges arose. The first challenge layin the different constituencies to be addressed. Values andneeds differed. The sponsors, the capital intensive primary,secondary and semi fabrication producers required volume tobe cost efficient. The skill intensive industry customers whoused semi fabricated product sought customer satisfaction,returns from the market. They did not encourage competition.The ancillary support sectors such as surface finishing andwelding wanted their contribution correctly used. The standards, education and training establishments sought technological input. The government sought to understand theindustry. Industry customers and designers were looking for amaterial or material combination which met their technicalneeds effectively yet economically. As with all trade

Mr Aluminium retires and reflectson the past twenty five years

"Stand up, speak up, shut up. Good advice and tempting - but I have a numberof people I need to and want to thank. I am here in recognition of the shoulders

on which I have stood."



associations much was expected by all. Maintaining balancebetween constituencies was not easy."

"The second challenge lay in aluminium technology. Onehad to learn as one went. No formal technology courses wereavailable. Very few books had been published, these mainlyfrom before 1965. No management courses were given. Asnoted previously, many people either asked provocative questions or gave of their time to assist. I learned or learnedwhat I needed to understand from many. The Armstrong pictureshows another aspect of pushing as problem solving required aquick development of understanding of the microenvironmentof metals. The various handbooks developed by AFSA reflectedthe then current stages of my knowledge. Aluminium hasproved a fascinating topic. Much has not yet been published. Inthis context it is noted that some companies were reluctant tofund the first Introduction to Aluminium as knowledge was acommercial benefit held by some companies but not others.Times have changed. The first Introduction to Aluminium waspublished because Alusaf paid for its publication directly."

"The third challenge was funding. The industry core fundingpeaked at the equivalent of around about a quarter of a cup oftea per day per person employed by the industry. Currently it isabout one sixth of a cup, some sixty times lower than themonies paid by the industry to the seta levy on wages andsalaries. Funding help was found in joint projects where members, for instance, supported through advertising or material or other services and in dti, IDC, GTZ and the AfricanDevelopment Bank funding of various types. Most of the overseas exhibitions mounted were predominantly funded bythe dti and allowed local companies the opportunity to betterunderstand where they were in world terms. Universities looking for projects at least partially funded students throughthe THRIP or other schemes. This multiplied the effect ofAFSA's input. That said the three challenges to the job provedto be a continuing challenge."

"Starting with a half day secretary and a half day consultantand myself in one office in Benoni, AFSA begged and borrowedredundant furniture and equipment. AFSA still has a then abandoned fridge which continues to give sterling service.

Our current, secondhand, abandoned, safe cost R20. AFSA hand built the office partitionswhen it moved to Isando. Requestsfor computers led to one computer.This computer had all the programmes loaded onto one 360 byte floppy disc. After loadingthe programmes, the first disc wasremoved and replaced by a second360 byte memory disc. One day asalesman came to demonstrate anew type of machine. It was a fax costing then about the same asa small motor car, R8 000. Asked how many people in the country have similar devices theanswer was eight. We did not buy one."

"Broad challenges came andwent. Early challenges lay in exposing aluminium to a broadrange of potential designers or usersand in defending the industryagainst perceptions of health problems. Aluminium technology ingeneral and welding, in particular,

proved an ongoing concern." "Regarding welding, sales people followed the mantra that

aluminium fabrication and aluminium welding were a simplematter of applying new learning to a range of machines alreadyused in the steel industry. Aluminium is tricky to weld becauseof its heat transfer capacity, which requires tighter fit up toavoid burn through and, significantly, because it does notchange colour as it heats. This, particularly with manual welds,encourages the need to focus on a successful weld above ametallurgically matched weld. The legislative issues relating tothe unbeneficiated export of scrap have seen the aluminiumcasting sector decline to some 27% of its 2000 volume, 42% ofwhich predated the global downturn. AFSA predicted the worldwide scrap shortfall in 1996 in a report written for the dti. Thelater exploitation of scrap is a matter of record. The merSETAproved difficult to work with as they sought to develop a specifically South African OBE approach as distinct from modifying existing successful credible international training programmes."

"All in all, the past twenty five years have proved challenging. Because they were challenging they were alsointeresting. I would like to specifically thank those who tooktime to serve on the various AFSA committees, the chairmen inparticular. Thank you to those who pushed me uphill, supporting me when the going was tough."

Tony read BSc Eng (Civ) at Wits University (1969) beforecompleting BSc (Hons) Eng (Struct) at Pretoria University in1978. MSc Eng at the same university in 1980 by thesis (secondment) was followed up by PhD UMIST 1983 by thesis(scholarship award) at the University of Manchester Institute ofScience and Technology.

Tony is registered as a Professional Engineer, is a memberof a number of professional institutes, has written and presenteda number of papers both locally and internationally, and writtenand co authored a number of books and handbooks.

He is currently still lecturing and besides continuing withthis aspect he will also be consulting to the industry.

When asked about taking time out to relax Tony replied"Yes, there will be more time to spend in the gym, playing golf and scuba diving in future."

Dr Tony Paterson with Brian Willison, Chairman of AFSAat his retirement function

Beta Steelceases manufacturing

in South Africa

The recent increase in energy inputcosts is one of the main factors

that has forced the company to sourceproduct internationally.

The government's policy of unreasonable electricity tariffincreases is starting to hurt the local manufacturingindustry, in particular those companies that have high

energy input costs such as foundries. The resultant outcome isthat companies like ours have had to cease our manufacturingoperation locally and will in future source product internationally" protested Beta Steel MD Andrew Ryan.

Beta Steel opened a new R 30 million, 25 000 ton perannum state-of-the-art carbon steel abrasives manufacturingplant in July 2006. Designed and manufactured by Beta themselves, the flexibility of the plant allowed Beta to producedifferent grades of abrasives for different industries withoutmuch downtime.

"With an increase in the region of 68 % in our electricity billevery month we could not manufacture product cost effectivelyso we have decided to close the plant and source productinternationally" continued Ryan.

"Most of our clients are based internationally and we willcontinue to supply them. The difference now is that in thefuture we will not have to contend with the high electricitycosts and the other input costs that have made exporters likeourselves re-think our positions."

"Over the recent year we have had the strong Rand to contend with as well as the high price of scrap and we havemanaged to keep the business going. However, if you add onlabour demands, our locally manufactured product hasbecome less competitive in terms of price. And now theGovernment, as well as the local Ekurhuleni MetropolitanMunicipality, force these excessive electricity price increaseson us. This is despite the Executive Mayor Ntombi Mekgweannouncing in May that electricity tariffs were set to increaseby only 28,9%. Maybe we would not have taken this drasticaction if a more reasonable increase was implemented."

"Our business will continue to run as normal but from a different base. And we believe we are not the first company totake this route. Effectively what the government is doing is creating employment internationally and adding more to theunemployed locally with their ludicrous policies. We have hadto retrench 54 staff and the likelihood that we would investlocally again is very slim" said an exasperated Ryan.

"The Sigma Stainless Steel plant, which began productionat the beginning of 2004, will in the short term continue production because the tonnage there is less than 100 tons amonth; therefore the electricity hike has not affected the costsas drastically as is the case in the carbon steel abrasives."

"We will in the future look at manufacturing internationally,once we have done all our feasibility studies. More importantlyGovernments there are willing to help manufacturers and create employment" said Ryan wryly when asked if there is apossibility of setting up a plant in Europe.

"


Science and technology has brought people around theworld closer to each other, and it was in this spirit thatFoseco South Africa has donated computers, learning

aids and laboratory equipment and consumables toGreenfields Secondary School in Thokoza, Gauteng.

"Greenfields Secondary did not come knocking on our doorlooking for a handout" said Foseco South Africa ManagingDirector Mark Wynn. "In fact it was completely the opposite. Wewent looking for them" he continued.

"We are constantly looking for laboratory personnel to workin our laboratory at our manufacturing plant in Alrode, Gauteng.It has always been a perpetual battle so we have decided to beproactive and put in place a plan with Greenfields Secondary,which hopefully will act as feeder in future" explained Mark.

"But you need to be actively involved in making sure thatthe schools and learners have the tools that will encourage the

learners to set out on a science and technology career path.We are obliged to do something for our children because theyare the future of our country. We are forced to invest somethingback into the education of our children because total freedomcomes through education."

"The decision was made by the management committee tolook for a high school in close proximity to our manufacturingplant. Most of our workforce comes from the local communityso it would be unwise to do nothing to improve the standard oflife in the local community. We have a responsibility to investback into the community as well as helping to provide opportunities for those that are less well off."

"Fraser Tsotetsi from our HR department was actuallyinstrumental in finding Greenfields Secondary. After a conversation with one of the teachers he went to visit theschool and realised that the school was completely lacking inthe basic tools needed for the teaching of science, and in

Foseco South Africahelps to equip

Greenfields Secondary School laboratory



particular for carrying out experiments in the school laboratory.As you can imagine, with a school with 1900 pupils and 59 teachers, there are many demands on the school principalMr VSV ZIm to try and keep everybody happy."

"This is just the beginning of Foseco's involvement withGreenfields Secondary. We will be donating more equipment asthe need arises and we will also get involved in guiding thelearners on their future career paths. We will concentrate onencouraging them to select the metallurgical field with visits to

foundries as well as visiting the facilities at UJ where they can further their studies. We must remember that virtually all of these learners have not had the opportunity to beexposed to the world outside of their township. If we do notbecome actively involved we will lose a generation of children that potentially could be the next foundry management."

For further details contact Foseco South Africa on TEL: 011 903 9500

The management of Foseco South Africa with the schoolprinciple and teachers from Greenfields Secondary School in

Thokoza, Gauteng

Some the Greenfields Secondary School teachers with thecomputers, learning aids and laboratory equipmentand consumables donated by Foseco South Africa

2011 CastingsIndustries Directory

The publishers of castings sa will be publishing The 2011 Castings Industries Directory in February 2011.This is the fourth edition of this popular specialised buying

and contact guide of Southern African Foundries & Suppliers.The new directory will include offerings from all known

foundries and suppliers to the industry and will provide a valuable resource for the manufacturing, design and engineering industry.

The Directory is divided into various sections with thebuyer's needs in mind. These include:

• Useful Addresses - Local and International• Foundry Company Details• Art Foundries• Alloy & Ingot Suppliers• Patternmakers

• Heat Treatment Companies• Spin Casting Companies• Foundry Area of Activity Details

The Foundries will also be listed according to what metalthey melt (ferrous and non-ferrous) including aluminium, brass,bronzes, copper, irons, stainless steel, sg/ductile, steels, zinc and mixed metal and whether they are production, jobbing, production and jobbing, in-house, or special foundries.

The foundries will in addition be divided into whichprovince/area they are in and production figures of eachfoundry will be given.

A comprehensive listing of Suppliers Company Details andSuppliers Activity Details will also be given. The suppliers willalso be categorised according to what they supply under theheadings Equipment; Consumables; Raw Materials and Metalsand Services.

Free listingThere is no cost for a listing. The Castings Industries

Directory is published by BA Crawford Specialised Publications(Pty) Ltd and is distributed to the industry via the castings samagazine - a specialised journal covering the technology,processes and materials field for castings - and Metalworking News - a specialised journal covering the technology, processors and materials field for forming, shapingand assembling in the metalworking engineering industry.

Entry deadlineThe basic entry details required are listed on the

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Advertising in the DirectoryWith a shelf life of over two years The 2011 Castings

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The Directory will also be promoted at the South AfricanPavilion at GIFA/Newcast, which takes place in Düsseldorf,Germany in June 2011.

The 2011 Castings Industries Directory will be availableafter publication at R200.00 a copy including Vat and postage.

To ensure that you take advantage of the free listing in the 2011 Castings Industries Directory fill in your relevant company details below, and email them back to thepublishers.

For further details contact the publishers on TEL: 011 463 0489, fax: 011 463 0490 oremail [email protected]

Make sure your company is listed by sending in your details. The deadline for your free listing is the 2nd February 2011.



Castings Industries Directory 2011Foundry Details:

Company Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Holding Company: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Postal Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Street Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tel: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Website: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contacts:MD: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sales & Marketing: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Foundry Contact: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Buyer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Number of Employees: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Number of Foundry Related Employees: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Type of Foundry: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Casting process: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Typical Castings Cast: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Size of Castings: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weight of Castings: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tons cast per month (Per metal): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Net weight of castings per month: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ancillary services (Machine shop etc): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Specialty: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Accreditation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Association/Institute membership: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Countries Exporting to: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Supplier's details:

Company Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Postal Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Street Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tel: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Website: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contacts: MD: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sales: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marketing: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Production: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Company activity: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Specialty: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Accreditation: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Association/Institute membership: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Countries Exporting to: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


This year theWestern CapeInstitute of

Foundrymen (WCIF) willhold their popular andwell organised Annual Dinner Dance onFriday 12th November2010. Please note thatthe venue for this year'sfunction has movedfrom the usual Kelvin Grove. It will now take place at Eureka Receptions,Durbanville.

The cost to attend is R 325.00 per personand the time is 19H00 for 19H30.Dress is strictly black tie / lounge suit. The price includes asumptuous three coursemeal. However the cashbar rule applies.

The event is always a highlight forstudents who havepassed the variousdiplomas offered by theWCIF as awards arehanded out on theevening and the top student is revealed.

For further detailsand bookings contactWilly Polis on 082 447 7072 orAnthony O' Brien on 072 313 8375

Date set for 12 November 2010

Change of venuefor WCIF annual dinner/dance

The event is always ahighlight

for students whohave passed the

various diplomasoffered

by the WCIF


There are a few reasons why wemade the decision to make thissizeable investment in the foundry"

explains owner Gavin McLennan. "Wehad experienced a considerable growthin orders and this put us under pressurein all departments of the foundry. Notonly did we lack capacity but there wasalso the space element. We were fallingover each other and the castings thatwe were struggling to deliver. Of coursewe soon had some irate clients becauseour deliveries were falling behind."

"We had also made a very successfulentry into casting stainless steel with anemphasis on casting impellers for thetwo biggest pump manufacturers inSouth Africa. We still regard ourselvesas specialist impeller casters, mostnotably aluminium bronze impellers, buttoday we are not limited to this type ofcasting."

"The first strategic and sensiblemove was to try and purchase the factory next door. After a bit of badgering and haggling weacquired the extra space. This afforded us the opportunityto rethink our whole production flow as well as do somehomework on what equipment we would need to purchaseto increase our capacity and efficiencies," continued Gavin.

"With the different metals that we cast it was importantthat we get it right from the beginning. Our original foundryhas stayed where it has always been but now it is dedicated to casting SG, cast iron and steel castings. Weare in the process of moving our original furnace in this

foundry so that we gain some more working area. However,we have also installed a 750 kW Inductotherm inductionfurnace in this section which now allows us to pour castings up to 3 500 kilograms whereas before we werelimited to castings up to 2500 kilograms."

"In addition we purchased a core shooter from LaudsFoundry Equipment, and coupled with the new sand mixerthat we had purchased a couple of years ago we are nowdelivering castings on time again."

"The non ferrous side was moved into the new buildingand here we have installed the second of the two

In the last two years Jay-Bee Castings, a mixed metal foundrybased in Shaft Road, Knights, Gauteng, has spent over R 5 million in upgrading

its foundry and installing equipment.

Jay-Bee Castingscurrent expansion almost complete

The ferrous foundry The non ferrous foundry floor

Gavin McLennan

"


750 kW Inductotherm induction furnaces that we had purchased. This section is an entire unit on its own withmelting, pouring and fettling all under one roof. The coreshop for this side of the business was also moved andis in close proximity to the foundry. This core shop isstaffed only by women. They have been with us from thebeginning and some of them have 25 years experience. I find they have the edge on men because they have morepatience and more finesse."

The installation of the two furnaces created an obstacle that Jay-Bee had realised from the beginning.They knew that they would be short on power so nearly R I million had to be spent on an 800 KVA mini sub-station. "That was all for our own account as thesedays the local council are not interested in helping outlocal manufacturing," said Gavin.

The melting side now consists of the two new furnaces,two 125 kilowatt furnaces and one 350 kilowatt furnace.

Casting abilities include carbon steels, grey and ductileirons, Ni hard and high chrome irons, aluminium, stainlesssteel and the bronzes or copper based alloys.

QualityPart of the bigger expansion plan that Jay-Bee had put

together was to improve on the already high standard quality castings that they were accustomed to manufacturing. This was done by spending money on therelevant equipment as well as seeking out experts toemploy in the relevant fields.

The 750 kW Inductotherm induction furnacethat has been installed in the ferrous foundry

The new core shooter

On the equipment side metalsanalysis was top priority and in thisdepartment they purchased a fifthgeneration SPECTROMAXx benchtopunit. All of the important elementsrequired in the metal industry can bedetermined with this analyzer, including traces of carbon, phosphorous, sulphur and nitrogen.Pre-defined calibration modules areavailable for the relevant bases, suchas Fe, Al, Cu, Ni, Co, Ti, Mg, Zn, Snand Pb. These encompass the complete palette of relevant elements and can be adjusted to fitindividual requirements.

Joining the company at the sametime was metallurgist Charl van derMerwe, who comes with extensiveexperience. "Charl has taken care ofthis department and the additionalsystems he has introduced has madeus more efficient. We are even able tonow cast our own bronze billets whichis a cost saving as well taking away theanxiety of having to rely on outsidesuppliers" explained Gavin.

"Anton Buys has also joined us andis in charge of the sand plant. Antonhas worked in foundries and been onthe other side selling the resins andchemicals so he comes with vastamounts of experience."

"With these guys in place workingclosely with our Works ManagerAndre le Roux we are now working diligently towards SABS certification" said Gavin.

HistoryGavin McLennan would be regarded as one of the

young foundry owners in the industry today, but is gratefulto the older generation for what he has learnt. In his early

forties and running a foundry that only started 18 years ago, Gavin started off as apatternmaker.

"I believe that because most of the management team started off as pattermakers or on the foundry shop floorwe all have a broader feel for the foundryindustry. Coupled with the fact that all of ushave also got our hands dirty by working inthe core shop, prepared the moulds, donethe pouring and even done the fettling, hashelped tremendously to understand thefoundry from all angles".

Gavin got his break after a friend, thelate Basil Sprong was looking for a reliablesupplier of impellers. "My dad, PercyMcLennan ran Ace Patternmakers and laterActive Foundry so the foundry business wasalready in the family genes.

"My Dad and the late Basil Sprong, who was also wellknown in the industry were a tremendous help in getting usstarted. We began with two coke fired furnaces that hadbeen lying around and were casting 200 kilograms aweek."

"Today we have 100 peopleworking for us and are casting upto 250 tons a month with the newequipment that has beeninstalled. The bronze foundry hasdoubled in size and now sits atabout 25 tons a month."

Besides impellers, the typicaltype of castings that Jay-Bee castsincludes pump spares, split casings, mining spares and general castings.

Spin casting is also a servicethat Jay-Bee can offer. These castings are offered pre-machinedbut the company does have off site facilities with full CNC machining capabilities. A full patternshop and shot blasting also makes up the mix.

For further details contactGavin McLennan on TEL: 011 822 1381/2


Left: Works Manager Andre le Roux with oneof the stainless steel impeller castings destinedfor the Medupi / Kusile power stations

Top: A selection of castings that Jay-Beemanufactures

Metallurgist Charl van der Merwe in front of the fifth generationSPECTROMAXx benchtop unit

“Today we have100 people working

for us and are castingup to 250 tons a month

with the newequipment that hasbeen installed. Thebronze foundry hasdoubled in size and

now sits at about25 tons a month”


There are only eight months to go beforeGIFA/NEWCAST/METEC/THERMPROCESS 2011 opens atthe Düsseldorf Trade Fair Centre in Germany. Foundry

professionals from all over the world will meet from 28 June 2011 to 2 July 2011 for the world's number one exhibition for the foundry/castings industry. The event is set tofeature manufacturers of major foundry machinery and plant,professionals from the supply industry, providers of engineeringservices and for the first time, foundries exhibiting their castings and capabilities.

The South African Institute of Foundrymen (SAIF) haveorganised, in conjunction with Trade & Investment South Africa(TISA), a division of the Department of Trade & Industry, thatthey sponsor a National Pavilion for South African companies,foundries and manufacturers to exhibit their products and innovative components from ferrous and non-ferrous metals, infront of an international audience. The sponsorship will fall intothe EMIA (Export Marketing and Investment Assistance)scheme and TISA invites you to participate on the relevantpavilion.

For those companies that are serious about exporting it isan opportunity that they cannot afford to miss. The SouthAfrican National Pavilions will provide a cost-effective meansfor companies to enter into or to expand their business in thelucrative overseas marketplace. Exhibiting within a South African National Pavilion at one of the specialised industrial trade shows has proven to be the ideal way for small-to-medium sized companies to make a greater impact ata large trade show. Under the EMIA scheme TISA assists youwith full sponsorship of the following costs, which under thenew rules, will be paid directly by TISA and not affect your cashflow:

• Rental of stand space• Design and construction of your stand with furniture

and cabinets provided• Freight costs of products/display material to the

exhibition and back for up to 2000 kgs/3 cubic metres

international news

Full steam ahead with South African National Pavilion approved.Those companies serious about exporting cannot afford to miss this opportunity.


• Sponsorship ofcompany brochures for use at the exhibition

• Back up serviceson the National Pavilion

• Promotion of the National Pavilions internationally

In addition TISA willalso assist with other costsfor those companies thatqualify. These include:

• One return economy class airfare

• R 2 000.00 dailyallowance for entire duration of exhibition

There are a number of criteria that have to be fulfilled by each individual company and you will only be considered once you have submitted your application on theofficial form, to TISA. All relevant documents have to accompany the application. This document, and a 27-page document which contains the various guidelines, isavailable from either TISA or you can email Castings SA. See the details below.

If you qualify and are selected to participate on the National Pavilion, and depending on what assistance you

qualify for, TISA will co-ordinate everything for you including return air ticket booking, central point for freight,clearing in Germany and return, and all stand requirements. This consolidation date is scheduled for mid-April 2011.

Included amongst the exhibitors that have indicated theyare keen to exhibit are Metalloy Fibres, Rand York Minerals,Magberg, Lauds Foundry Equipment, Independent MineralDistributors, Nimag, Scaw Metals, Rely Intracast, Vestcast,Steloy, B & K Foundry, Aluminium Federation of South Africa(AFSA) and the SAIF.


AFSA will promote its membersand the whole of the aluminium castings industry inSouth Africa, and those member companies not planning tohave their own stand can contactthem directly to have their productsand brochures displayed. Likewise,the SAIF will promote its membersand the whole of the foundry industry in South Africa.

Trade Fair Travel have also puttogether a package for visitors - seebelow.

As previously stated GIFA/NEWCAST/METEC/THERMPROCESS 2011 is the mostimportant exhibition on the international calendar for thefoundry industry. Besides being anopportunity for South African companies to exhibit their products, it also affords all South Africans involved in the industry the chance to go andview the latest technology available.

GIFA 2011 will provide a complete overview of advances inthe foundry practice. Düsseldorf will again be the venue for theworld's leading manufacturers of foundry machinery and plantconstruction, suppliers of foundry-related materials and auxiliaries, manufacturers of measurement and testing devicesfor quality assurance, plus engineering companies.

The casting sector has enormous potential for innovation.

In the past, companies have madeimpressive progress with regard tomaterials as well as finishing technologies. Cast parts can bemade in all sizes - weighing anything from less than a gram tohundreds of tons - and from manymetals and alloys. They are used invirtually all aspects of our daily life.The main industries for cast products are automotive andmechanical engineering, aviationand aerospace, medicine andplumbing.

Apart from the production ofbasic parts such as bathroom fixtures and pipe joints, which aremanufactured in large quantities,there are special parts whose production requires expert knowledge. In the face of tough

competition from other manufacturing processes, casters areconstantly developing new ideas to set themselves apart. Theymeet many demands at once.

Manufacturers of machinery and plant primarily need partsthat are affordable and durable. The automotive industry, however, needs parts that are lightweight, which in turn keepvehicle fuel consumption to a minimum.

But a reduction in weight is not just achieved by usinglightweight metals such as magnesium and aluminium; specialdesigns and innovations in materials technology are also key.

NEWCAST is one such exhibition where you can view theseadvancements. Even professionals continue to be amazed atthe complex components we are capable of producing withcasting.

In view of the recent developments in South Africa and in particular the very successful MIDP programme that the Government has put in place, it is a must for as many South Africans as possible to visitGIFA/NEWCAST/METEC/THERMPROCESS 2011.

Entrance passes allow free public transportationFor GIFA 2011 and NEWCAST 2011, Messe Düsseldorf

offers a new service to all exhibitors and attendees: Visitor,exhibitor and press entrance passes allow free use of all public transportation within Düsseldorf on all days of theshows.

The entrance passes can be used as a free public transportation ticket on all buses, streetcars, undergroundtrams (U-Bahn), urban railways (S-Bahn) and the German railservice within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network (VRR). This region extends north to south from Dorsten to Langenfeld and east to west from Dortmund toMönchengladbach.

Further details on the entrance tickets and ordering of the exhibition catalogues can be obtained from the Southern African-German Chamber of Trade and Industry on TEL: 011 486 2775, email: info @germanchamber.co.za or website: www. germanchamber.co.za

Important numbers:

TISA • Koos Janse Van Rensburg - Assistant Manager,

National Pavilions (Logistics) TEL: 012 394 1029 or email KjvRensburg @thedti.gov.za

• Freddie Herselman - Sector Manager - Metals Export. TEL: 012 394 1135 oremail FHerselman @thedti.gov.za

Trade Fair Travel - Peter Stephenson • TEL: 031 916 1414,

email [email protected] or visit www.tradefairtours.com

AFSA - Mark Krieg• TEL: 011 455 5553 or email [email protected]

SA German Chamber of Trade & Industry - Lisa Kuntze• TEL: 011 486 2775 or

email [email protected]

Castings SA - Bruce Crawford • TEL: 011 463 0489 or email [email protected]

Please consult the following web sites, should you requiremore information: www.gifa.de; www.newcast-online.de;www.metec.de; www.thermprocess.de


Süd-Chemie AG, Munich (Germany), and Ashland Inc.(NYSE:ASH), with headquarters in Covington,Kentucky (USA), have reached contractual agreement

on the formation of a global joint venture to merge theirbusiness activities in the foundry chemicals sector. Thejoint venture will be known as ASK Chemicals GmbH andwill be headquartered in Hilden, Germany. Süd-Chemie andAshland will each hold a fifty-percent share in ASK Chemicals, while the operational management leadership will lie with Süd-Chemie.

This joint venture will employ approximately 1,300 people. Were it to have been in operation throughthe first six months of calendar year 2010, it would havegenerated total sales of about 240 million Euro, or around$300 million - numbers reflecting that while the globalfoundry market saw moderate activity in Q1, it gained considerable momentum in Q2.

Süd-Chemie and Ashland are currently partners inAshland-Südchemie-Kernfest GmbH, a foundry chemicals company operating successfully in Europe since its formation in 1970. The global joint venture will becomprised of three parts: Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest,substantially all assets and employees of Süd-Chemie´sbusiness unit for Foundry Products and Specialty Resins and Ashland´s Casting Solutions business unit. The transaction is expected to close towards the end of calendar year 2010, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory reviews.

The expanded joint venture will combine Süd-Chemie´sand Ashland´s sales and marketing, product developmentunits and production assets with those of the Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest joint venture. The new jointventure will have considerable growth potential as a resultof uniting the foundry know-how of the partners and

Süd-Chemie and Ashland agree on expandedjoint venture serving foundry chemical sector

Süd-Chemie and Ashland to merge worldwide foundry chemical activities under the name ASK Chemicals.



expanding the use of existing distribution channels and market synergies in Europe, the Americas and Asia.The joint venture will systematically pursue elements of the partner´s existing strategies aimed at expanding and strengthening market positions based on high-quality, full-service solutions to meet the rising global demands of modern-day foundries. When established, the joint venture will be able to offer its customers holistic solutions and customized innovative consultancyservices. It will demonstrate a high degree of customer orientation and specific knowledge of customers' production processes, coupled with proven expertise inresearch and development and application engineering for foundry chemistry. The product range will includeresins, binding agents, finishing tools, additives, feeder heads, filters, separating agents, metallurgical additives and cores. In addition, the joint venture will continue the partners' demonstrated success as an innovator of environmentally-friendly, i.e. emission-free and emission-reducing, mouldingprocesses.

Dr. Günter von Au, managing board chairman of Süd-Chemie AG, said: "Amalgamating Süd-Chemie´sfoundry chemical operations with those of our long-standing partner, Ashland, will enhance our mutualservice capabilities not only in established markets inEurope and North America, but also in newly industrializingcountries recording dynamic growth, such as China, Indiaand Brazil. Together, we shall be in a better position to

meet the high technological demands of our worldwide customers based on innovative solutions and targeted efficiency enhancement. As a result, we will benefit morequickly from the growth potential offered in the foundrysector."

Said James J. O'Brien, Ashland chairman and chiefexecutive officer, "Today's step to globally expand the longstanding joint venture partnership of Ashland and Süd-Chemie creates significant opportunities for both partners. The product offerings and geographic footprints of these companies are very complementary toone another, giving this new joint venture the benefit ofwell-established channels to market and a much more comprehensive portfolio of metal casting additives and consumables with which to serve customers worldwide."

Operations merging into the ASK Chemicals GmbH jointventure are the Casting Solutions business unit of AshlandInc., including assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico,Brazil, China, Japan, the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Indiaand Korea; Süd-Chemie's Foundry Products and SpecialtyResins business unit including the Süd-Chemie subsidiariesSKW Giesserei GmbH, WD-Giesserei-Technik GmbH, Tecpro Corporation Inc., Süd-Chemie Hi-Tech Ceramics Inc.,Ajay Metachem Süd-Chemie Pvt. Ltd., parts of Jiangsu Süd-Chemie Chemical Materials Co., Ltd. and thecompanies belonging to the existing joint venture, Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest GmbH, and its subsidiaries(AS Group).

The company said the move is intended to broadenHA's metalcasting market product offerings, a move itbelieves is in line with the advice of economists during

recessionary periods. "A well-known product line with strong brand

recognition, Wedron Flux is a name synonymous with quality and integrity,"said Keith McLean, HA president. "By adding these high quality manualand injection flux grades, graphiteshafts and rotors, and equipment to ourproduct mix, we're expanding our line tobetter serve our customers."

HA indicated Black Lab will continueto manufacture Wedron's products, andsales representation will remain inplace there to support the line. HA willprocess all orders and invoicing.

"We are very excited to announcethat effective April 1, 2010 Wedron Fluxbecame part of HA-International (HAI).The entire product line of Wedron Fluxwill be rolled into the current productofferings of HAI. Black Lab Corporationwill continue to manufacture the quality flux products thatyou currently purchase, but HA-International will be processing the orders. Rest assured, HA International willprovide you with the same great quality service and products that you have become accustomed to from

Wedron Flux. In addition, John Reynolds will still be yourcontact for all your Wedron Flux needs as an employee ofHAI.

"This move will allow Wedron Flux to grow and to serveyou better, as HAI expects to be able to leverage their sales

and distribution network to grow theentire Wedron Flux product line.

"It is truly rewarding to see that HAIhas decided to retain the nameWedron Flux. Throughout the last 20 years, that name has become synonymous with high quality products,rugged foundry-tested equipment forthe treatment of molten aluminium, themost knowledgeable sales and technical people in the industry, andtop notch customer service.

"We are also extremely happy tohave John Reynolds become part ofsuch a great company. HAI employswhat they call a "Best Total Solution"philosophy, which is to establish strategic relationships with customerswith the overall objective of improving

productivity and performance while providing a safe, environmentally acceptable workplace. We know that John will be an asset to HAI, and that HAI will provideopportunities for John to continue to grow and succeed."

Trade Fair Travel, a specialist travel agency for tradefairs internationally and in particular Germany, haveput together a very reasonable tour package to visit

this exhibition.The tour includes return airfare

Johannesburg/Düsseldorf, Airport Taxes, Airport/Hoteltransfer, accommodation, full breakfast daily, entrance ticket to Fairgrounds and medical and travelinsurance.

For a booking form contact Trade Fair Travel on TEL: 031 916 1414, Fax: 031 916 5674, email [email protected] or visit www.tradefairtours.com

Trade Fair Travel is also able to offer you individualpackages, tailored to your requirements. For more information contact Peter Stephenson on thenumbers above. Booking forms can also be downloadedfrom the website.

HA Internationalacquires Wedron Flux

Trade Fair Travel/Castings SA/Southern AfricanGerman Chamber of Commerce & Industry Tour to

GIFA/NEWCAST/METEC/THERMPROCESS 2011

HA International, Westmont, Ill., announced it purchased Wedron Flux from Black Lab Corp., Chardon, Ohio, on April 1.


“It is truly rewardingto see that HAI

has decided to retainthe name Wedron Flux.

Throughout the last20 years, that name

has become synonymouswith high quality productsand rugged foundry-tested

equipment.”


Inductotherm Corp.'s Furnace Group reports a new order forsix 30-ton coreless induction furnaces, each with an 18,500-kW VIP power supply, from an unnamed customer in

the Middle East. The furnaces will melt steel, and when all thefurnaces are on full-power simultaneously the installation willproducing at a rate of 210 ton/hr - making it thelargest induction furnacemelting plant ever built,with a total connected loadof 111 MW.

The customer choseInductotherm furnaces overarc furnaces for environmental reasons, thesupplier explains. It saysthat "when all elements arecorrectly evaluated," induction melting of steel isat a lower cost than the arcfurnaces they will replace.Other environmentaladvantages include lowersound levels, reduced oxidation losses, reduceddust-collection requirements, temperatureand chemistry control, andstable electrical load to thepower network.

Inductotherm reportsthat now it has supplied orhas on order 37 installationsworldwide of 14 MW andabove, of which 26 are formelting steel. Some ofthese were supplied asmultiple-output installations depending oncustomer specific outputproduction requirements,since these systems canincrease productivity andachieve a nearly 100% utilization rate!

Separately,Inductotherm reported ithas a contract to installinduction furnaces for anunnamed steelmaker in theFar East, to replace arc furnaces at three differentmelt shops. The order callsfor 18 furnaces in groupsof 25 tons and 15 tonscapacity, with VIP powersupplies of 15,000 kW and 9,000 kW, respectively.

The total connected

load will be 102 MW, which will make it the second-largestorder ever placed for induction melting equipment, based onconnected load. It will melt steel at the rate of 195 ton/hourwith all power supplies running at full power at the same time.

New Inductotherm contract is for largest everinduction melting plant

Steelmaker orders six furnaces for a 210-tons/hour installation.

product review

The Flip Screen- a revolutionary but simple

screening and recycling attachment

The Flip Screen is ideal for any type of recycling, washing or recovery process where materials mustbe separated and screened to different sizes,

making it ideal for industries such as building andconstruction, civil works, demolition, landscaping,mining, quarrying, waste transfer, foundry and metalrecycling to name a few.

The Flip Screen's portable and compact designenables it to be taken to almost any site to efficiently and inexpensively recycle materials inan environmentally friendly way allowing:

• Significant reduction in waste disposalcosts;

• Significant reduction in landfill contributions;

• Minimal transport and related costs; and• Saving and/or making money by reusing

or reselling the screened material;• Saves valuable natural resources by

recycling

The Flip Screen technology is based on asmooth 360 degree rotating action around ahorizontal axis, where upon rotation all smallersized materials filter out through the meshscreen. Larger materials are trapped inside bythe inward spiralling action. Rotating the unitin the reverse direction allows the larger materials to be tipped out.

There are currently many different Flip Screen models for a wide range of prime movers from skid steersto 35 ton excavators.

The Flip Screen has many competitive advantagesincluding:

• Screens many different sizes - Many different sizesof mesh screens can be fitted to the Flip Screen enabling itto screen many different materials to many different sizes.Sizes range from 3 mm to 150 mm.The mesh screens arevery easily changed in less than 5 minutes by one personwithout the need for any tools.

• Fast screening rate - The Flip Screen has a very fast screening rate. The design of the Flip Screen maximises the screening surface that material travelsaround each rotation allowing it to process material very quickly.

• No spillage - The Flip Screen does not createspillage. The Flip Screen ensures that material does not fall out after it has been scooped up and until you are ready to screen, ensuring maximum productivityand no contamination of your clean screened stockpile.

• No shaking and no vibrating - The Flip Screen has a smooth 360 degree rotating action and does not use any shaking or vibrating. This minimizes damage and therefore helps maximize the life of carriermachines.

• Extreme portability - The Flip Screen is very portableand can be taken to almost any site.


The Flip Screen is a revolutionary but simple screening and recycling attachment built for skid steers, excavators, wheel loaders and backhoes.


• Ease of operation - The Flip Screen is very easy tooperate as the scooping motion is the same as the regulardigging/tipping action.

• Minimises overheads - Only one carrier machine andone operator is required ensuring you get the most out ofyour resources.

• No internal moving parts - Simple, smooth actionwith no internal moving parts helps maximize the life of Flip Screens.

The Flip Screen screening and recycling machine can be used for just about any application where largersized aggregates must be separated from smaller fines.Reduce waste disposal costs, landfill contributions, fuel costs and raw materials purchases. Make or save big money and resell or reuse the screened material.

A few examples of where it can be used in the foundryindustry are summarised below:

Sand/Casting separatorThe Flip Screen can quietly and efficiently separate

sand from castings, empty sand pockets and remove gatesand cores.

Rotary lump crusher/sand reclaimers The Flip Screen is ideal for lump crushing and sand

reclamation because of its rotary motion. The attachmentcan crush, scrub, screen, and classify large mould lumps

to reusable grain size sand.The Flip Screen can also remove core butts and metal

from return sand in one easy step as well as cleaning thesand off gates, runners, and sprue.

For further details contact Flipscreen Southern Africa:Justin Melman - 082 856 4532 orVic Range - 082 822 4127 or visit www.flipscreen.net


The power output performance ofan air motor is constant over abroad range of speeds and can

also be operated in a wide array ofirregular loads. The power output iseasily adjusted by changing the operating pressure and the speed isinfinitely variable by reducing the airvolume.

The air motor can be loaded untilit reaches maximum. It will alwaysreach its full power output potentialwithout any damage to the motor.

The most common types of airmotors are vane, piston and turbine.Vane motors are often used for toolsrequiring lower power. Low pressure,high velocity tools use turbine motors.

Turbine versus vane motors:Advantages of turbine motors:• Oil free• No wearing parts (vanes)• The motor rotates without creating surface tension• High speed - ideal for grinding applications• Extremely low air consumption at idling speeds• Lower weight• Instant load achievement

Advantages of the vane motor:• High start torque• Smaller motor diameter• Continuous regulation of rotational speed

without the need of a gearbox

Deprag Industrial, represented in South Africaby Dowson & Dobson Industrial, offer a wide rangeof air tools for a multitude of applications. Depragoffer die-grinders and angle grinders and turbogrinders with either a turbine motor or vane motor depending on the intended use of the tool.

All the grinders do extremely well due to theirhigh quality, ergonomic design simple and safe

operation, low maintenance needs and an outstandingpower to weight ratio. Grinders driven by air motors do particularly well in the dusty environment that exists infoundries.

For further details contact Dowson & Dobson Industrial TEL: 0861 DOBSON,email [email protected] orvisit www.dowson.co.za/products/deprag.html

Air motorsfor power tools

The major advantage of the air motor is its high power to weight ratio.A smaller air motor can deliver as much power as a larger electric motor.

This makes an air motor the ideal drive for air tools.


Repair or replace? Weighing up the advantages

of repairing castings

Even in a recovering economy, some clients choose torepair rather than replace damaged metal castings as it isoften more cost-effective.

Metalstitch SA specialises in a metal stitching process,which offers a durable, permanent, successful method ofrepairing cracks and damage to castings of all descriptions. Acase in point was the repair of 40 blocks of cast iron(weighing in at 500kg each) used in the calibration of weighbridges. The challenge was to repair the damage, caused in aroad accident, within two weeks. The client chose to repair theweights rather than opt for costly replacements.

Director Fergus Clark says, "With our expertise in the metalstitching process, we knew we could restore the weights as wellas calibrate each weight to the precise weight of 500kg, a vitalrequirement of the job spec."

To assess the damage caused by the accident, his teamhad to first use an abrasive blast to clean the weights.

MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) tests then assessed both surface and latent damage.

Metalstitch's repair process is a cold mechanical processand leaves no distortion or crystallisation to the parent castingbeing repaired. Using this process, the 40 weights were individually MPI tested, repaired, cleaned, primed and finishedoff with an epoxy coat.

After completion, a SANAS-accredited independent laboratory was called in to calibrate and certify each weight.This was an intricate process involving the weighing of eachblock of cast iron on a scale to ensure that it was still withinthe tolerances specified.

"By choosing to repair we saved our client two thirds of thecost of a replacement," says Clark. "With specialised processesavailable damaged castings can be restored quickly, safely andwithin stringent requirements."

For more information contact www.clarkmetalstitch.co.za

The pictures show weights made of cast iron (weighing in at 500kg each) used in the calibration of weigh bridgesin the damaged, marked, primed and painted stages

The Nikon Eclipse MA200 is an inverted materials microscope with an innovative design that has been optimized for digital imaging and ergonomic efficiency.

The MA200 uses integrated intelligence to automatically combine captured images with data on their observation settings for more comprehensive documentation. Additionally,its new and unique box design allows easy access to the sample on the stage and nosepiece, while making the footprintsize one third of the conventional model.

The design of the MA200 body saves precious bench topspace while placing primary controls in front, making it easy tosee and access the objective lens and sample and eliminatingthe stress caused by long hours of operation. Combined withrenowned Nikon CFI60 Optics and a wider range of contrastmethods, the MA200 offers greater flexibility and automation,enabling faster analysis.

The MA200 delivers bright, high resolution and high contrast images. The newly developed 1X objective lensenables macro observation with actual field view of 25mm,making it possible to view the whole area of an embedded metallurgical sample. In addition, the MA200 offers a wide

range of contrastmethods includingepiscopic brightfield, episcopic darkfield, DIC, simple polarizing andepiscopic fluorescence.

The intelligent manual nosepiece will output the objectiveposition and internal magnification data out to DS-L2 and NIS-Elements for automatic scale calibration. The scales sizewill automatically be calibrated when the objective magnification is changed. Large image stitching is also possiblethrough the optional stitching function in the NIS-Elements software. Additionally, by combining the Metalo software module (grain sizing and cast iron), the system will be optimalfor JIS and ASTM standard compliant metallurgical analysis.

For more information, contact your nearest IMP branch,Gauteng TEL: 011 916 5000, Kwazulu Natal: TEL: 031 764 2821, Western Cape: TEL: 021 852 6133,Eastern Cape: TEL: 041 364 0159, Free State TEL: 018 293 3333 or email: [email protected], website: www.imp.co.za

EE240 wireless sensors from E+E Elektronik are the ideal solution for high quality, wireless

measurement of humidity, temperatureor CO2. With the introduction of state-of-the-art wireless data transmission, E+E Elektronik, the sensor specialist, is expanding itsexpertise into wireless sensor systems.

Up to three intelligent probes canbe connected to each transmitter. Eachprobe operates independently and canbe hot swapped. Remote probes allowthe sensing head to be placed at a distance of up to 10m away from the transmitter. These features make the E+E wireless sensors especially suited forindustrial applications that require sensors to be routinelyrecalibrated without affecting network operation. The measured values can be read directly off the display on thetransmitter or read remotely using your web browser fromany PC in the company network.

The base station features a digital Ethernet interface foreffective connection to the network and data analysis. The

integrated web server allows you to easilyand individually configure thewireless sensor network fromany PC without installing anysoftware. The base stationcomes with four analog outputsfor connection to your system controller.

A mobile measuring systemwith up to 500 transmitter stations can be built without

having to install any wiring. In addition to this high degree of

flexibility, coded bidirectional communication ensures completely secure data transmission.

The E+E wireless sensors conform to protection classIP65, making them suitable for use under demanding operating conditions as well as in outdoor applications.Wireless routers are available to expand the network andrange or to bypass obstacles.

For further information, contact Temperature Controls (Pty) Ltd on TEL: 011 791 6000 or email: [email protected] or visit: www.tempcon.co.za


Nikon metallurgical invertedmicroscope Eclipse MA200

Wireless sensors from the sensor specialistNew wireless sensors

for humidity, temperature and CO2

Best Total Solutions

Tel: 011 389 8200 E-mail: [email protected]

Documents

2 Ria C11 3 repro - Foundry-planet.com