Tag Archives: drives

ABB to highlight energy-saving potential of electric motors and VSDs with new digital service

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

A new digital service from ABB will, the company says, enable industrial operators to maximise energy efficiency and boost sustainability by identifying motor-driven equipment in their facilities with the best energy-saving potential.

The ABB Ability Digital Powertrain Energy Appraisal service will draw on data measured from fleets of digitally connected electric motors and variable speed drives (VSDs) to show where and how much energy can be saved by upgrading to the latest high-efficiency technologies. Industrial operators can then make data-driven decisions when prioritising investments, the company says.

Upgrading to energy-efficient technology is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to lower energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions, ABB says. Across the world’s 300 million industrial motor-driven systems, there is potential to cut global electricity demand by up to 10% by switching to high-efficiency systems.

“The challenge for an industrial operator is knowing where to start in a fleet of hundreds of electrical motors,” Adrian Guggisberg, Division President of ABB Motion Services, says. “ABB developed the new Digital Powertrain Energy Appraisal service to provide clarity by analysing motor data and identifying where businesses should focus investment to maximise energy-efficiency gains that reduce operating costs and CO2 emissions.”

Traditionally, an energy efficiency appraisal requires time-consuming manual collection and evaluation of data and covers only the largest motor-driven systems on a site as these are typically seen as having most potential for saving energy, ABB says. However, this could overlook significant energy-saving opportunities for electric powertrains that are smaller, less accessible or where energy-saving potential is not obvious.

The new digital appraisal service uses a plug-and-play approach to simplify energy efficiency assessments by pulling operational data remotely from across an entire fleet of digitally-connected motors. This provides much deeper insight into the business case and carbon footprint benefits of upgrading to high-efficiency motor-driven systems, while being much safer and faster.

Wajax to grow ERS and industrial parts businesses with Tundra Process buy

Equipment maintenance, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Wajax has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Calgary, Alberta-based Tundra Process Solutions in a cash and shares deal worth C$99.1 million ($78.2 million).

The transaction is expected to close early in the March quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions, Wajax said.

Founded in 1999, Tundra provides maintenance and technical services to customers in the western Canadian midstream oil and gas, oil sands, petrochemical, mining, forestry and municipal sectors. It also distributes a diverse range of industrial process equipment, representing manufacturers of valves and actuators, instrumentation and controls, motors and drives, control buildings, boilers and water treatment solutions.

Employing around 150 people, Tundra operates four facilities in Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton (two locations) and Grande Prairie. Tundra also maintains a local sales presence in Fort McMurray and Red Deer, Alberta; Vancouver and Fort St. John, British Columbia; and southern Saskatchewan.

Wajax said the acquisition of Tundra was expected to provide meaningful growth in the corporation’s Engineered Repair Services (ERS) and industrial parts categories, with its operations complementary to Wajax’s existing ERS and industrial parts businesses.

For the 12 months ended November 30, 2020, Tundra had revenues of about C$147.8 million.

Mark Foote, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wajax, said: “Tundra’s market leadership in process control provides Wajax with meaningful scale in ERS and related industrial parts in western Canada. In central and eastern Canada, Tundra’s technical capabilities and product and service range will provide new opportunities to further extend Wajax’s ERS services to our customers.

“Our complementary cultures of safety, customer service and product and service innovation translates into growth driven by a consistent vision of constantly increasing what we can do for our customers.”

Iggy Domagalski, Chief Executive Officer of Tundra, added: “Partnering with Wajax allows us to instantly grow our volumes by leveraging our combined customer relationships and branch networks. Existing Wajax customers will benefit from a broader range of valve, instrumentation and electrical products and services, and existing Tundra customers will benefit from Wajax’s extensive ERS portfolio and geographic footprint.

“We are excited to join Wajax and contribute to the goal of becoming Canada’s leading ERS provider.”

Zest WEG signs up Panaco to grow footprint in key DRC mining hub

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , , ,

Zest WEG, in an effort to strengthen its Africa footprint, has appointed Panaco as its value-added reseller (VAR) in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to Zest WEG’s Africa Business Development Executive, Taylor Milan, Panaco is a 100% locally-owned business that has successfully serviced the region, known for mining, for over 40 years.

“Panaco is a well-established and respected company with strong business relationships with nearly all of our current clients,” Milan said. “Its business methodology and culture are closely aligned with ours, and this synergy will aid us in supporting our current installed base, client network and growth expectations.”

Milan highlighted the increasing importance of local content in the supply of equipment and services across the continent. Therefore, Zest WEG has prioritised closer partnerships with local firms as a key element of its sustainable growth strategy in Africa, a strategy Zest WEG Group CEO, Siegfried Kreutzfeld, mentioned shortly after being appointed to the role in 2019.

Milan also emphasised the importance of VARs in this strategy.

“Going beyond the role of just a distributor, a VAR is a local business chosen to promote and support the wide range of Zest WEG’s offering,” he said. “It carries the whole Zest WEG brand into local markets.

“Panaco has the ability to assist us in growing the comprehensive WEG product portfolio well beyond our traditional low-voltage motor and drive business,” he said. “It has business facilities in Lubumbashi, Kolwezi and Kinshasa – bringing our services and support closer to customers in this fast-growing region.”

The VAR partnership will provide locally accessible support and skills, substantial stockholding, and quality products at competitive pricing, the company said. It will also build strong and service-oriented customer relationships, according to Milan.

Zest WEG has also appointed DRC firm AEMI as a WEG-accredited repair facility, after AEMI successfully met its OEM standards. The company has a full repair facility in Likasi, and another in Kinshasa.

Kumera shifts gears with CuW Keller acquisition

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , ,

Kumera Corporation has added to its base metals process equipment, metal foundry and mechanical power transmission offering with the acquisition of industrial and marine gearbox manufacturer CuW Keller.

The Germany-based company produces, among other products, conveyor and bucket wheel drives, slewing drives, bucket excavator and crawler drives, and rotary drives for the open-pit mining sector.

As part of the acquisition, the German subsidiary of Kumera, Kumera Getriebe GmbH, will continue the operations of CuW Keller. This will see around 160 employees transferred over.

Kumera, a family-owned organisation established in 1947, consists of three core businesses: process equipment for base metals, metal foundry, and mechanical power transmissions for marine and industrial applications. It employs 650 people at manufacturing locations in Finland, Austria, Norway, China and, now, Germany.

Kumera’s power transmissions come with a wide range of standard and tailormade gearboxes for industrial application in the pulp and paper and metallurgical industries, as well as marine transmissions and propulsion systems for mid-size seagoing vessels. Kumera, therefore, saw the Keller portfolio complementing its existing product line.

Helmut Hochegger, Managing Director of Kumera and the nominee MD of Kumera Getriebe, said: “This is definitely a great opportunity for both companies to strengthen their position on the world market…The Keller high quality products and technical superiority is widely recognised by the loyal clientele and sets a firm foundation for future efforts.”

Bearings International accelerates with new variable speed drives

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, , , , , , ,

Bearings International (BI), through its relationship with Hudaco Group company Varispeed, is launching the VDrivePlus and AlphaDrive-Micro variable speed drives in the South Africa market.

Being part of the broader Hudaco Group allows BI to leverage synergies across a broad range of companies, meaning it can offer a complete product basket at its extensive branch network countrywide. One of these areas is electronic motor control solutions from Varispeed.

BI Marketing Manager, Victor Strobel, said: “For BI, it is all about the breadth of our product offering, which extends far beyond our customers’ core focus. This is because we look at customer requirements holistically. It is also a great way to introduce our customer base to the larger Hudaco Group.

“While the customer bases are different, there are definite synergies that we can tap into. It is all about positioning ourselves as a total solutions provider that is a single point of contact for all of our customer needs, as well as making them aware of everything else we are able to offer them.”

The AlphaDrive-Micro VSD (pictured) from Varispeed is a compact frequency inverter ranging from 0.2 kW to 5.5 kW, and available in 240 V and 400 V. Together with the VDrivePlus, these VSDs offer the best performance-to-cost ratio on the market, without compromising on quality and reliability, according to BI.

Certified in accordance with the latest European standards and regulations, the Alpha Drive Micro and Micro Plus are ideally suited to most applications in the South Africa market, including mining, food and beverage, manufacturing, and agriculture, BI says.

The compact design of the AlphaDrive-Micro VSD means it can be easily integrated into an electrical panel, as it mounts directly onto a DIN rail. A built-in software menu caters for optimised parameters for basic functions and applications such as fans, belts, conveyors, and pumps. Applications range from mining plants to water reticulation, HVAC, food and beverage, canning and bottling plants, and injection moulding plants, BI said.

The AlphaDrive-Micro VSD is based on the MODBUS protocol for open networking, with an EMC filter as standard.

One of the features of both drives BI highlighted was a parameter copy stick that allows for an automatic back-up of parameter settings in the event of load shedding. It also means that the same set of parameters can be transferred to many drives and even multiple sites.

The VDrivePlus from Varispeed is a much larger drive, ranging from 0.4 kW to 400 kW, available in 240 V and 400 V. This more advanced VSD features advanced motor control based on DSP technology, together with ‘smart’ auto-tuning, BI said. Additional features include flexible inverter control, dual high-resolution analogue inputs, and free mappable I/O channels.

BI said: “A universal function set is available for a range of industrial and residential applications, including integrated PID/pump controller routines. ‘Smart’ PC tools allow for quick inverter control, parametrisation, and troubleshooting. Here the size and range of the VSD makes it ideal for harsh operating environments from mining to industrial and even agricultural.”

Looking at future scope for synergy, Strobel pointed out that the VSDs can be easily supplemented with the Bauer electric motor range from BI.

These aluminium three-phase 380 V motors are made for industrial applications such as fans, compressors, pumps, sanding machines, and pedestal drilling machines, among others. The main benefit is that the motors are far lighter than their cast-iron equivalents due to the aluminium casing and end shield, according to the company.

The multi-mount design has the added benefit of being able to change the feet on-site. This gives customers the option of having the terminal box on the top or on the left- or right-hand side, depending on the specific requirements. In addition, Bauer motors can be fitted with an external brake of either an AC or DC type.