Electrical, automation and mechanical products and equipment supplier Elquip Solutions reports it was appointed power and automation technology group ABB’s third-party channel, in August.

Elquip Solutions MD Mike Cronin says the company will operate as a localised ABB marketing and sales vehicle, selling and supporting various low-voltage ABB products, such as circuit breakers, connectors, soft starters and variable-speed drives (VSDs), besides others.

ABB South Africa senior VP Medhat Fayek says ABB appointed Elquip Solutions to help grow its low-voltage products business in South Africa.

Cronin explains the third-party agreement is a sensible and efficient business method, as products are more accessible to customers.

“This type of agreement is fairly new for ABB, but it makes perfect business sense when considering issues such as local working hours and the immediate availability of assistance for customers,” he adds.

Further, Elquip Solutions will be marketing the low-voltage ABB products to all industries. “We are accustomed to supplying products to the tube and piping industries, as well as the steel processing industries, but we will be supplying the new range of products to all sectors,” notes Cronin.

Meanwhile, there might be an increase in the demand for ABB VSDs, as electricity costs in the country increase.

“All industries are aiming to reduce electricity use, and the VSDs are used to adjust and control the speed of motors to ensure that these operate at ultimate effi- ciency,” he says.

In addition, Cronin says Elquip Solutions will, in the near future, be involved in ABB technology solutions, which include ABB heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning drives that are aimed at air-conditioning systems in factories and office buildings.

E-Learning Programme
Elquip Solutions’ employees will be completing a comprehensive ABB e-learning programme to ensure that employees are knowledgeable on the entire ABB product range.

“The e-learning programme will enable us to comprehensively educate our employees on ABB, its brands, products and the solutions to enable us to tailor-make problem-solving turnkey offerings, based on specific customer requirements,” says Cronin.

The programme includes a module and exam for each ABB product. Employees need to pass each exam for which they are enrolled, depending on their focus areas.

ABB Update
Meanwhile, ABB has won a R43-million order from energy and chemicals group Sasol.

ABB will provide the firm with a 145 kV double busbar gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), which will be installed at its Sasolburg plant, in the Free State.

The order, which will include design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the switchgear, as well as supervisory control and data acquisition protection, is part of Sasol’s gas turbine power plant project, which will supplement the energy requirements at the Sasolburg facility.

The project is being managed by Sasol Technology on behalf of Sasol New Energy Holdings, the division responsible for the low-carbon electricity business in Sasol.

ABB South Africa country manager Carlos Poñe says ABB’s local expertise and global manufacturing capabilities will assist the customer by significantly improving the current electricity supply situation.

ABB supplied similar GIS technology to Sasol in Secunda, Mpumalanga, in 2009, and the experience gained from that ensured a shorter implementation time for the customer.

The GIS technology with its low-weight and robust design will enhance system reliability and efficiency at the plant, with minimum maintenance needs, reports ABB.

Upon completion, the 140 kW gas turbine power plant will be the largest power plant using gas engines installed in South Africa.