Renttech South Africa’s pan-African expansion strategy is well on track with the company’s new branch in Namibia.
Featuring a broad range of well-known names in welding machinery and consumables, lifting and rigging equipment, as well as diesel generators and compressors, Renttech - situated in Walvis Bay, Namibia and trading as SA Welding locally - is focused on the country’s mining industry.
However, the company is also well positioned to service the maritime, engineering and civil industries along the West coast and further afield.
Operating in Walvis Bay since mid-2014, Renttech’s Namibian branch SA Welding combines the benefits of local support and product knowledge with global technology solutions. These are evident in their portfolio of brands such as Lincoln, Harris and Gentec; as well as Renttech’s own well-known UniArc and UniLift ranges. For the past two years Renttech in Namibia has been meeting a growing demand for its rental equipment in the country’s mining industry, particularly its range of diesel generators and top-brand welding equipment.
The company is also supplying a major ‘greenfields’ project at one of Namibia’s major uranium mines, providing the necessary equipment and consumables for the construction of a process plant; as well as on-site technical support for the duration of the project, an estimated two and a half years.
“Being able to offer on-site technical and project support for as long as required is an important part of Renttech’s customer service offering. To date, we have ensured an on-site presence on the mine since the beginning of the contract, ensuring all equipment and consumable requirements are being met on a daily basis and that there is therefore minimal down time. This is part of our ‘total package’ solution,” says Gerrit van Zyl, Managing Director of Renttech South Africa.
Welding equipment supplied by Renttech for the uranium mining project includes the company’s engine-driven, multi-process welding machines; inverter welding packages; the Harris and Gentec ranges of gas welding and cutting equipment; and various welding consumables such as torches, stainless flux-cored wires as well as various SMAW and GTAW consumables. Also in demand are Renttech’s diesel generators and diesel compressors, gouging machines and personal protection equipment (PPE). In addition, the company has supplied various abrasives, power and hydraulic tools to the mine’s on-site operations.
Renttech’s own Unilift range of lifting and rigging equipment is also being used extensively on site. Produced at its manufacturing facility, Kelmeg Lifting Services, lifting accessories such as polyester slings, web slings and endless round slings can be customised to specific on-site requirements. Renttech also supplies a host of other lifting/rigging equipment, such as chain blocks, wire ropes, beam clamps, lever hoists and shackles.
With versatility, cost-savings and energy efficiency always in mind, Renttech has ensured that its product range is able to withstand harsh, outdoor environments, with special applicability to pan-African mining operations.
A case in point is the company’s own highly versatile MultiArc 350 amp inverter which is a robust yet lightweight unit, offering the user an easy transition between multiple welding processes.
“The MultiArc 350 is ideally suited to various mining operations: it is robust, compact and generator-compatible while having a built-in arc-safe function to meet the relevant mining safety specifications addressing acceptable OCV (open circuit voltage) limits for welding machines,” notes Johan van Breda, Business Development Manager at Renttech in Namibia.
“Also the dual voltage of 380V and 525V enables flexibility on a mining operation, be it workshop, boilershop or plant, without risk of damage to PC boards,” van Breda explains.
Renttech also supplies a full range welding machines and welding generators under their Uniarc brand, which are suitable for various types of welding, including gasless flux-core welding which is ideal for external use, typically encountered in opencast mining operations where shielding gases are exposed to the risk of being blown away in windy conditions.
Furthermore, Renttech took versatility to a new level recently, when it introduced a new dual purpose welder-generator unit to the market, which is able to meet both on-site power generation and welding needs in environments with unreliable power sources.
A ‘brainchild’ of Renttech, the units are also ideal for a typical ‘greenfields’ project, where they can function as an initial power-generation source and later be converted into a welding unit.
“At Renttech it is not just about selling or renting equipment. Rather, it is about providing full on-site support and service – that is, ensuring the best overall solution for the customer that will be optimally efficient and productive - thereby providing great return-on-investment.
We are working hard to make our presence felt in the busy industrial hub of Walvis Bay, strategically so well-located to service the entire West Coast, and are always on hand to bring the ‘Renttech service ethos’ to Namibia’s mining and other industries,” van Breda concludes.