Local pumps and pump components manufacturer, servicer and supplier APE Pumps has replaced a return water pump, which has been operating continuously for at least 25 years, at a gold mine in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

APE Pumps, owned by India-based multinational pumps manu facturer WPIL, installed the pump, valued at several million rands, in October last year.

“The 32 XHC pump, with a 850 kW electric motor, a 58 m head and a flow rate of 3 800 m3/h, is exactly the same model as the one the mining company bought previously, with the same robust reliability and efficiency,” APE Pumps GM Richard Rudling tells Mining Weekly.

Since many of these pumps were initially installed at the mine site more than 20 years ago, Rudling expects more orders will be placed for the 32 XHC, as the mine gradually starts replacing more of its pumps.

The APE Pumps range includes, but is not limited to, vertical sump, horizontal split-case, turbine, and multistage pumps, as well as end-suction pumps in all materials.

The company’s product range also includes high-pressure pumps with pressure-boosting, firefighting and water-circulation functions that are especially useful in mining, Mining Weekly reported in September.

In focusing on the key aim of “re-energising” the company this year, Rudling expects a “reasonable” growth rate of about 10% for 2015.

He emphasises that Africa remains “a logical market for expansion” for South African pumps companies.

“Africa is the biggest available mineral resource in the world, with particular potential in West and Central Africa, and we need to tap into that,” he reiterates.

Rudling stresses that, as South African mining companies explore new developments on the continent, there are potential opportunities for these companies to use South African pump products, as they are specifically built to withstand the robust require- ments of the African mining environment and are known for their reliability.

“APE Pumps has exported and will continue to export its pump products through mines and contractors, and design and construction companies, in South Africa, into Africa,” he emphasises.

APE currently supplies pumps and refurbishment services to industry in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, while its sister company, Mather+Platt, has received enquiries and orders from Angola and Ghana.

In addition to focusing on new African horizons, APE Pumps is also exploring increased efficiencies for its products, as well as more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing methods, Rudling points out, adding that the company’s new programme includes the reworking and repairing of old patterns for higher-efficiency pump designs.