Selecting the right pump for the job
When selecting a pump, numerous factors have to be taken into consideration, says pumps manufacturer Verder Pumps South Africa MD Darryl Macdougall.
He tells Engineering News that one should look at the chemical compatibility of materials of construction to the product being pumped, whether the pump design or technology is suitable for the product being transported, whether the pump design is suitable for the duty cycle required and whether the system design allows for efficient operation of the pump itself – in other words allowing the pump to always run on the best efficiency point of the performance curve.
“Poorly designed systems can lead to higher power consumption and premature wear or failure of the components in a pump system. This is not isolated to the pump only and can impact on instrumentation, piping, valves and ancillary equipment.”
Macdougall further explains that premature failures always result in increased labour costs and increased inventory of spare parts, subsequently leading to higher production costs and, therefore, increased costs of the product manufactured.
“The worst-case scenario is possibly a complete plant stoppage. Excessive breakdowns will also increase the risk to personnel, as emergency repairs will have to be carried out in addition to routine planned maintenance.”
However, he notes that the most common mistake companies make when buying equipment is overlooking the total cost of ownership and making a decision only based on price. “The purchase price of a pump is generally not greater than 15% of the total cost of ownership when considering all the cost drivers associated with transporting liquids in pumping systems.”
Macdougall explains that companies should, therefore, ensure that the “pump supplier has all the necessary information to put forward the solution, which is a 100% fit for the application”.
Dutch Manufacturing Industry
Verder has been elected by Management Team, a Dutch magazine, as the number one brand in the ‘Dutch top-100 Made in Netherlands manufacturing industry report.’ The first edition of the top 100 was published in 2013 and Verder remained in the top four in the years that followed.
Verder Group CE Andries Verder explains that the ranking is published yearly by the management team, listing the 100 most successful Dutch manufacturing companies with a turnover of less than €500-million. “Manufacturers that are financially stable, achieve healthy growth and take the Dutch industry to a higher level with innovative products are chosen for this list,” he adds.
The company was selected based on turnover, average revenue growth, profit growth and return on investment in the past five years, he says.
“We are incredibly proud of this achievement and to represent this innovative multinational organisation in Africa. This accolade is testament to the quality and performance assurance of not only our industrial pump solutions but also our services as a completely integrated offering,” concludes Macdougall.
Comments
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation