STEEL SUCTION PIPE Steel suction pipe manufactured by Bay Engineering for the Hopper Dredger
Bay Engineering is an outsourced engineering and jobbing shop, based in Benoni, that specialises in steel pipe fabrication and welding, computer numerical control (CNC) turning and milling and which engages in projects considered to be “complicated steel pipework” while maintaining high-quality craftsmanship, quick turnaround times, fair pricing and attentiveness to customer requirements.
“All welders are coded, and welding procedures are performed to ASME IX, as well as ISO and American Welding Society (AWS) standards. With a mix of tungsten inert gas (TIG) and metal inert gas (MIG) welding, we are able to meet the customer’s rigorous requirements in the timeframes required,” says Bay Engineering MD Etienne Labuschagne.
“Through innovative manufacturing techniques, we manufacture intricate medium- to high-pressure piping and reticulation, with a focus on supplying products to players in the mining industry. This includes meeting the assembly requirements after distortion from welding and galvanising,” states Bay Engineering FD Charles Smith.
In the latter part of last year, the company delivered the fabrication and welding of piping and stands for valve stations for export. The project customer had demanding quality requirements and tight deadlines and the company qualified welders for this specific project while meeting the above.
The company was also responsible for manufacturing fabricated steel pipes and components for a dredger ship owned by State-owned port authority Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA). Bay Engineering completed the fabrication on behalf of a Dutch shipbuilding company for TNPA.
The “complicated” steel pipes installed in this dredger vessel ship comprised a large pipe with a 900 nominal bore (NB) and a smaller pipe with a 350 NB – both of which Labuschagne refers to as “substantial pieces of steel”.
The project required that an elbow pipe joint was used in the Hopper Dredger – used to dredge the harbours in Durban and Richards Bay – connecting two elongated pipes which run the full length of the ship.
“When we say ‘complicated pipework’, this is what we mean. That’s all steel. There’s no rubber in there to make it flexible to meet the joining faces and these were manufactured to a tolerance of 2 mm to 3 mm,” adds Labuschagne.
Bay Engineering was also responsible for successfully welding large pipes via a subcontractor for Tshwane metropolitan municipality, whereby the company was required to supply welded piping for potable water supply in alignment with the repair and site requirements.
Other projects include manufacturing galvanised piping of 40 NB and 80 NB for water transportation in local mines.
The company hopes to build on its reputation of being “one of the most reliable and trusted manufacturers” and, as such, will continue to provide “world-class” precision engineering services for businesses, locally and internationally.
It also boasts the addition of a new fabrication facility that is equipped with two 10 t cranes for optimised productivity, which is indicative of Bay Engineering’s not slowing down on successfully completing projects to a high quality, at a fair price and within a reasonable timeframe.
“We are 51% black-owned and Level 2 for broad-based black economic empowerment, which furthers our competitive edge in the local market as we look to expand,” Smith enthuses.