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Showing posts from July, 2017

Atlas Copco Portable Energy dewatering pump solutions - the perfect balance between portability, performance, efficiency and reliability

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Portable Energy, a division of the Atlas Copco Construction Technique business area, offers a comprehensive range of electrical, diesel and petrol dewatering pumps that offer the perfect balance between performance, efficiency and portability. The rugged and lightweight design of these pumps ensure full portability and optimum reliability to meet a wide range of dewatering applications including critical tasks such as flooding emergencies that may threaten lives or interrupt work on a job site. “Our pumps that can be transported and installed with minimum fuss, ready to deal with dewatering requirements quickly and efficiently,” says David Stanford, Portable Energy Business Line Manager at Atlas Copco Construction Technique. The powerful centrifugal electrical submersible WEDA pump range from Portable Energy incorporates 60 years of expertise and technology. Available up to 54kW and a flow management of 225 to 16.500 l/min with a maximum head of 85m, these rugged pumps are designed

Atlas Copco product and training sponsorship empowers informal mechanics

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Atlas Copco South Africa (Pty) Ltd has for the past five years been a proud supporter of the Filpro enterprise development programme, an inspirational initiative that empowers and upskills informal mechanics to become active participants in the country’s formal mainstream economy. Social responsibility is one of Atlas Copco’s core focuses and the company remains resolute in its efforts to give back to the community within which it operates. “The Filpro programme is thus a perfect fit for Atlas Copco’s two business areas, Industrial Technique and Compressor Technique, purveyors of a comprehensive world-class product portfolio for the automotive industry,” says Supplier Development Manager, Marilyn Govender. There are countless unskilled as well as skilled mechanics, who have worked within the formal automotive sector, operating informal service centres with little or no infrastructure and limited access to tools and equipment. Automotive component manufacturers, G.U.D. Holdings an

Atlas Copco railway compressors are built to last

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Atlas Copco Compressor Technique exhibited its world-class compressed air technology solutions for the railway industry at Rail Africa 2017. Atlas Copco oil-injected screw compressors as well as oil-free scroll, piston and pantograph compressors are used on railway vehicles throughout the world, reliably meeting compressed air requirements for critical functions including braking, opening and closing coach doors, tilting and levelling coaches, flushing toilets, operating wind screen wipers and even controlling pantographs to supply power to electrically operated trains. “Reliability, low operating expenses, maximum uptime and optimised safety are vital to the rail industry and to meet these extremely stringent demands, it is simply not enough to be good, we must be so much better than good,” says Atlas Copco’s Global Business Development Manager Railway, André de Backer. “The better the quality of the compressor, the better the reliability, the higher the uptime and the bigger the s

Finding gems in junk. Can small businesses rise up even when the economy is down?

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Out of adversity comes opportunity. These famous words are attributed to US founder Benjamin Franklin and, right now, with South Africa’s weak economy leading to its credit rating downgrades and a technical recession, many businesses are counting on this sentiment being true. What certainly is true is that while small businesses have the strong potential to grow the economy and jobs, they are most vulnerable to economic pressures. Faced with difficult times, they often do not have significant reserves to keep their cash flow going, and they may not qualify for enough bank finance or credit to help them through. Yet, small businesspeople have a reputation as a tough and enterprising group and for those who are determined to be resilient, Property Point, a Growthpoint Properties initiative, has put together a special To The Point workshop. In July, To The Point is taking an in-depth look at what junk status and the impending recession mean for small business. It will also explain th

Growthpoint boosts SA squash with a triple title sponsorship

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The leading South African business and international property company Growthpoint Properties has launched its association with national and championship squash in the country by sponsoring Squash South Africa with a thrilling three-event package. The trio of title sponsorships from Growthpoint is a big boost for the sport and gives rise to even more reason for the sport’s federation to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. Squash SA President, Steve Doëg, comments: “We are thrilled that Growthpoint is backing these tournaments. They are fantastic events and excellent showcases of this exciting sport and the worthy talents of our players. Growthpoint’s association with squash is a most welcome addition which enables us to do even more with our sport.” The sponsored events include the prestigious Growthpoint SA National Squash Championships, the Growthpoint Jarvis Kaplan Cup and the Growthpoint SA Open. Nadine Kuzmanich, Head of Marketing at Growthpoint, says: “We are delighted

Thohoyandou’s Thavhani Mall to celebrate grand opening on 24 August 2017

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Thavhani Mall in Thohoyandou will officially celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, 24 August 2017, Thavhani Property Investments has confirmed. The 50,000m2 regional shopping centre will be the largest in the thriving town of Thohoyandou, Limpopo as well as the greater Thulamela Municipality with the introduction of a wide variety of exciting retail to the region, boasting over 134 shops, restaurants and service outlets. Shoppers can look forward to anchor tenants Woolworths, Edgars, Pick n Pay and SuperSpar as well as an impressive line-up of leading national retailers such as Foschini, Truworths and Mr Price. Thavhani Mall is poised to offer new and unique world-class retail in the area as a clutch of top brands entering the region for the first time including: Woolworths Food, McDonald's, Mr Price Sport, Hi-Fi Corp, Incredible Connection, Cape Union Mart, Old Khaki, Tread + Miller, Keedo, American Swiss Jewellers, House & Home, The Hub, Rochester, Torga Optical, Spur,

Growthpoint Properties gives tennis in South Africa space to thrive.

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Tennis in South Africa has a new headline sponsor: Growthpoint Properties. The leading South African business and international property company, Growthpoint, has joined forces with Tennis South Africa (TSA), as the headline sponsor of the federation, to grow the foundations of tennis in the country. Growthpoint’s initial two-year headline sponsorship commenced on the 1st July 2017 and focuses on tennis development, club tennis and junior tennis. Richard Glover, CEO of TSA, describes Growthpoint’s funding as a ground-breaking sponsorship with the potential to reinvent the future of tennis in South Africa. Glover comments: “We are hugely honoured to partner with a blue-chip brand like Growthpoint Properties. Their backing is a massive endorsement of the new positive energy flowing through our Federation. Growthpoint understands that for a sport to thrive, investment is first needed in the foundations – hence their focus on development, clubs and juniors. With Growthpoint’s support

Young entrepreneur defies odds in white-dominated industry

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Pretoria-based Monalebo Engineering Services (Pty) Ltd (MES) specialises in rope access, non-destructive testing, replicas, scaffolding as well as telecommunications, rail construction and maintenance. They provide this service to organisations in mining, manufacturing, power generation, petrochemicals (oil and gas), transportation and processing. After being released from his job for going on an illegal strike, MES managing director, Gabriel Sebothoma (31), realised that there was a gap in this industry for black players and he then decided to pursue the opportunity and started his company in 2012. When Sebothoma started, he had no illusions about how difficult it would be to succeed in this predominantly white-dominated industry. He, however, surged on and his young enterprise fought its way to becoming sustainable. They now have contracts with Exxaro Grootegeluk Coal Mine, Voermol Feeds (Tongaat Huletts), and Stanley Inspection (De Tect). The company has 19 permanent employees

Newly opened Atterbury development Kumasi City Mall is already trading strongly

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The USD95 million Kumasi City Mall developed by leading South African property development and investment company Atterbury has opened to become Atterbury’s fourth retail development in Ghana. Atterbury’s other successful developments in the country are all in Ghana’s capital, Accra and include Accra Mall, West Hills Mall, and Achimota Retail Centre. Atterbury developed Kumasi City Mall for its owners, Delico Kumasi Limited and AttAfrica has been appointed as the Asset Manager, responsible for its day-to-day running and operations. Kumasi City Mall is the first and only mall in the entire northern sector of the country. It took 24 months to deliver the completed development to the city of Kumasi, the Ashanti region, capital Ghana’s second largest metropolitan centre after Accra. Kumasi is acknowledged as the hub of Ghanaian tradition and culture. Now, the world-class 18,500sqm modern Kumasi City Mall has given the city its first one-stop shopping and entertainment environment u

Happy 10th birthday Legae!

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On 1 April 2017 the Legae Community Childcare Centre celebrated 10 years of providing assistance and schooling to children in the Daveyton area on the East Rand. SKF was there to celebrate with them. Partnering with St Andrews and St Marks Presbyterian Churches, SKF South Africa established Legae Community Childcare Centre in Daveyton on the East Rand in March 2007. 'Legae' which aptly means 'home', provides care to children suffering from HIV/AIDS but also comes to the aid of other disadvantaged children in need. In addition to a pre-school and a care centre for up to 50 children, there is also an after-care facility for twenty school-going children up to the age of thirteen. Attendance at Legae is free of charge and the Centre is mainly staffed by people from the surrounding community. Children receive two meals a day as well as snacks and the occasional food parcel is also provided which they can take home. The Centre ensures that the children receive basic

Live sustainably and lessen your environmental impact

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Nedbank's series of popular sustainability guides gives you practical tips for your home and business to lessen your impact on the environment Johannesburg, South Africa (11 July 2017) - Has the drought or unreliable, expensive electricity made you consider how you can save water, conserve energy and run a more sustainable home or business? In recent months many South Africans have been impacted by severe water restrictions – and this on the heels of the load shedding that was experienced across the country. Many want to lessen their impact on very scarce natural resources, but just don't know how. The Nedbank sustainability guides – which can be easily downloaded below next to each category – offer households and business owners useful knowledge and practical tips about living and working in ways that lessen their impact on our country's scarce resources and help to preserve its natural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations. The Nedbank Smart

New SKF grease cuts false brinelling damage in half

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The innovative anti-false brinelling grease for hub bearing units from SKF reduces friction and wear significantly, while improving bearing performance. SKF launched new grease that has been proven to reduce the damage caused by false brinelling in hub bearing units by more than 50 per cent when compared with competing greases. The lubricant has been introduced to the market to help overcome this wear phenomenon and can also enable overall improvements in vehicle efficiency by limiting fretting corrosion and the microdamages caused by vibration. Designed for use with both new designs and retrofits, the grease is fully compatible with bearing components materials and came out as the best performing lubricant for reducing the raceway microdamages caused by false brinelling when tested alongside several other standard greases. In particular, this solution was shown to lead to a consistent improvement in bearing robustness against the microdamages in the raceways that often occu

SKF goes the extra ‘production line’ mile to ensure on- time delivery

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SKF South Africa received an order from an OEM customer to supply bearings, units, housings and sleeves for a conveyor pulley application. According to SKF Key Accounts Manager, Anneritha Maritz, the customer, a leading OEM manufacturer of conveyor pulleys, requested complete delivery within one month from order. “However, the 2016 summer holidays in Europe would delay the required delivery date by approximately four weeks. So we approached the SKF planning department based in Gothenburg, Sweden, for assistance. They immediately came to our aid; instead of closing the lines in the factory for the holidays, they in fact opened up three production lines to accommodate the manufacture of the bearings and complete the order on time.” The OEM customer was extremely pleased to receive the SKF bearings and related products on the promised delivery date which in turn enabled them to meet their delivery deadline to the end-user. The OEM is a longstanding SKF customer who has be

SKF offers new electric cartridge pump

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SKF announced the introduction of the Electric Cartridge Pump ECP. Developed to lubricate bearings and linear guides in small machines, this reliable pump includes an integrated pressure-relief valve that enables its use in single-line lubrication systems such as SKF MonoFlex. The Electric Cartridge Pump ECP is a cost effective and simple to operate lubrication solution, packaged in a modern, space-saving design. Utilising easy to exchange 380 ml cartridges (12.8 fl. oz.), it is compatible with both oil and fluid greases. This electrically driven piston pump uses 24 V DC and is controlled by an external programmable logic controller (PLC) for convenience. In addition, the Electric Cartridge Pump ECP is capable of manually activating a lubrication cycle and can be used with an optional, integrated level switch to monitor the fill level of the cartridge. SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical supp

AlexandraMall, InGauteng, South Africa

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Alexandra mall is one business entity that has been opened to the public in the year 2017 on March. With it is a number of benefits such as creation of jobs for the residents as well as a convenient shopping opportunity for the residents plus other possible customers. Alexandra mall is approximately worth of R500 million and its construction location is the former sporting village of Tsutsumani in Alexandra near to the N3 freeway. The mall is co-owned by the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Galxcoc) that is in a three-way partnership with mall constructor, Valumaxas as well as McCormick Properties. The road infrastructure within the mall has been expanded in a way that it can accommodate the populace that can probably walk, drive or even be driven by taxis to the entity. Anchor stores in Alexandra mall are majorly famous brand retailers and restaurants. Such retail stores comprise Edgars, Shoprite, Mr. Price, Pick n Pay, Adidas, Truworths, Webbers, Builders Super S

Sub-Saharan Africa needs a ‘gas economy’

Natural gas should not be overlooked as a key solution to several sub-Saharan African energy challenges In the rush to adopt renewable energy, Africa may be overlooking the cost savings, efficiencies and lifestyle enhancing properties of gas, say experts participating in the upcoming Africa LPG and CNG Summit and expo in Johannesburg. Over 500 international gas stakeholders will converge at Emperors Palace for the Summit on 11 – 12 July, to focus on challenges and opportunities for LPG and CNG in Africa. Niall Kramer, CEO of the South African Oil & Gas Alliance (SAOGA), says "The world has a glut of gas, prices per MMBTU are low and we may still be sitting on catalytic opportunities to find and produce oil and gas across sub-Saharan Africa.” While renewables are creating jobs and opportunity, and the prices have come down, he says, “What do we do when the sun is not shining and the wind’s not blowing? Gas can be switched on quickly and is an ideal complement to renewables

SAEFA confident that commitment to interests of all parties can still avoid engineering sector strikes

Johannesburg; 12 July 2017 - While trade unions have applied for a certificate to launch strike action within the South African engineering sector, this does not necessarily mean that strikes are now inevitable, nor that such action is the only option still available to workers in the sector. That’s the view of Gordon Angus, Executive Director of the South African Engineers and Founders Association (SAEFA). SAEFA have appointed an independent lead negotiator to represent employers in the current wage negotiations with engineering and steel sector workers and their unions. “The reality is that strike action will be extremely detrimental to employees and the sector as a whole,” Angus emphasises, “not to mention the additional pressure that it will bring to bear on the already tenuous economic situation in the country.” Angus points to Jonathan Goldberg’s appointment as an independent negotiator by SAEFA, at their own expense, as a clear indication by the Association and the more th

Live sustainably and lessen your environmental impact

Nedbank's series of popular sustainability guides gives you practical tips for your home and business to lessen your impact on the environment Johannesburg, South Africa (11 July 2017) – Has the drought or unreliable, expensive electricity made you consider how you can save water, conserve energy and run a more sustainable home or business? In recent months many South Africans have been impacted by severe water restrictions – and this on the heels of the load shedding that was experienced across the country. Many want to lessen their impact on very scarce natural resources, but just don't know how. The Nedbank sustainability guides – which can be downloaded below next to each category – offer households and business owners useful knowledge and practical tips about living and working in ways that lessen their impact on our country's scarce resources and help to preserve its natural heritage for the benefit of current and future generations. The Nedbank Smart Living Gui

Kubota RTV-X900 delivers deep underground

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[Johannesburg, 30 May 2017]: With a rich founding history of gold and diamond mining, South Africa remains a leader in deep underground mining as well as safety in this arena, making the transfer of equipment and goods underground a task with little margin for error. Enter the Kubota RTV-X900. While the tasks involved in a successful mining operation are manifold, one of these is being able to move equipment, technicians and supplies from the shafts to the rock face; everything inside these tunnels must be brought from the surface. Due to the layout of a deep level mine, which could include many hundreds of kilometres of tunneling fanning out from the shafts and leading to the surface, this transfer is hugely complex and potentially very hazardous. In years past, the task of transporting goods from the surface underground and vice versa was carried out using a ‘cage’, from which the mining paraphernalia would either be physically carried or transported by wheeled trolleys to its po

Atterbury scores a double in the prestigious SAPOA property awards

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Landmark property development projects from Atterbury, the leading South African property developer and investor, once again featured heavily among the winners of the coveted South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) Awards in 2017. Atterbury’s development of Mall of Africa was named the winning retail development in the prestigious accolades. Atterbury also scooped the industrial development award for the third year running for its development of the new Amrod head office. The SAPOA Property Development for Innovative Excellence Awards strive to acknowledge and reward the best the property developments South Africa has to offer, celebrating exceptional design quality, green building, originality. The awards were announced last night at a ceremony at Cape Town International Convention Centre. Upon receiving the awards for the two landmark developments, James Ehlers of Atterbury Property Developments, had this to say: “Winning these awards from SAPOA is indeed a great honour

A GROWTHPOINT INITIATIVE

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Get over it! Learning how to overcome challenges is a key skill for entrepreneurial success. What do you do when life knocks you down? Do you get back up or give up? Property Point, a Growthpoint Properties initiative, takes a look at turning obstacles into opportunities at its latest not-to-be-missed To The Point session. Guest presenter, Prof Shirley Zinn is Group Head of Human Resources at Woolworths Holdings Limited. She is also the author of Swimming Upstream: A Story of Grit and Determination to Succeed, an autobiography that was listed among the best-sellers in 2016. Zinn’s passion for life and people development has led her to share her story to as many people as she can, and this month she will start a conversation, and share her experience and wisdom, with everyone in attendance at Property Point’s To The Point session. Zinn will illuminate the importance of create a balance between the wellbeing of your personal and entrepreneurial journey. A big part of this is know