Plant Equipment and Hire June 2018 | Page 7

AFRICA NEWS Comminution solutions provider IMS Engineering has entered an exclusive distribution deal with GK, a world leader in vibratory equipment for mining, coal handling, recycling, and other industries. IMS will be the exclusive distributer for GK’s products throughout Africa. GK offers a Two-Mass vibratory technology, which refers to a style of vibratory equipment where one mass (an exciter) is used to drive a second mass (trough). The exciter mass typically contains a motor and is connected to a trough using a combination of springs. Combining the two masses and the springs creates a responsive sub-resonant system, which responds to changes in load without dampening performance. The main advantage of the Two-Mass system is that it requires up to two-thirds less horsepower to achieve the same amount of work as a single mass (brute force) system. This reduction in horsepower significantly reduces energy consumption and related electrical costs. Two-Mass equipment is also more cost-effective to maintain, since belts, large motors, and bearings are eliminated. One of GK’s products, its STM™ screen, also a Two-Mass machine, enables users to increase screening production capacity by up to 20%, even when constrained by the existing space envelope of a structure. This is achieved by multiple cascading decks increasing, yet maintaining, the single-deck design for full visual and physical accessibility. While the compact equipment market in South Africa remains a tiny segment of the continent’s overall construction equipment market, Smith Power is confident that there are signs of growth in the sector. Although the trend towards compact equipment is still very much in its infancy locally compared with international markets, Robert Keir, marketing manager at Smith Power, says, “We are convinced that the compact equipment sector is a growing and interesting market locally. We have also seen several South African equipment suppliers going the compact route, with the recent launches of new compact ranges by several local suppliers being testimony to the growth potential signals of this market.” Wacker Neuson has concluded a dealer and distribution agreement, which sees Enza Capital Equipment as the first 100% black-owned Wacker Neuson dealer in South Africa. Enza, a member of the Asani Group, specialises in the sale and rental of industrial capital equipment from OEMs to a diverse range of clientele across various industries. In terms of the agreement, Enza will specialise in the sale and rental of a strategically defined Wacker Ne uson product portfolio that comprises concrete equipment, vibratory plates, rammers, rollers, breakers, light- towers, and generators. Headquartered in Gauteng, it will focus its efforts in Johannesburg, Rustenburg, Kathu, and Limpopo. As a 100% black-owned company with significant black woman ownership and a Level 1 BEE rating, Enza will develop a client base in the mining, parastatal, and public sectors. It will initially work hand- in-hand with Wacker Neuson while building its own team of technicians and establishing 100% black-owned Wacker Neuson dealership The Wacker Neuson–Enza team concludes the groundbreaking black- owned dealer agreement with Enza Capital Equipment. systems that are aligned with the Wacker Neuson brand. Wacker Neuson sub-Saharan Africa’s managing director, Dennis Vietze, assures 360-degree full-house support from Wacker Neuson, which includes training, forecasting, stock management, and field assistance. Wirtgen slipform paver in Nigeria AG-Dangote Construction Company Limited Nigeria used Wirtgen’s SP 500 slipform paver for the construction of a concrete roadway to connect the towns of Itori and Ibese in the Nigerian state of Ogun. The contractor for this project was a JV between Brazilian company Andrade Gutierrez Company and the Dangote Group from Nigeria. Before the slipform paver — which can pave concrete pavements in widths of up to 6m and thicknesses of up to 400mm as standard — was able to begin work in Itori, the substrate had to be prepared. The construction company used compacted laterite and a 20cm layer of crushed rock. The SP 500 laid The Wirtgen SP 500 slipformed the concrete slab in a width of 7.50m and a thickness of 20cm. down the new 7.50m-wide and 20m-thick roadway in two separate passes. Extending over 24km, the new road is the longest uninterrupted stretch of concrete roadway in Nigeria. “We processed more than 35 000m³ of concrete using the Wirtgen slipform paver, and produced a very even surface,” says Ashif Juma, managing director of AG-Dangote Construction Company Limited. Precision, flexibility, and reliability are the hallmarks of the SP 500. And this also applies to the new generation of slipform pavers lined up in Wirtgen’s new SP 60 Series, which comprises the SP 61/SP 61i, SP 62/SP 62i and SP 64/SP 64i models. The SP 60 Series is set to replace the globally successful SP 500 model and, like its predecessor, offers a wide range of options to meet the diverse demands of inset and offset paving — including hydraulic and electrical vibrators, dowel bar inserters, finishing equipment, swivel arms, wireless 3-D control, not to mention a variety of offset molds. AG-Dangote Construction Company Limited has expanded its fleet of road construction machines, purchasing two of the last SP 500 pavers produced, along with a TCM 95 texture curing machine. JUNE 2018 5