From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

Integrated power solutions company Cummins South Africa is on track to rebuild 120 engines this year at its Master Rebuild Centre, in Midrand. The facility is a key part of the global Cummins group’s network for engine restoration. Marleny Arnoldi visited the site.

Marleny Arnoldi:

The Cummins South Africa Master Rebuild Centre has the capacity to rebuild 14 high-horsepower engines a month, restoring engines to their original factory condition with a full warranty.

Plant manager Aubrey Rambau says any one engine offers four lifecycles if rebuilt according to world-class standards.

Each engine at the Midrand site undergoes dynamometer testing at full power to simulate real operating conditions, to ensure the rebuilt engines are fit for heavy industry use.

The facility typically caters for the local market, as well as Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.

The bulk of the engines at the facility are “zero hour” rebuilds, meaning they need complete overhauling or remanufacturing. The balance of engines comprise fix-as-fail and conversion restorations, which either address specific equipment failures or upgrades.

The rebuild process includes sorting into salvageable parts, cleaning and qualified engineers performing 150 quality checks before shipping.

While customers await rebuilt engines, Cummins South Africa offers a swing engine programme to minimise downtime for customers, which involves an engine exchange while the original is being rebuilt.

According to Rambau, the rebuilding of engines at the centre cater to circular economy principles, while the centre itself is also focused on environmental impact reduction through a water purification plant and a wastewater treatment system that recycles 80% of the water used on site.

Sashnee Moodley:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy. Don’t forget to listen to the audio version of our Engineering News daily email newsletter.