Specialist pumps rental company Integrated Pump Rental has reported a steady increase in the demand for rental pumps over the last four months, mainly owing to the start of the rainy season.

Integrated Pump Rental MD Lee Vine also attributes the increase in demand to the company’s fleet diversity and total solution offering.

“Our customers are taking advantage of our offering by renting not only the pumps but also the ancillary equipment such as pipe floats, flotation devices, diesel pumps and electric submersible equipment. We have seen a significant increase in our total solution in the rental market.”

The increase can also be attributed to the company’s comprehensive size and range of dewatering pumps within its fleet, as it will introduce the required product where there is a gap in the market to consolidate its position as the leading total dewatering solutions provider, explains Vine.

“Integrated Pump Rental does not focus only on one product. If customers have dewatering-related requirements and we see a need for it in the market, we are definitely willing to add it to the rental fleet. We pride ourselves in offering a completely customisable solution.”

This willingness to expand its product line-up according to market demand has resulted in increased customer growth, he adds.

The company employs a full engineering and technical team, which assist on site to design the most suitable solution according to customer requirements. A significant advantage for customers is the technical team’s rapid response when assessing a dewatering application and providing a fit-for-application solution.

The company has several years of experience in the applications engineering field and boasts a strong team of diesel, submersibles, dredging and pipe systems specialists.

New Sectors

The company has recently entered the agriculture sector, applying its equipment and experience in the Northern Cape to help farmers ensure optimal use of water resources.

“With increased competition for the country’s scarce water supply – and drought conditions in some provinces – farmers are looking for ways of conserving and optimising water,” Vine says. A key aspect of this is preventing dams from silting up over time.

Too much silt means less storage capacity in the dam, which can destabilise the whole agricultural operation. It can also lead to sediment finding its way into pipes and pumps causing costly blockages and equipment damage.

The company’s SlurrySucker product has proven itself to be a market leader in cleaning and maintaining line and process water ponds, traditionally in the mining industry, and now in the agriculture industry.

Vine also highlights Integrated Pump Rental’s ability to provide a quick turnaround on service queries, which some larger pump rental operations are not able to provide as easily.

This quick response is because of the company’s comprehensive fleets of pumps that can handle varying dewatering applications.

The company offers Sykes diesel-driven pump sets for rental applications and also handles the sales of these robust dewatering pumps in Southern Africa.

“We assist with the complete dewatering operation for companies or return outdated systems to original-equipment standards. With the knowledge of Integrated Pump Rental’s dewatering team, we can fully assess the site and implement the full dewatering solution,” explains Vine.

The group also engineers customised dewatering solutions that match customers’ specific needs. These services range from concept generation and technical drawings, to structural simulations and thermal analysis. Tailored products can then be built, installed and monitored.

“Through our on-site operational assessments, we help customers troubleshoot and we then design solutions that work,” says Vine. “With our technical teams on hand 365 days a year, we also make sure that we closely support the solutions we provide.”

He highlights that the rental equipment is easy to use and can be offered with specialised on-site supervision and training. Integrated Pump Rental also manages all the logistics to get the right equipment to the right place timeously.

The company has positioned its distributors in geographically strategic areas around the country and neighbouring countries, which allows easy access to the products and a fast turnaround time.

Vine notes that many customers find Integrated Pump Rental’s rental option the best way of reducing capital outlay, while others request a full turnkey solution to address a particular challenge.

All the equipment that the company offers for rental, such as the Sykes diesel pump units as well as the Grindex submersible pumps, are also available for purchase, he concludes.