Industrial equipment supplier Dupleix Liquid Meters (DLM) believes that the national lockdown has placed a strain across countless industries and feels that there is a long road ahead before things return to normal.

DLM supplies valves primarily to the mining, petrochemical and sugar industries, including a range of slurry knife gate valves, fire safe ball valves, pneumatic actuators and accessories, safety relief valves, butterfly valves and control valves.

Unfortunately, the strict lockdown measures caused many mines and companies to close temporarily and while DLM GM Wayne Karg affirms that the demand is beginning to increase, it is not yet at the levels prior to the pandemic.

“As the national lockdown has eased, we have seen a slight increase in activity, but it is slow, owing to the number of protocols and restrictions placed on these working environments. The number of working staff members has been reduced and the difficulty of contacting customers is a challenge, as many people are working from home.”

While the valve industry has had its share of challenges, Karg believes that DLM is a strong competitor in the valves industry, having built strong relationships with customers and suppliers over the past 60 years.

“While all companies face challenges, DLM has managed to maintain some sort of balance during the pandemic.”

In addition to providing standard solutions for customers, DLM also provides customised modifications for certain product lines to customer specifications. These modifications vary from valve configurations and severe service trim options to manifold customisations.

“When carrying out customisations, a detailed meeting with the customer and our sales engineer or product specialists takes place to determine the best solution. We then provide our suppliers with detailed drawing and schematic of the modification required. DLM takes care of the entire job to ensure the process is straightforward and convenient for the customer,” Karg concludes.

RMB Corvest and Shalamuka Capital acquired an interest in DLM in 2012 adding black economic empowerment ownership as well as private equity.