Despite the challenges currently facing the South African welding and cutting industry, including project delays, commodity price fluctuations and the lingering effects of last year’s local metals industry strikes, there are still significant opportunities for the industry to evolve and improve its welding standards, says nonprofit technical organisation the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW).

New SAIW executive director Sean Blake, who officially took over the reins from his predecessor, Jim Guild, in April, tells Engineering News that the lack of manufacturing and fabrication stimulation in the economy, compounded by the effects of the less-than-optimal operations of the power stations, is “breaking the industry”.

Currently, the maintenance projects in the power generation sector are hindering the industry, he adds.

Nevertheless, Blake believes that the railway projects currently under way – although progressing slowly – as well as government’s National Development Plan and Strategic Infrastructure Projects, are key to stimulating the fabrication environment.

Projects in Progress
Rail projects currently under way in South Africa include the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and the Department of Transport’s R123-billion investment in a rail rolling stock fleet-renewal programme, which will replace the old passenger rail fleet and introduce new stock for commuter rail service Metrorail.

While the first new trains are expected to be delivered this year, the construction of the Dunnottar plant, on the East Rand, which was initially scheduled to start in February, has not yet started.

Production of the first train, in Brazil, is on schedule and expected to arrive in South Africa in November, after which it will be tested at a PRASA site for six months. The train is scheduled to start service in June 2016. South African rail company Gibela Rail Consortium was awarded the contract to build the trains. The consortium’s majority shareholder, Alstom Transport, is building the train at the Lapa manufacturing plant, in Brazil.

Meanwhile, freight logistics group Transnet is procuring 1 064 locomotives, collectively valued at R50-billion, from four separate companies: original- equipment manufacturer (OEM) China South Rail subsidiary Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive and rail technology manufacturer Bombardier Transportation South Africa, which will collectively supply 599 electric locomotives, while technology developer General Electric South Africa Technologies and OEM China North Rail Rolling Stock South Africa will supply 465 diesel locomotives.

The procurement will create more than R90-billion in localisation benefits over the life cycle of the locomotives, and about 30 000 direct and indirect South African jobs will be created, Transnet CEO Brian Molefe said in March last year after the contracts were awarded.
Echoing Molefe, Blake says that these projects will transform the local welding and cutting industry by boosting exports and establishing the country as a rail fleet production centre for the African continent.

Matching the Standards
For the welding industry to participate in this type of project, Blake reiterates the importance of the welders and fabricators to be EN 15085-certified – the product-specific standard for the construction, manufacturing and testing of welded rail vehicles and their components.

EN 15085 is a European quality standard that is closely aligned with ISO 3834, which defines the comprehensive quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials in workshops and in the field.

While local fabricators have become more aware of the EN standard, Blake believes that the welding industry has yet to fully embrace the need to comply with the standard.

He notes, however, that Transnet Engineering is spearheading EN 15085 compliance. “Hopefully, once the production lines are fully operational, EN 15085 compliance will filter down to the subcontractors,” he says, pointing out that compliance with this standard is a significant jump for the industry.

Personnel conducting nondestructive testing, for example, need to be trained to comply with ISO 9712, which is not the norm in South Africa.

Meanwhile, in addition to facilitating the local certification of EN 15085 compliance, Blake says, there are training opportunities in South Africa for higher quality levels.

He acknowledges that, while the institute recorded an increase in training demand during 2014, compared with the previous year, it expects a decline in demand this year, owing to economic pressure.

Nevertheless, Blake suggests that, during the current economic slowdown, welding companies have significant opportunity to focus on training and improving their welding qualifications and certifications.

Meanwhile, he argues that the skills of the local workforce are insufficient to meet the demands of industry, which means skills need to be imported. As a result, the skills shortage and low productivity levels are hampering the industry.

“This is exacerbated by the view that South Africa is trying to compete within its own industry. As a result, the industry is losing more opportunities abroad. Therefore, South Africa needs to compete globally to thrive,” Blake concludes.