Fuchs Lubricants South Africa recently introduced customers to its new expanded Isando facility. Manufacturing executive, Thami Mzolo says that it is the most efficient plant built and upgrade he has ever been involved with.
“We contracted out the EPCM project to DRA Global and they did a fantastic job in terms of attention to detail on the design and execution, to the extent that we commissioned the plant a full month ahead of schedule. Since commissioning, we have achieved a 100% right first-time manufacturing result in the new plant.”
Fuchs embarked on the second round of its investment strategy, ‘Creating Capacity’, in mid-2020. “We purchased neighbouring land and as Phase 1 of the project we built a new warehouse and head office in Isando, both completed at the end of 2022. The new warehouse is 4,5 times larger than the old one, significantly reducing congestion and improving storage for raw materials, packaging and finished goods,” says MD, Paul Deppe Deppe. “The aim of the customer day was to showcase our new facilities and increased capacity. As the leading independent lubricants manufacturer, this will unlock significant further opportunities and markets for us,”adds Deppe. “It was not just the actual technology we showcased, but also the level of control, automation and integration with our new SAP ERP system.”
Now that the expanded facility is up and running, Mzolo’s mission is to maintain flexibility while taking advantage of the high efficiencies, and ensure Fuchs’ commitment to its customers of a quick turnaround. “The focus now is to look at further operational efficiencies in our processes to unlock more capacity and enhance our flexibility by removing inefficiency and waste,” says Mzolo.
The aim of the project was to move the high-volume, fast-moving, large-batch products out of the existing plant. State-of-the-art technology has been incorporated into the new tank farm, blending plant and filling lines, while the existing plant remains.
Mzolo highlights key advancements in Fuchs’ new production facility. The new plant has increased available manufacturing capacity by over 40%. “This means that we are geared to capture future business seamlessly and are prepared to grow with our customers.” The new plant consists of three blending vessels, five base oil tanks and two additive vessels, adding an extra 300 000 litres of blending capacity.
In addition to the blending capacity, the plant boasts a massive 1,3 million litres of base oil storage and 120 000 litres of additive storage. The blending process is fully automated, with a control system seamlessly integrated into the SAP ERP system. This ensures precise dosing and consistent processing of materials, maintaining the high-quality standards Fuchs’ customers have come to expect.
Three new state-of-the-art filling lines have also been introduced which significantly increases the capacity of filling of IBCs, drums, pails, and small packs, typically 1-litre and 5-litre pack sizes. Bulk line filling is fully automated using loadcells to ensure the correct quantity is filled every time, and both drums and IBCs can be packed interchangeably. The new 20-litre pail line, also using loadcells for the filling, has a vision system to ensure correct labelling and a cap sensor that ensures good quality product at the end of the line.
The Small Pack Line features ten modular stations, eight of which are fully automated. This line runs both 1-litre and 5-litre products interchangeably, depending on the product configuration. The latest quality assurance technology includes sensors to prevent leaking bottles and a checkweigher to ensure there are no missing packs in the cases.
“On top of these new developments, we are working hard to ensure that the existing plant continues to deliver high-quality products to customers when they need them,” says Mzolo. The lubes filling plant consists of ten filling lines, namely three drum lines, three 20-litre lines, one IBC line and two small pack lines, including the new small pack line.
On the other side of the facility is the grease plant that was commissioned in 2018. It has been instrumental in supplying high-performance grease products to customers across diverse industries. Robust systems and well-trained staff ensure consistent production and quality. Grease plant capacity can be increased by 25% by introducing an additional shift, which demonstrates Fuchs’ ability and readiness to meet future demand.”
The demand for specialty greases is growing significantly, which means that Fuchs’ expanded grease plant is ideally positioned to supply customers with products that meet stringent quality and performance standards. “It is a testament to our commitment to innovation and production excellence that we are able to comfortably meet this increased demand,” says Mzolo. “The overall expansion ensures we continue to lead in the industry, delivering quality and value in an efficient and sustainable way at every level,” he concludes.
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