System Integration & Control Systems Design


Afrilek offers continual functional and technical support

March 2017 System Integration & Control Systems Design

Founded in 2005 by managing director Grant Douglas, Afrilek provides complete automation and electrical solutions, as well as service and support for its clients’ production facilities. The company, headquartered in Germiston, is involved in every stage of the project lifestyle from implementation to completion, offering continual functional and technical support.

With a branch in Amanzimtoti and satellite offices in Windhoek, Maputo and the DRC, the company currently employs 45 people, of which 20 are engineers and technicians.

“Our business philosophy is to produce products and services of the best quality that are cost-effective, whilst concurrently building healthy long-term relationships with our customers, suppliers and staff,” says Douglas.

According to Douglas, Afrilek differentiates itself from others in the market by following due process (asking what, where, when, why and how) to create clarity. This results in an environment that maintains, builds and leverages strategic relationships with associates, customers and suppliers. In addition, the company employs a dynamic approach to the way in which it executes business. One of the most distinctive parts of the business is the accessible 24-hour support for breakdowns and other urgent site support.

Afrilek is a BEE Level 3 company and boasts ISO 9001:2008 certification, CIDB 6EP PE affiliation, Schneider Alliance Partner Certification, Siemens PCS7 Partner Certification, and Wonderware System Integrator status.

The company offers LV/MV electrical and automation design, engineering, procurement, management, installation, commissioning, manufacturing, training and support of hardware and software from the Siemens, ABB, Schneider, Wonderware and Phoenix Contact ranges, as well as for Siemens Sivacon panels, GE Bently Nevada (sole agent in the sub-Saharan region) and Delcon ranges (sole agent in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region).

Projects are undertaken in South Africa and the whole sub-Saharan region, as well as internationally. With the advantage of having branches and satellite offices in some of these regions, Afrilek has completed a fair number of projects for the water and wastewater, power, OEMs, mining and minerals, food and beverage, steel, petrochemicals, and oil and gas industries in a number of countries that include the DRC, Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Notable recent projects include Van Eck power station in Namibia, Ruacana Unit 4 in Namibia, Rand Refinery BBOC, Binfield Water Treatment Plant, and Etiole Copper Cobalt Mine (design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning).

To ensure that clients are completely familiarised with the systems deployed in the facilities, Afrilek hosts six to eight free workshops annually that focus on product knowledge. Affordable training (on or offsite) is also offered on customised maintenance, programmable controllers (from basic to advanced), HMI, scada, DCS, VSDs, LV switchgear, instrumentation and networks.

The company’s employees are sent to suppliers for training and they are also afforded opportunities to attend shows, exhibitions, conferences and seminars offered within the general industry.

“We have an internal behaviour known as ‘replace yourself’, explains Douglas. “This cuts to the core of empowering those around you and ‘emptying your cup’, which means that you have to share your knowledge and experience with your peers. This results in the empowerment of others to replace our roles and responsibilities whilst we all move forward within the organisation.”

The plan is to extend the current MV electrical design offering to MV panel manufacturing and services. “In addition, we intend to improve on the current portfolio of services that we offer to our clients,” concludes Douglas. He also emphasises that the maintenance service is one of the company’s core elements, with a team of engineers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year to support its clients.

For more information contact Grant Douglas, Afrilek, +27 (0)11 372 9340, sales@afrilek.com, www.afrilek.com



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