Sasol has renegotiated a longstanding contract for the supply of low voltage electric motors with Zest Electric Motors, part of the Zest WEG Group. The contract, first awarded in 1997, has been renewed for a further five years.
“This contract covers Sasol’s South African sites in Sasolburg and Secunda, as well as Sasol Mining and includes products developed to meet the specific needs of its different environments, including flameproof motors for underground mining,” says Zest WEG Group’s sales and marketing director, Gary Daines.
Daines comments that at the time the original contract was awarded, Sasol was looking for a company that could offer strong support from a local base and that could meet strict technical support, accessibility of stock and training requirements.
The Zest WEG Group Trichardt Branch with branch manager, Robbie Kuhn, in the centre.
To support this contract, Zest Electric Motors established a dedicated branch in Trichardt and this branch has subsequently grown substantially in both stockholding and manpower. Under the company’s banner, it has also become an ISO 9001 accredited facility.
“In 1997 Sasol was the first in the industry to embrace the concept of high efficiency motors at a time when the campaign to conserve energy had not yet taken hold,” explains Danes. “With the more recent introduction of the new IE3 specifications that define minimum efficiency levels, Sasol took the initiative to standardise on the high efficiency levels now available in the market.”
“Since 1997 we’ve forged an excellent relationship with Sasol and the new contract demonstrates the spirit of the affiliation and the value that we’ve added. We’ve carried out an extensive list of value-add projects, undertaken together with Sasol personnel, in which we’ve gone into the plant and come up with cost effective solutions to specific issues. We regularly participate in Sasol’s meetings and several unique technical solutions have emerged from this engagement. Since this is a petrochemical application for LV motors, the certification of our products for hazardous areas is one that meets international standards.”
The company’s extensive stockholding in Trichardt has reduced demand on Sasol’s own stores, a simple online order procedure results in a delivery to the Sasol plant in less than an hour.
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