Explosion protection specialist the R. Stahl Group was founded in 1876 by Rafael Stahl in Stuttgart, Germany. From 1921 onwards, the company moved into the field of explosion protection for electrical equipment and grew immensely to become a leading supplier of over 4700 Ex products with seven manufacturing facilities worldwide including Germany, India and the USA. R. Stahl provides solutions, products, systems and services for industries that require explosion-proof technology to prevent ignitions wherever there are explosive gas-air mixtures or dust. The company serves the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical and shipping sectors through subsidiaries in 24 locations and agencies in 60 countries around the world. In 2016 R. Stahl invested in long standing South African sales partner Esaco, acquiring a 35% interest, with its main directive in this investment being to intensify market share within Africa, particularly in automation.
The vision Ex 4.0
In numerous industries it is a fact that gases, vapours, and combustible dusts escape during the production, processing, transportation and storage of flammable substances. Therefore, the requirement for products that can function optimally in these hazardous environments is increasing rapidly. The need to improve safety through connectivity is a principle of R. Stahl encompassed in its vision Ex 4.0, which focuses on the integration of products and solutions. The ultimate goal is to create a completely integrated portfolio of devices, networks and protocols that guarantee the highest level of protection, efficiency and control through cutting-edge products that provide both interface and system level solutions. State-of-the-art Ethernet networks, integration of diagnostics data in plant asset management systems and wireless communication solutions are all effectively combined with explosion protected system solutions. Thanks to the extensive product range and numerous years of experience, the offering of customer specific solutions by R. Stahl, whether it be innovative fieldbus installations, pressurised containers or the integration of modern operating systems, is industry leading.
Industry-specific solutions
Within the oil and gas sector, using its 25 years of experience in offshore applications, R. Stahl provides solutions to enable cable and weight reductions, reduce engineer effort and limit maintenance costs. Refineries benefit from the wireless, fieldbus and remote I/O products that are being integrated into the world of ‘Digital Oilfields’ during new system installations and modernisations. Within the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, the company provides automation solutions that are the ideal when it comes to modern concepts like remote diagnostics and modular automation, modifiable in the most flexible way, and even in hazardous areas. International ship approvals and long-standing experience ensures that marine applications are perfectly tuned system solutions that are used worldwide, for example on LNG tankers and FPSO vessels.
Johannesburg-based Stahl Esaco also has distributors in Cape Town and Durban. It has been operating in the southern African region for the past 40 years, and has set its sights on aggressively moving into the African markets. Stahl Esaco is a level 2 credited workshop with ISO 9001 certification and can service and repair all types of R. Stahl products.
For more information contact Preshan Moodliar, Stahl Esaco, +27 (0)11 608 3120, [email protected], www.esaco.co.za
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