Company Profile: Philco Systems

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Philco Systems started its journey in 1992 as Philco Computing and Automation CC, the brainchild of Robert Phillips who started operations from the garage of his home. By 1997, the CC grew into Philco Systems (Pty) Ltd, with the objective of catering to the processing and automation needs of the mining, metals and mineral processing industries in the Richards Bay area of KwaZulu-Natal.

Today, the company has 72 permanent employees and 33 contracted employees, including a host of engineers, technicians and specialists in the various fields that comprise a comprehensive system integrator (SI) offering. This array of talent serves to fulfil Philco’s primary objective of providing turnkey automation solutions to the mining, metals and mineral processing industries. All bases are covered for the purpose of providing clients with the best solutions which are tailored for their individual applications, from conceptual design, detail design and drafting, panel building, software engineering and field installation, all the way to commissioning and handover. The company has 10 construction teams in total, enabling it to implement medium-sized projects.

Philco has been associated with Rockwell Automation through its various SI programmes since 1998 and is a Silver-level Rockwell certified SI (RcSI) to this day. This close working relationship has helped Philco flourish, garnering five Rockwell awards over the years – including, most recently, Systems Integrator of the Year in 2019 – in addition to a Certificate of Excellent Performance from South32 and an Occupational Health and Safety Africa Award along the way.

The company also has vast experience in integrating such platforms and products as Wonderware Intouch and GE Fanuc Cimplicity on the scada side and ABB and Siemens variable-speed drives (VSD). Philco also has an ongoing relationship with ABB SA and ABB Switzerland to provide clients with expertise on rectifiers for aluminium smelters and has integrated ABB robotics into some of its solutions. Furthermore, it is in the process of enrolling in the Siemens system integrator programme and currently provides integration and support for some Siemens products.

To ensure that its employees and clients are up to speed with the technologies used in its projects, training plays a key role in Philco Systems’ approach to providing turnkey solutions. In addition to providing training to its clients on its complete integrated solutions and not just individual products, the company makes a firm commitment to employee training. This comprises various initiatives, such as semi-skilled and skilled construction labour in the E&I; field; identifying, guiding and facilitating potential artisan candidates in obtaining their trade certification; in-house training and mentoring of technician and engineering employees in PCS design and PLC software design principles; as well as guidance and mentoring of project leads in managing the commercial and technical requirements of a project.

Philco Systems’ abiding business philosophy is centred around building long-lasting relationships with its clients. The cornerstones for putting this into practice are:

• Uncompromised integrity and honesty.

• Investing in the company’s greatest assets – its employees.

• Using tried and tested engineering principles to put a solution on the table that the team can be proud of.

• Providing support to clients thereafter.

Philco’s vision for its future is to further build and improve upon the reputation it has earned in the automation industry over the last 30 years. It also plans on expanding the range of products it integrates in its solutions, the variety of industries it services and the range of solutions it can provide – and in doing so, diversify Philco’s client base.

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Company Profile: Philco Systems

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