LH Marthinusen launches new industrial fan manufacturing and services factory

July 2025 News

LH Marthinusen, a division of the ACTOM Group, proudly opened its new industrial fan manufacturing and services factory in Ekurhuleni on May 29, 2025. This event marks a significant milestone in the growth of South Africa’s energy infrastructure and was attended by representatives from government agencies, Eskom, and various industry partners. The facility, a key investment by ACTOM, is set to expand over the next three years to meet the demands of contracts with Eskom.

LH Marthinusen features over a century of technical excellence and local industry leadership. With a history of pioneering electromechanical repair and manufacturing expertise established since its founding in 1913, this underpins its current expansion, building on a legacy deeply rooted in the country’s industrial progress.

The newly established factory not only manufactures industrial fans and their components, but also offers maintenance services for essential fan systems that support Eskom’s air pre-heater infrastructure. These fans are crucial for Eskom’s power generation facilities, as they play a key role in managing airflow and regulating temperature levels.

David Sullivan, divisional CEO of LH Marthinusen, highlights the strategic significance of this facility: “The launch of this facility underscores our dedication to fulfilling Eskom’s infrastructure needs with local products and innovative solutions. Our fans play a pivotal role in the successful operation of Eskom’s essential air pre-heater systems. This facility not only boosts our manufacturing capabilities, but also fosters employment growth and industrial development in the region.”

While the project aims to create 50 new positions throughout the first three years, the company envisages an additional 120 job openings to meet the infrastructure demands of Eskom and general industries. The production of each industrial fan requires 49 tons of steel, along with two tons of stainless steel. The substantial demand for local steel used in quadrifuge (four-stage) fan stations drives growth in domestic manufacturing and supply chain development.

ACTOM group CEO, Mervyn Naidoo, notes: “Our investment and expansion aligns perfectly with the goals of South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP). This supports industrial development while strengthening local manufacturing operations and establishing employment opportunities. This facility supports both energy security for the nation and the NDP’s mission to drive economic transformation and skills development, and modernise infrastructure. It further helps us construct an enduring economy which serves South Africa’s long-term development purposes.”

For more information contact ACTOM, +27 10 136 0216, [email protected], www.actom.co.za

Further reading:

Palabora Mining Company and LH Marthinusen launch robotics and coding initiative
News
In a joint effort to advance education and digital skills development in Phalaborwa, Palabora Mining Company (PMC) and LH Marthinusen (LHM) have partnered to establish a fully equipped robotics and coding classroom at a local high school.

Read more...

---

A new era for African engineering
News
A group of mostly South African engineering professionals who bought a controlling margin of the South African arm of Netherlands-based engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV have rebranded it as Atana.

Read more...

---

SEW-EURODRIVE builds regional strength with Gqeberha expansion
News
With the Eastern Cape firmly established as a hub for key industries such as automotive manufacturing, ports, agriprocessing and renewable energy, SEW-EURODRIVE is strengthening its presence in the region through an ongoing significant expansion of its facility in Gqeberha.

Read more...

---

Functional safety explained
News
The SAIMC supports Pepperl+Fuchs, a National Member, in a free four-part online seminar series focused on Functional Safety.

Read more...

---

The Future of manufacturing in Africa
News
The future and development of African manufacturing will be discussed extensively at the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba conference, to be hosted on 15 to 16 July 2025 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

Read more...

---

Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...

---

Fostering a collaborative learning environment for sugar producer
SKF South Africa News
One of South Africa’s leading sugar producers made strategic use of its off-crop season, turning scheduled downtime into an opportunity for both essential maintenance and valuable skills development with the help of SKF

Read more...

---

TechAccess and Schneider Electric partnership goes from strength to strength
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric, together with its longstanding partner TechAccess, is poised to take the Southern African market by storm.

Read more...

---

Steinmüller Africa and Eskom uplift eMalahleni communities
News
Steinmüller Africa, in partnership with Eskom, has reaffirmed its commitment to social upliftment by donating essential goods and creating meaningful connections with two impactful community organisations in eMalahleni.

Read more...

---

Comtest calibration user group seminar
News
Comtest invites metrology and calibration professionals to a focused technical seminar series aimed at demystifying some of the most common hurdles in inter-laboratory comparisons.

Read more...

---