After demonstrating within a short time its ability to achieve a high standard of workmanship in maintenance and repair, ACTOM Turbo Machines was promoted by Baker Hughes to the status of service provider in Sub-Saharan Africa for the wide range of industrial equipment it has supplied into the region over many years.
ACTOM Turbo’s certification as a service provider for the internationally renowned industrial equipment manufacturer and supplier came into effect at the beginning of 2023 after the local repairer, refurbisher and maintainer of turbo-machinery and high-speed rotating equipment had served as “channel partner” in Sub-Saharan Africa for Baker Hughes’ Turbomachinery & Process Solutions (BH TPS) company during the previous five years.
Now as the company’s service provider in the region it is responsible for maintenance and repair of the equipment, whereas previously its role was confined to marketing, selling and supplying it into the market.
“Through winning certification as a service provider we have graduated to the position of being able to realise and demonstrate our full potential in technical knowledge and expertise in service to BH TPS for its diverse range of equipment in the field,” commented Chris Bezuidenhout, ACTOM Turbo’s Divisional CEO.
The installed base of BH TPS equipment in the region includes a wide range of oil & gas equipment, steam turbines, compressors, pumps and industrial gearboxes.
In the 18 months since its certification the division has already shown itself to be worthy of its elevated level of responsibility in its current designation as service provider to BH TPS.
However, in June 2022, well before receiving its accreditation, ACTOM Turbo Machines was assigned a special project that is normally classified as being part of the responsibility of a certified service provider in terms of BH TPS’ rules applicable to such work, rather than that of a channel partner, as the division was still designated at that stage.
It consisted of the swop-out of an emergency stop-valve (ESV) for the 50MW turbine at the Khi Solar One concentrated solar generation plant in Upington, Northern Cape.
“It was a crucial project towards the next phase. We achieved it in a very short time and in accordance with OEM specifications,” said Jurie Erasmus, ACTOM Turbo’s Projects & Business Development Manager.
Then in February this year the division was contracted to perform its first project as a fully accredited service provider, the overhaul of a reciprocating compressor at plastic products manufacturer Safripol’s plant in Sasolburg – again being required to meet an extremely tight deadline of only 14 days, which it achieved well in time.
In May this year, Khi Solar One, heading for its regular June shutdown, authorised for ACTOM Turbo to take responsibility for a major overhaul of its concentrated solar plant at Upington during the shutdown, involving complete disassembling on site of its 50MW steam turbine, replacing the turbine’s rotor and servicing all the turbine auxiliaries.