Reid & Mitchell’s (R&M) Traction history goes back many years. The business was formerly owned by General Electric (GE) and supported GE products in SA. Around 50% of the older Transnet Diesel-Electric (DE) locomotives were made by GE, with the balance from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), all fitted with direct-current (DC) traction technology.
R&M had a licence agreement with GE for many years related to Traction, and directly repaired motors, generators, and alternators for customers, such as the (then) Spoornet, to GE standards.
The business was one of the Spoornet Centres of Excellence (CoE) for Traction rotatables, supporting the depots with the overhauls and heavy repairs of equipment, particularly 761 traction motors, 581 Generators, GTA11 and AR10/D14 Alternators, etc., as well as auxiliary equipment such as Auxiliary generators and cooling blowers.
Even though R&M had no technology link with EMD, as the CoE, the business also repaired EMD products, which internally were considered Other Original Equipment Manufacturer (OOEM), with great success.
The R&M ties with GE have proven resilient over the years. When GE (now Wabtec) won orders for new AC Diesel Electric locos fleets, they approached R&M concerning the new AC traction motors as part of the locomotive localisation strategy. Although ultimately unsuccessful in the bid to build new motors, R&M’s sweet spot in after-market repairs proved to be a winner, and they developed processes along with Wabtec to repair the new GEB24 AC Tractions motors and GGB type Alternators.
The development included investment in specialised equipment, and R&M currently perform repairs for Wabtec on all the new AC loco electrical rotating equipment.
In the past 5 years R&M’s traction activities with the major railway operators reduced with the downturn in local freight operations, and other railway operators such as Botswana Railways, also experiencing challenges.
In contrast to the decline in SoE work, the development of private traction companies, such as Traxtion (Sheltam) and Grindrod, has been very encouraging over the last few years. These companies have fleets operating in various countries and locations outside the local parastatal railway operations. The growth in this area is certain to expand once the third-party Access to Transnet infrastructure takes off to unlock the great potential of the South African rail network.
In addition, R&M has recently been pleased to see the return of some Transnet business, led by their Commutator manufacturing department, one of the last such facilities still standing in the local market after years of manufacturing decline, and are helping Transnet re-build some of their older, but maintainable, DC electric loco fleets, with the business standing ready to provide more assistance as needed as the fleets return to service.
Mike Shaw, Divisional CEO of Reid & Mitchell, said: “We see a very positive future for Traction, so much so that we are creating a new Traction Centre of Excellence at our Cason Road facility, with aspirations to deliver world-class overhauls and repairs in a dedicated facility based on our fundamentals of Safety and Quality. Customer satisfaction will be improved by greater efficiencies and quicker deliveries. Our R&M skilled resources are up to the challenge!”