Early last year Pieter van de Walt, General Manager of LH Marthinusen’s Rotating Machines division, approached Rudolf Jooste, Manager of the steel fabrication facility at John Thompson’s B&E business unit in Isando to request use of the facility’s laser cutting machine for profiling of laminated plates required for refurbishment of electric motors.
He explained that his division’s own laser cutting machine was no longer useable due to wear and tear from long use.
Rudolf was more than willing to provide this service as the laser cutting machine, which is primarily used as part of the process of manufacturing and repairing spares in support of John Thompson’s extensive customer-base of package boiler and industrial watertube boiler users, had sufficient spare capacity to perform the lamination profiling work on a continuous basis.
After conducting a trial run to demonstrate the fabrication facility’s ability to meet the division’s requirements, an agreement between the two parties was reached in mid-2021.
But it didn’t stop there. LH Marthinusen’s Transformer division, which had been outsourcing the profiling of platework for its transformer tanks as well as for manufacture of the tanks, was quick to recognise that the B&E unit’s ISO 3834 welding accredited steel fabrication facility offered a far better option – both in terms of quality and price – than its existing arrangements for this work.
A further deal was therefore soon settled whereby Rudolf’s facility took over the profiling and manufacturing work required by LHM’s Transformer division – again to the satisfaction of both parties, especially since the fabrication facility’s laser cutting machine still had sufficient spare capacity to perform the additional profiling work required.
“These arrangements between LHM and ourselves make very good business sense. It is especially welcome to us at the steel fabrication facility because it helps us to utilise the laser cutting machine to a maximum, therefore making it more financially efficient,” Rudolf commented.
“Any other ACTOM division that needs profiling work done must feel free to approach us and we’ll be happy to assist,” he added.
