howden group
DESCRIPTION
Corporate BrochureTRANSCRIPT
Despite the steel worker strike in South Africa that has come just short of bringing the metal working industry in the country to its knees, Howden Africa’s foundation is far too deep for them to suffer the same fate as many of their competition in the industry.
WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER
THE FINAL WORD FOR INNOVATION
www.littlegatepublishing.com
HOWDEN GROUP
0027 11 240 4000 WWW.HOWDEN.CO.ZA
Over sixty years later, Howden and its many subsidiaries have set themselves as the final word in innovations within the air and gas handling field. The South African
branch of a worldwide organization with over four thousand employees with branches in a further seventeen countries it’s position is backed with centuries worth of experience and development particularly in power generation, petrochemicals, mining, cement manufacturing and steel making. Their products have been used in a much wider variety of industries than Howden could have possibly imagined.
The company may have been in the country since 1952, but the products have been here for far longer and the move over to the southern tip of Africa was a decision based more on organic growth than adventure. Since as early as 1925 Howden, in its various guises, were supplying main surface faces to mines in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambian mines. And the development and changes have continued since. As recently as 2012, the Howden Global holding company Charter International was acquired by the global manufacturing group Colfax Corporation of the United States.
It is a mark of the synergy between the two companies and a credit to their mutually beneficial approach to business that the customers did not sense any change in service but rather an enhancement of service offerings. Colfax’s existing experience and products within the fluid handling sector helped both companies focus on a range of market-leading products that raised the profile and value of the business.
HOWDEN GROUP
Established in 1952 with the aim of supplying fans for the mining and power generation industries they still maintain the same core values that their founder, Scotsman James Howden based his company upon setting himself as an innovative inventor and creating a forced draught system that dramatically improved the performance of steam boilers over five decades earlier.
In AfricaThe operations in Africa include a range of industry leading
companies like Howden Power, Howden Fan Equipment, Howden Projects and Donkin Fans. Supported by two devoted high-level manufacturing centres both located in South Africa, these business units are set apart in the industry by their use of innovative technologies. Mining ventilation and mine cooling were first conceptualized by Howden itself and it’s such innovations that continue to set them apart.
Their Johannesburg operation handles a range of large scale engineered plant and products, including the design and fabrication of turnkey projects. Fans, heat exchangers, furnaces and cooling systems, gas cleaning solutions and dust scrubbers are all manufactured here and sent out to the necessary depots to send out to the clients.
At the Port Elizabeth centre the design and manufacture of the comprehensive range of Donkin pre-engineered fans and accessories takes place which thus enables Howden to offer customers the benefits of a personalized service and the advantage of an international network of world-class technologies and engineering
HOWDEN GROUP
skill. A customer is not just the customer of one branch of Howden, but rather becomes a client of the whole company as a whole.
Some Of Their ClientsBeing the first port of call for so many industries, Howden Power
has supplied equipment to a number of international customers well known in their own industries. Working for Eskom they supplied Forced Draught, Induced Draught and Primary Air fans to be installed into the fossil fired fleet of thirteen power stations and have done since the 1960s.
Diversity is definitely one of Howden’s hooks and the company is known as Africa’s leading supplier of boiler fan and pre-heater technology into the petrochemical, paper and sugar industries to name a few.
While not something that will ever be complained about, keeping up with the demands of so many companies, in such a variety of industries is something that has required action. Maintaining a comprehensive inventory of parts and recording, in detail, every major installation they undertake, has put them in the position of being able to surreptitiously undertake and complete all projects presented to them.
Deep ChallengesOne of the ways to make a name for yourself is to do what others
can’t and Howden has built a reputation on finding and providing solutions to some of the most challenging and demanding situations that the African deep mines can offer. Often tackling problems thousands of metres underground and pushing their own equipment to the limit, their development has been intrinsically tied to take on projects that would prove challenging.
Focusing on finding a solution, even if this entails developing a new product from scratch Howden have manufactured such things as underground boosters and surface ventilation units that have introduced Howden products into other facets of the mining industries such as dust scrubbing and temperature control, designing and manufacturing a range of process compressors to cool deep-level gold mines.
As South Africa mines get deeper, conventional air cooling methods are proving inadequate and expensive. At a kilometre and a half underground the rock surface can reach 57 Degrees and hard ice plants, which Howden provide an economical method of cooling.
Diversification Is KeyIn 1988, the acquisition of Donkin Manufacturing strengthened
Howden’s position with medium and smaller fans, that could shift on average 13,000 cubic metres per hour. Having developed an
impressive reputation, Donkin offered a modern, state of the art manufacturing facility with full performance and noise level testing capabilities in Port Elizabeth, and sales offices in three main cities in South Africa Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Demonstrating the diversity of their offering, Donkin Fans supplied a variety of fan types for installation in the soccer stadiums constructed for the 2010 World Cup, such as the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth as well as projects in Dubai and other international territories.
From this collaboration emerged Howden Projects, which immediately provided cost effective turnkey solutions to a variety of industries ranging from mining, manufacturing and power generation. Basically, wherever air cleaning is a problem, a system can be designed to keep particulate levels within statutory standards.
Able to design and supply single units, that are able to integrate with and improve a customer’s existing plant, or become totally involved with the development of new projects from feasibility studies and consultancy right through to a full design Howden has once again placed itself beyond the reach of its competition. This was easily illustrated with their work at Eskom’s Majuba power station in Mpumalanga which boasts the world’s largest fabric filter plant that was designed, manufactured and installed by none other than Howden Gas Cleaning.
EmployeesKnown as one of the best places to work and acquire engineering
experience and skills, Howden Africa relies on being part of the global family to influence the development of their employees. The skills developed in one location can be applied in another and this has formed an essential part of keeping Howden at the forefront of technology, a position that is reliant on the ongoing focus of their employees.
Howden Academy, a movement to directly enhance the employee training was set up in 2008, a residential training course where engineers from all Howden business units are brought together for an introduction to the technologies and business practices it employs this is a perfect opportunity to set the grounding for a future in the company.
It also has the added benefit of enhancing friendships, team work and a spirit of collaboration and sharing. An adherence to Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment is something that has exemplified the company in South Africa, a country which is striving constantly towards economic equilibrium of the races.
HOWDEN GROUP
ROLLFAB (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 38025 Booysens 2016
Stand 46 Rosherville
Industrial Park Roshland Road
Rosherville
Please receive in good order and condition the following:
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Reg. No. 2005/010882/07
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Website: www.rollfab.co.za
DELIVERY NOTE
DELIVERY NOTE NO.
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4070210739
ROLLFAB (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 38025 Booysens 2016
Stand 46 Rosherville
Industrial Park Roshland Road
Rosherville
Please receive in good order and condition the following:
Received by:
Signature in full
Date:
Jade Printers 011 392 5589
Date
Order No.
Our Ref. No.
VAT No.
Name
Address
Telephone
Reg. No. 2005/010882/07
Customer
Tel: (011) 626-1914/15
Fax: (011) 626-1916
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.rollfab.co.za
DELIVERY NOTE
DELIVERY NOTE NO.
Quantity Price/EachDescription
4070210739
Visit us online: www.rollfab.co.zaTel: +27 11 626 1914 • Fax: +27 11 252 5425 • Email: [email protected]
Established in 1993, Rollfab is a medium to heavy engineering fabrication facility located in Rosherville, Gauteng, South Africa.
Rollfab fabricates a large variety of equipment for the coal, gold, platinum, diamond, steel, gas and cement industries for both the local and export markets.
Rollfab boasts one of the best equipped facilities in our industry – Including bending up to 7m long & Rolling up to 100mm thick.
Service CentreSpecialist Plate Fabricators &
ROLLFAB (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 38025 Booysens 2016
Stand 46 Rosherville
Industrial Park Roshland Road
Rosherville
Please receive in good order and condition the following:
Received by:
Signature in full
Date:
Jade Printers 011 392 5589
Date
Order No.
Our Ref. No.
VAT No.
Name
Address
Telephone
Reg. No. 2005/010882/07
Customer
Tel: (011) 626-1914/15
Fax: (011) 626-1916
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.rollfab.co.za
DELIVERY NOTE
DELIVERY NOTE NO.
Quantity Price/EachDescription
4070210739
ROLLFAB (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 38025 Booysens 2016
Stand 46 Rosherville
Industrial Park Roshland Road
Rosherville
Please receive in good order and condition the following:
Received by:
Signature in full
Date:
Jade Printers 011 392 5589
Date
Order No.
Our Ref. No.
VAT No.
Name
Address
Telephone
Reg. No. 2005/010882/07
Customer
Tel: (011) 626-1914/15
Fax: (011) 626-1916
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.rollfab.co.za
DELIVERY NOTE
DELIVERY NOTE NO.
Quantity Price/EachDescription
4070210739
Visit us online: www.rollfab.co.zaTel: +27 11 626 1914 • Fax: +27 11 252 5425 • Email: [email protected]
Established in 1993, Rollfab is a medium to heavy engineering fabrication facility located in Rosherville, Gauteng, South Africa.
Rollfab fabricates a large variety of equipment for the coal, gold, platinum, diamond, steel, gas and cement industries for both the local and export markets.
Rollfab boasts one of the best equipped facilities in our industry – Including bending up to 7m long & Rolling up to 100mm thick.
Service CentreSpecialist Plate Fabricators &