Local expertise fills pressurised equipment niche

South African company Efficient Engineering’s pressurised equipment division offers technical expertise, specialised equipment and delivery of complex solutions to the petrochemical, oil and gas sectors.

According to Efficient Engineering pressurised equipment division business unit manager Gerhard van Zyl the company’s success is based on its imbedded experience, its specialised infrastructure, skilled artisans and its certification and compliance with global standards.

He highlights that the company meets the strict technical requirements of the oil and gas industry and is supported by its fully integrated ISO 9001 quality certification and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management system.

Among the demands on the technical side are that fabrication must be guided by a full engineering package including quality plans, welding procedures, and detailed equipment performance and testing specifications. Van Zyl says customers are also aware that the company has its own certified professional engineer with international accreditation to ECSA standards who signs off on its designs before these progress to a South African National Accreditation System-, or SANAS-, approved inspection authority.

“We have the infrastructure to conduct almost all tasks in-house and can therefore control quality and lead times very closely,” he says. “We also source the materials – which are often specialised to suit specific applications – from trusted local and overseas vendors.”

In the pressurised equipment segment, welding skills and compliance are vital to ensuring quality and safety, he emphasises. Efficient Engineering has internationally qualified welding engineers, recognised by the Southern African Institute of Welding, who conduct the prerequisite in-process welding inspections during  fabrication.

The company has completed a number of major projects, including its locally produced liquid petroleum gas storage ‘bullets’ – said to be the largest to be fabricated in the southern hemisphere – measuring 70 m long and 6 m in diameter, weighing 580 t each.

“The division is also involved in maintenance and replacement of plant and equipment during shutdowns, where our capabilities have created a real niche for us,” says Van Zyl.

Efficient Engineering highlights that its Germiston premises include column and boom welders that can operate up to 6 m high and with a 6 m reach and automatic state-of-the-art orbital tube-to-tube sheet welding equipment, as well as non-destructive hydraulic testing and coating applications in its dedicated, environment-friendly grit blasting and painting facilities.