Nurturing trust, fostering innovation and creating growth.
“The foundry industry is crucial for driving economic growth, fostering employment opportunities, addressing poverty, and enhancing social unity. It serves a wide array of sectors where innovation and precision are key. We each have a role to play in sustaining this longstanding sector,” said Jacques Swanepoel, National Sales Manager at DZanetech.
“As a foundry supplier, DZanetech aims to deliver unwavering quality and reliability, coupled with a profound comprehension of our customers’ distinct needs. Agility and adaptability are pivotal factors driving our success, enabling us to continually push boundaries, address fluctuating demands, stringent quality standards and technological advancements to thrive in a dynamic and sometimes volatile business landscape. It is for this reason that we signed a strategic supply and distribution agreement with Hüttenes-Albertus in December 2021. Whether it’s streamlining and optimising processes, enhancing product quality, the strategic alliance with a technology partner cannot be overstated,” continued Swanepoel.
Shared vision of excellence
“Our symbiotic relationship is more than just collaboration. It embodies a shared vision of excellence, continuous improvement, and sustainable growth. This is how we do it.”
“Product Design: Engineer and develop each foundry solution and product through research, ideation, design, testing and iteration, delivering ground-breaking results that meet business objectives, and solve specific problems.”
DZanetech signed a strategic supply and distribution agreement with Hüttenes-Albertus in December 2021
“Manufacturing Processes: DZanetech and Hüttenes-Albertus leverage state-of-the-art equipment to promptly adapt to changes in demand. Our commitment to eco-friendly practices enhances efficiency, agility, ensuring a customer-centric approach that benefits both our business and our customers.”
“Quality Assurance: Precision in quality assurance involves rigorous testing of sourcing sustainable raw materials and inspection procedures. As ISO 9001-accredited organisations, we prioritise quality management and are committed to ongoing improvement of our Quality Management System.”
“Problem-Solving: Effective application of techniques in the foundry industry requires skilled personnel who understand its intricacies. Through collaboration, we implement principles to streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance efficiency. To identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, we utilise time studies, work sampling, and process flow analysis, optimising our customers’ production processes.”
“Customer Experience: We delight our customers by understanding their needs, fostering positive interactions, build trust and continuously improving our services. We achieve this by resolving issues promptly, focusing on quality, customer feedback, leveraging technology and innovation. Our customers can utilise buffer inventory and take advantage of our financial vehicles, such as credit facilities, consignment stock, flexible deliveries, amortisation options, and personalised solutions.”
“Our symbiotic relationship is more than just collaboration. It embodies a shared vision of excellence, continuous improvement, and sustainable growth. This is how we do it.”
“By aligning our vision, leveraging digital methods, and tapping into the expertise of our global team of foundry chemistry specialists, we provide the foundries in the sub-Saharan region with a comprehensive product range for all stages of their casting processes.”
Serving the Sub-Saharan region
“While the foundry business landscape in Africa varies across regions due to different conditions and prerequisites, there are significant opportunities for expansion. With our supply and distribution agreement with DZanetech, we are confident that our combined expertise, coupled with cutting-edge solutions and support, will drive innovation in the foundry industry. We aspire to be the world’s most innovative leader in foundry chemistry and fully recognise the importance of innovation and collaboration as key factors for maintaining a competitive advantage,” said Global Product Manager Peter Groening from the Hüttenes-Albertus Group.
Farah Swanepoel, director at DZanetech, is of the opinion that the supply and distribution agreement has already opened doors, having access to:
“Technical support for research and development (R&D) providing specialised assistance, expertise, support for the innovation and formulation of new products, technologies and processes.”
“Consultation services to technical teams, offering insights, advice, and guidance on technical challenges, feasibility assessments, experimental design, and implementation strategies to ensure that our products maintain high quality standards and adhere to global industry standards.”
“Testing and analysis to evaluate the performance, reliability, and safety of new technologies when conducting trials, collecting data, performing statistical analysis, and interpreting results to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.”
“Foundries that fail to invest in new technologies, such as automation, advanced materials, and efficient production processes, often struggle to remain competitive and may ultimately be forced to close doors.”
“Regulatory compliance ensuring compliance with applicable standards, preparing documentation for regulatory submissions, and addressing compliance issues.”
“Training and skills development using new technologies, offering customers chemical handling, safety and application training by our experienced and accredited application technologists.”
Unlocking benefits: Advancing operational excellence and competitive advantage
“Our combined expertise and experience have enabled us to implement various systems. Here are a few examples of those that have already been tried and tested in the South African market.”
“Alkaline phenolic system – a high potassium system for increased mould strengths, lower moisture absorption and reduce costs.”
“Hybrid resin system (Acid) – nitrogen free suitable for the manufacture of moulds and cores for high alloyed steel castings. Total binder content can be lowered increasing operational efficiency coupled with good strengths. A more robust resin which can handle variations of reclaimed sand. Furthermore, this resin technology enables the use of sulphur-reduced activators, with further advantages in the foundries.”
“Kaltkleber system – suitable for gluing polystyrene foam parts in the lost foam process. Ability to reduce drying time and gas evolution in the casting process.”
“Die coatings – are used for gravity and low-pressure casting. Their properties can range from highly insulating to highly thermally conductive to optimise solidification. This allows structured to smooth casting surfaces to be achieved.”
“Our combined expertise and experience have enabled us to implement various systems.”
“Polyurethane-no-bake (PUNB) system – a reactive solution designed for short and medium production runs. It features an environmentally-friendly, low-binder formulation that ensures short curing times, exceptional sand flow, smooth and firm mouldings, effective separation from core boxes, minimal odour, and freedom from sulphur and phosphorous. Additionally, it presents a low tendency for hot tearing defects.”
“Resole-CO2 system – A single component binder used in the production of core sand. Suitable for most existing core shooting machines and core boxes. Also applied in steel, grey and aluminium castings. The process does not require a scrubber as the cores are hardened with CO2. The resin does not contain any nitrogen, sulphur or phosphorus. Additionally, it does not produce glossy carbon, has no fining tendency and exhibits low BTX emissions and minimal odour.”
“Polyurethane – cold-box (PUCB) A phenolic urethane system providing good tensile strength, low resin wipe-off and good thermal resistance. Designed to improve core making for automotive castings, grey iron, ductile iron, steel and non-ferrous heavy metal castings.”
“By leveraging the expertise, resources, and synergies we can unlock a plethora of benefits for our customers propelling them towards operational excellence and a competitive advantage,” added Swanepoel.
Adapting to technological advancements
“In the face of unparalleled challenges and opportunities, business must find a way to adapt and navigate to remain competitive. Foundries producing metal castings have faced significant challenges due to a lack of technological advancement. Here are some global examples where foundries had to close their doors because they failed to keep up with technological innovations.”
“The lack of automation and advanced manufacturing techniques.”
“Adopting new technologies and modernising its equipment to produce more complex and higher-quality castings efficiently.”
“High operational costs and outdated production methods led to inefficiencies and financial losses, ultimately resulting in its closure.”
“Foundries that fail to invest in new technologies, such as automation, advanced materials, and efficient production processes, often struggle to remain competitive and may ultimately be forced to close doors.”
Looking ahead: Future foundry technology
“Africa, with its diverse landscapes, rich resources, and flourishing markets, boasts a wealth of untapped opportunities seeking to expand their footprint on the continent. We bring invaluable market insight and local expertise to the table, enabling foundries to navigate the complexities of doing business in Africa with confidence. From understanding consumer preferences and market dynamics to navigating regulatory frameworks and cultural sensitivities, the partnership with DZanetech facilitates a deeper understanding of the local context, laying the groundwork for strategic decision-making, market penetration, being competitive to drive innovation forward.”
“In the face of unparalleled challenges and opportunities, business must find a way to adapt and navigate to remain competitive. Foundries producing metal castings, have faced significant challenges due to a lack of technological advancement. Foundries have had to close their doors because they failed to keep up with technological innovations.”
“Technology and innovation are reshaping business practices. Recent advancements in 3D printing technology now allow the creation of intricate forms with complex undercuts in a single piece. By leveraging precise CAD data, fully automatic 3D printers construct moulds without the need for traditional tooling. This eliminates the time-consuming step of model setup, resulting in lead time reductions from four weeks to just one day. The benefits of this innovative solution-driven technology include time savings (no model setup required), the ability to print moulds with intricate undercuts as a single piece, exceptional accuracy, mould integrity, outstanding surface quality, and high heat resistance.”
“Through collaborative research and development initiatives, tailored solutions, and a proactive approach to problem-solving, a technology partner empowers foundries to push the boundaries of what’s possible. By harnessing the latest advancements in materials science, automation, and digitalisation, foundries can unlock new frontiers of efficiency, sustainability and profitability,” said Swanepoel.
Environment sustainability
“Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Sustainability should not be an afterthought; it should be at the at the core of everything we do. By aligning our ethos with sustainable principles, we’re not only driving positive impacts today but also shaping a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.”
“In conclusion, the foundry industry stands as a cornerstone of economic development, job creation, and social cohesion across diverse sectors. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of the modern business landscape, it becomes increasingly evident that collaboration and innovation are key drivers of success. Our strategic alliance is exemplified by initiatives and products that highlight transformative potential of combining industry expertise with cutting-edge technology. Together, we can push the boundaries of what’s possible, drive sustainable growth, and ensure the continued vitality of the foundry industry for generations to come.”
For further details contact DZanetech on 079 514 6885 (Jacques Swanepoel), Cape Town 083 454 5465 (Johan Jooste), 083 274 1657 (Koketso Mamogale) or 066 010 0999 (Zaid Syed) or visit www.dzanetech.co.za. For additional information about Hüttenes-Albertus visit www.ha-group.com.
