There are many stories of successful engineering companies emerging where the original owner established his business moonlighting as a result of the desire to increase his earnings with a second income, while still being employed full time. With an ethic of hard work and the aspiration to be successful, the need to expand shop floor space to cater for an increase in capital equipment inventory needed for new orders and the advent of adding staff, would soon surface and the anticipated expansion could no longer be accommodated in the garage attached to the owner’s home where the business was established.
But there are not many examples where a business has been started whilst not having the security of an income while still being employed. The desire to be successful is no less and through circumstance the need to succeed becomes somewhat more pressing.
“Our company can produce a full range of non-ferrous castings in both copper and aluminium base alloys, which includes the standard range of materials as defined in the BS1400 spec. These include PB1, PB2, aluminium bronze, HTB’s, aluminium alloys, copper alloys including brass, gunmetal, lead alloys including antimonial lead, white metal and virgin lead ingots, speciality metals, tungsten copper, zinc, beryllium copper and chrome zirconium.”
At the tender age of 25 Paul Britz found himself in a sink or swim position having already been part of the foundry industry for eight years. During this time Paul worked in the family foundry business learning all aspects of sand casting, mainly casting non-ferrous metals. This experience stood him in good stead and was a precursor to him opening up his own foundry in Vereeniging, Gauteng.
“It is never easy in the beginning especially if you reflect on the pressure that you are operating under because very few companies are willing to give a ‘rookie’ an opportunity. But through experience and long hours you eventually emerge, evolve and more importantly, you gain the trust of your clients because of the quality of work you are producing and supplying. But it does not end there as we all know. You have to constantly face up to the challenges thrown at you and learn how to overcome those obstacles of running a business when they are not amongst your skillset.”
“In those early days there was one decision I did make that ultimately allowed me to still be in business 12 years later and expand the business on all fronts.”
Foundry Solutions have invested in a new two ton furnace, which allows the foundry to cast up to 3 tons per casting
“I decided that I should concentrate on casting non-ferrous metals and as few variations of castings as possible. This decision led to me focusing the production on manufacturing bushes and liners for the wear parts and spares sections of industry.”
“We kept it simple as well because at that stage of my life I did not have the capital to even contemplate purchasing new equipment but managed to get enough money together to buy two 300 kilogramme second-hand furnaces, a couple of second-hand conventional lathes and a bandsaw.”
“Generally speaking, you can’t start casting metal in your garage unlike if your business just involves machining and you have a three-phase power source in your garage. To cast metal in your garage safely and effectively you would have to comply with a number of regulations and also have the blessing of your neighbours.”
Foundry Solutions is up to 25 tons per month
“I started Foundry Solutions in 2014 in a relatively small factory in Vereeniging, Gauteng but with an ambition to grow into my own factory. This happened quite quickly. In 2016 we moved to a factory that we had constructed on the smallholding in the Meyerton, Gauteng area where I lived. The factory was not much bigger than a double garage size, which suited our needs at the time.”
“The next few years was a settling down period and a time to establish ourselves in the market. This we did quite successfully, always with us concentrating on quality, delivery and service.”
“Tons per month, clients and staff requirements grew and it led to us building another factory space on the smallholding – but much bigger – 1 000m². We took occupation in 2024 and already we are starting to look at extending the area under roof. This is one of the benefits of working on a smallholding – you have the space to expand.”
“In between we have also invested in a new two ton furnace, which allows us to cast up to 3 tons per casting if you combine the pour with our existing furnaces.”
Foundry Solutions’ target market are the gold, platinum, and coal mining industries, as well as material suppliers and engineering companies but it is not limited to these
“Our monthly figure is now up to 25 tons but it is a challenge to keep up this figure currently because of the scarcity of material. We are ordering daily just to keep up with demand.”
“Our company can produce a full range of non-ferrous castings in both copper and aluminium base alloys, which includes the standard range of materials as defined in the BS1400 spec. These include PB1, PB2, aluminium bronze, HTB’s, aluminium alloys, copper alloys including brass, gunmetal, lead alloys including antimonial lead, white metal and virgin lead ingots, speciality metals, tungsten copper, zinc, beryllium copper and chrome zirconium.”
“Our target market are the gold, platinum, and coal mining industries, as well as material suppliers and engineering companies but it is not limited to these.”
“An interesting new client that we have just acquired an order for is the SA Navy where we will be casting some bronze shafts for them.”
Copper hammers: Jack Hammer
“Another important development in the company is the launch of our own range of copper hammers for the mining industry or any application where spark-resistant copper hammers are required.”
“We have been developing the Jack Hammer, as we call it, with a client that supplies the mining industry over the last eight years. We have now perfected the mechanism of where it is very improbable that the hammer shaft will disengage from the copper hammer head.”
The company also offers a pre-machining service
“Copper is a soft, non-ferrous metal that will not cause possible fatal sparks when the strike on the medium takes place unlike steel-on-steel. The soft copper head absorbs the impact and therefore does not create a spark, which is highly important when used in hazardous, combustible environments such as underground mining or other gas-rich areas.”
“There are other advantages for the Jack Hammer such as reduced vibration and noise pollution, it prevents damage to machinery components and they reduce operator fatigue. They are also tough enough to break the medium into smaller, more transportable sizes.”
“We can supply up to 1 000 of these hammers a month in three different variations between 1.4 and 6.3 kilograms in weights of the hammer. I don’t know what happens to these hammers on the mines but it is a highly consumable component if you look at the numbers.”
“We’ve got an upcoming order for 200 small ones.”
Spin casting
“As you saw today four spin casting machines have been delivered to us. We have always done spin casting but on a small scale. Because of the void in this area of casting we have decided to up our game.”
“Primarily used in the petrochemical industry, spun cast tubing is designed and manufactured to withstand the enormous pressure and exceedingly high temperatures that come with the chemical processes associated with this industry.”
“We have been developing the Jack Hammer, as we call it, with a client that supplies the mining industry over the last eight years. We have now perfected the mechanism of where it is very improbable that the hammer shaft will disengage from the copper hammer head.”
“The two major benefits of casting tubes this way is that they are virtually creep free because the centrifugal force literally ‘squeezes’ molten metal into shrinkage voids as they are formed, resulting in castings that are very dense, especially when compared to static castings.”
“The second major benefit is that there is a secondary refining process. When the centrifugal force spins the more dense material – the metal – to the outside diameter of the molten casting, the less dense material – the non-metallics – spin preferentially to the centre of the tube. These non-metallics can then be easily removed in subsequent machining operations, leaving a very clean, very dense end product.”
“We are able to offer from 100mm OD to 500mm OD x 600mm long with the four spin casters.”
For further details contact Paul Britz of Foundry Solutions on TEL: 084 724 3333 or visit https://main.foundry-solutions.co.za
