PacB Group // Generator Manufacturers, Crucial to Gauteng Industries

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Generator Manufacturers, Crucial to Gauteng Industries

It is a stark reality that, without the products and services provided by generator manufacturers, most of the industries in Gauteng, and throughout the rest of South Africa, would simply be unable to function. Until some new form of power emerges to supersede electricity, this is a situation that is unlikely to change any time soon. Most of the electricity we consume is produced centrally and distributed across the nation through a network of power cables. Production and reticulation is handled either by private utility companies or by a parastatal organisation, similar to South Africa’s Escom.

With the exception of a small amount obtained from solar panels and wind farms, the bulk of centralised electricity production, whether in Gauteng or in Guatemala, can be attributed to the diesel generators that are designed and supplied by a local manufacturer. A suitably-sized diesel engine provides motive power in the form of a rotary action. The rotation, in turn, is used to drive the alternator or generator head, which induces an alternating current in a copper coil, mounted within a rotating magnetic field. In this manner, mechanical energy is transformed into electrical energy, and the amount of power produced by a given unit is essentially determined by how fast that magnetic field is rotating.

While well-known international sources, such as Perkins, Cummings, Mitsubishi, and Volvo are responsible for producing the basic components. A local generator manufacturer, in Gauteng for instance, will then use them to design and assemble each individual generator set, to ensure that its on-site performance will meet the specific requirements of the purchaser. While in some locations, such as a remote mining site, an on-site source of electricity may be the only option, so a backup unit or two may be necessary in case of a breakdown. In areas where mains power is available, it may not always be sufficient to handle peak loads. In these situations, an on-site source can supply the additional power needed on those occasions. However, faced with the ever-present risk of a mains outage, most plant managers now choose to carry a genset or two for emergency use.

Although switching between sources, as well as starting and stopping the units are tasks that can be performed manually, a local generator manufacturer in Gauteng will generally advise that a client includes a programmable control panel to assume the responsibility for these tasks.

Automating these essential functions not only serves to eliminate the need for manual intervention, but it is also a sound safety measure. In practice, the inclusion of a control panel ensures that there will be no possibility of a power dip or surge, during the transition from mains to emergency power. Without this form of protection, there is always a risk of damage to equipment or of some transient malfunction that could interrupt a factory’s production and, in turn, lead to financial losses.

When choosing a generator manufacturer, whether in Gauteng or anywhere else, it is important to select one with sound expertise and plenty of experience. Your chosen supplier should not only use top-quality, internationally-acclaimed equipment, but their technical staff should also possess all of the skills required to design, assemble, install, and maintain tailor-made gensets and their customised control panels.

A good way to assist the selection process is to take a look at a company’s track record, and to take note of the sort of clients that have chosen to place their trust in its products and services. With a delivery of ten units to government water services in Johannesburg, a further two units to a vehicle manufacturing plant in Pretoria, and six more to the nation’s largest cold storage complex in Johannesburg, there is little doubt that the PacB Group is a preferred generator manufacturer in Gauteng.