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var podcasts = [{"id":"5ce2d132fbc07966db1f421aa58e8766be8467c2","podcast_id":208675,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/","title":"06 April 2019. Welcome to the daily audio edition of Creamer Media's Engineering News. Starting with today's top story","author":"Creamer Media - Engineering News Newsletter","summary":"The humble Veldskoen makes its global debut . The local ‘Veldskoen’ is expanding its reach beyond South Africa. The famous South African vellies have entered the US market through an investment made by...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-05T15:31:15.071Z","body":"The humble Veldskoen makes its global debut . The local ‘Veldskoen’ is expanding its reach beyond South Africa. The famous South African vellies have entered the US market through an investment made by American basketball team Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, and his partners. Veldskoen is the first product released by DORP (Digital Online Retail Products and Platform). DORP is an e-commerce-driven business, founded by Ross Zondagh, Nic Latouf and Nick Dreyer, who is also the CEO. Next Story. Transnet execs seek balance between efficiency improvements, growth opportunities . It is not about pouring concrete and spending, it is a war of efficiency, Transnet group executive of new business growth and diversification Herbert Msagala told a select special interest group convened at the Transport Forum, in Durban, on Thursday. In what he ultimately labelled an “honest and robust” discussion, Transnet executives and management revealed how they were grappling with improving both efficiency and productivity in home ports, while trying to carve a niche for the parastatal as a service provider in the rapidly evolving broader African and global logistics sector. In Other News. TPT CE stresses need for faster turnarounds of vessels, trains . It would no longer be business as usual at the Port of Durban, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) CE Nozipho Sithole told the Transport Forum’s special interest group meeting, in Durban, on Thursday. Conceding that TPT was not yet where it wanted to be in terms of efficiency, consistency or productivity, she came under fire from members of the trucking and shipping industries as she candidly declared that she did not wish to shy away from admitting that the State-owned entity had a long way to go when it came to reducing the cost of doing business in South Africa while, at the same time, grasping international business and integrating South African ports with the rest of Africa. Also Making Headlines. TPT sets its focus on African port concession opportunities. State-owned Transnet aims, through its Transnet International Holdings entity, to leverage its expertise to secure port concessions across the African continent. Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) growth and diversification senior manager Dr Darren Fraser told a special interest group gathering under the Transport Forum banner, in Durban, on Thursday, that its core capabilities and skills would enable TPT to seize opportunities and develop bankable business opportunities in order to benefit from the 3.5% and 3.6% economic growth expected from sub-Saharan Africa during 2019 and 2020, respectively. Next Story. Opinion: If renewables are so cheap, why are we paying so much for them?. Hardly a week passes without a statement being made about the high costs of renewable energy in South Africa. Typically, the argument is made on social media and is framed to suggest that Eskom is buying electricity at R2.22/kWh from renewable-energy independent power producers (REIPPs) and that this is proof that renewables are much more expensive than other forms of electricity generation. The proposition is at odds with the alternative narrative of onshore wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) being the cheapest form of new generation. It also conflicts with various analytical reports indicating that a new-build combination of wind, solar and flexible generators represents the least-cost electricity expansion scenario for South Africa. In Other News. Elmacast Engineering- Invests 134 rand million into autonomous upgrades in foundry|Elmacast Engineering (PTY) LTD, a foundry situated in Springs, South Africa, has recently completed phase one of its expansion project which entailed the installation of 4 new induction furnaces, automated continuous caster and a fully integrated double line heat treatment plant. The cost of the project totalled 134-million rand which increased the foundry’s capacity to produce in excess of 2500 tons a month of chrome casted grinding media for ball mills. Next story: Eskom spokesperson resigns. Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe has resigned. Phasiwe took to WhatsApp to announce his resignation. Phasiwe said he would complete his notice period at Eskom, and said he had no immediate plans after that. Also Making Headlines. Clough JV awarded civil works contract for Australian hydropower project. The Clough Salini joint venture (JV) has been appointed as the contractor for the Snowy 2.0 hydropower project, in New South Wales, Australia. The JV’s scope of work on the project is valued at about A$1.8-billion, spanning over the next five years. Next Story. Three companies join forces to launch EMVAfrica brand. Energy Engineered Products, Multi Alloys and E-Metals Cape have joined forces under the EMVAfrica umbrella to create a “dynamic, single-source solutions provider and service suit” for customers on the African continent. Officially launched on Friday, EMVAfrica director Graham Witty tells Engineering News Online that the brand is the culmination of a three-year-long journey, which began when the three businesses realised that it was becoming difficult for each to communicate with customers in terms of service and product offerings, while also continuing investment into each of the offerings. In Other News. In2Foods launches new agroprocessing facility at OR Tambo SEZ. In2Food Group on Friday officially launched its new 400-million rand, 22708 m2 factory, located on 3.5 ha of land on the northern precinct of the OR Tambo International Airport Special Economic Zone. In2Foods CEO Richard Cooper said this was one of the most diverse agroprocessing factories in the world. Also Making Headlines. Call made for fundamental changes to way societies manage chemicals. While manufactured chemicals have helped to improve human health, food security, productivity and quality of life worldwide, sound management and innovations in chemistry are essential for sustainable development. This was the central message of UN Environment acting executive director and assistant secretary-general Joyce Msuya when the issue came under the spotlight last month at the fourth assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), held in Nairobi, Kenya. The gathering emphasised the need for a transition to a \"more circular global economy, in which goods can be reused or repurposed and kept in circulation for as long as possible\", contributing to sustainable consumption and production. Thank you for listening.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/208675","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1909862,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/1419/podcasts/208675/media/d1f782fbb8f3f47c24b95fcc9fe2616c.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-05T15:31:34.638Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T15:31:42.137Z","state":"processed","duration":436.179335,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1909861,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/1419/podcasts/208675/media/592fec7bb735fa951ed50b6cbf03dce0_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-05T15:31:31.323Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T15:31:34.512Z","state":"processed","duration":436.166531,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"d4e9928e-e0dd-4044-b9e9-85c36da1b764","podcast_id":208610,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/tpt-ce-stresses-need-for-faster-turnarounds-of-vessels-trains-2019-04-05","title":"TPT CE stresses need for faster turnarounds of vessels, trains","author":"Shirley le Guern","summary":"It would no longer be business as usual at the Port of Durban, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) CE Nozipho Sithole told the Transport Forum’s special interest group meeting, in Durban, on Thursday. Con...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:48.898Z","body":"It would no longer be business as usual at the Port of Durban, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) CE Nozipho Sithole told the Transport Forum’s special interest group meeting, in Durban, on Thursday. Conceding that TPT was not yet where it wanted to be in terms of efficiency, consistency or productivity, she came under fire from members of the trucking and shipping industries as she candidly declared that she did not wish to shy away from admitting that the State-owned entity had a long way to go when it came to reducing the cost of doing business in South Africa while, at the same time, grasping international business and integrating South African ports with the rest of Africa. “We need to start listening more. We need to start creating solutions for our customers that take into account the fact that they want to be competitive . . . We need to take the lead in terms of building the infrastructure that is required so that we can offer value-added services across the supply chain.”. Emphasising Transnet’s mandate to reduce the cost of doing business, she insisted that “tariff growth is not going to work”. Instead, faster turnarounds of vessels and trains at both sea and inland ports would make a difference. Sithole asserted that Transnet’s endeavours to change the way it did business were not pie in the sky. TPT had moved away from just providing handling services at sea ports to also operating inland terminals. Chrome was now loaded at source and railed to the Richards Bay port as was manganese in the Northern Cape for export through Port Elizabeth. Both were examples of connecting with the hinterland and providing a supply chain based service, she pointed out. She said it was time to focus on shifting cargo from road to rail, which made sense not only from an environmental point of view, but also to protect road infrastructure and achieve economies of scale as rail was able to move larger volumes. “But we don’t want to banish trucks from the road. There is a first mile, last mile – few trains can deliver at your door so the last mile becomes important in order to make sure that the consumer gets those commodities,” she said. Sithole explained that a shift in the Transnet business model made it important for the parastatal to include the private sector in its operations. She noted that a recent agreement would see Agri Bulk Services run agricultural terminals in the ports of Durban and Richards Bay. A second example of private sector partnership was an agreement to run an edible oil terminal at Maydon Wharf. A second terminal in the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone would also see a private sector operator facilitate the import of palm oil from Central Africa. This was also an example of Transnet venturing into new areas of business, she said. Sithole said TPT had also brought in a global terminal operator to work in the container terminal at Ngqura. This would ensure that extra capacity was utilised and result in skills transfer. She said better operational planning was imperative and, starting last year, war rooms had been created for operating centres in the Port of Durban to improve operational efficiencies. This included port, rail, terminal and customer representatives. Improvements had resulted from joint planning and this would be rolled out to other ports in due course. She pointed out that Transnet was currently extremely asset heavy. However, the longer-term vision was for the entity to be asset light and to be a service provider. At present, she said a key focus was creating a high performance culture within the organisation. She said attempts to root out corruption had created a great deal of uncertainty among employees. “The trick for us is to do it quickly so that we can then continue to provide services.”","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/208610","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1909673,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/208610/media/9220e8e9fc83bed87e5ced0c5414b363.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-05T14:00:00.827Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T14:00:05.945Z","state":"processed","duration":230.026951,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1909672,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/208610/media/e6e33f93ce88ad0bc6c0c2ee986cdeaf_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:58.687Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T14:00:00.692Z","state":"processed","duration":230.034286,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"290c33f6-b7ef-4452-bc3e-4e1f9ce44818","podcast_id":208607,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/transnet-execs-seek-balance-between-efficiency-improvements-growth-opportunities-2019-04-05","title":"Transnet execs seek balance between efficiency improvements, growth opportunities","author":"Shirley le Guern","summary":"It is not about pouring concrete and spending, it is a war of efficiency, Transnet group executive of new business growth and diversification Herbert Msagala told a select special interest group conven...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:17.182Z","body":"It is not about pouring concrete and spending, it is a war of efficiency, Transnet group executive of new business growth and diversification Herbert Msagala told a select special interest group convened at the Transport Forum, in Durban, on Thursday. In what he ultimately labelled an “honest and robust” discussion, Transnet executives and management revealed how they were grappling with improving both efficiency and productivity in home ports, while trying to carve a niche for the parastatal as a service provider in the rapidly evolving broader African and global logistics sector. “The five big shipping carriers are consolidating and there are indications that, by 2021, 60% of trade will come from them. How are we going to respond to that as an integrated port system? They will bring bigger vessels and parcel sizes. Are our ports ready to take those?” Msagala asked. He emphasized that South Africa was not immune to global trade issues, including the US–China trade agreement and Brexit. However, he also stressed that there would still be low economic growth, rising unemployment and disappointed customers, if Transnet did not do things differently. From the outset, he addressed “the elephant in the Transnet room”, assuring stakeholders that much was being done to root out corruption, restore the credibility of the Transnet brand and restore the DNA of the organisation. The relevant Transnet executives would appear before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State capture regarding the 1064 locomotive deal in May. He said Transnet was in the process of an internal cleansing process that included lifestyle audits in order to begin to correct the impasses of the past. This included the review of high-value transactions and tenders. This included the contract for the deepening of berths within the Durban harbour. Noting that there was “no point in rushing into a project”, Msagala said a further announcement on the future of this tender was pending. Msagala noted that, sadly, there was still a perception that South Africa had an expensive port system. “We need to understand our mandate as Transnet. We have the responsibility to assist in lowering the cost of doing business but we cannot lower the cost of doing business if we ourselves are inefficient,” he said. He noted that Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) could not remain the only terminal operator of South African ports. “How are we allowing the private sector to come and assist us because this challenge that we face, we can’t solve alone as Transnet,” he said. He added that partnerships with the private sector were important in introducing new skills, innovations and ideas and helping to improve the supply chain. Msagala warned that it was impossible to accelerate initiatives such as moving cargo from road to rail and growing market share if Transnet did not collaborate with shipping lines, cargo clearers and cargo movers. Full integration needed to take place, starting with a one stop shop in Durban that would allow customers to “talk to one Transnet” rather than its many divisions. This system would be rolled out at other ports. He added that TPT needed to work with the Transnet National Ports Authority to find different ways of creating capacity for commodities that were often overlooked. “When we provide the infrastructure in our port system, we are looking at mining bulk but we are not very smart in terms of the other general freight related business,” he said, referring to seasonal agricultural commodities, including citrus. “We want to make sure that we fix the core, that we grow capacity and improve efficiencies – but we are not going to stop there. We have to find a way of growing and diversifying and getting to markets we don’t serve today.”. He noted that the use of technology, as well as the operation of a hub and spokes system that would link sea and inland ports, was critical. This involved taking a corridor approach and unblocking congestion at the likes of City Deep. A partnership with the private sector resulting in the construction of a terminal at Tambo Springs, would achieve this, while a similar approach to easing congestion in Durban was needed. Delegates hinted that a rethink of plans at Cato Manor or even at the old Durban airport could be on the cards.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/208607","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1909667,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/208607/media/489cf24619d804019d05371c61111953.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:30.630Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:34.925Z","state":"processed","duration":261.585963,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1909666,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/208607/media/9ade062cf08074ab78532ef114f147c2_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:28.210Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T13:59:30.425Z","state":"processed","duration":261.590204,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"1d4a01a9-a1f3-4c26-82d5-8426f29f6ce3","podcast_id":208606,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/the-humble-veldskoen-makes-its-global-debut-2019-04-05","title":"The humble Veldskoen makes its global debut","author":"Irma Venter","summary":"The local ‘Veldskoen’ is expanding its reach beyond South Africa. The famous South African vellies have entered the US market through an investment made by American basketball team Dallas Mavericks ...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-05T13:58:39.175Z","body":"The local ‘Veldskoen’ is expanding its reach beyond South Africa. The famous South African vellies have entered the US market through an investment made by American basketball team Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, and his partners. Veldskoen is the first product released by DORP (Digital Online Retail Products and Platform). DORP is an e-commerce-driven business, founded by Ross Zondagh, Nic Latouf and Nick Dreyer, who is also the CEO. . Brian Joffe’s JSE-listed Long4Life (L4L) investment company owns a 49% stake in DORP’s Veldskoen business. (Joffe founded Bidvest and Bidcorp.). Other products in DORP’s portfolio includes Plakkie. (Yes, you guessed it – that other South African icon known as flip-flops elsewhere in the world.). Dreyer tells Engineering News Online that Veldskoen was registered early in 2018. The sale to L4L was “to help scale up the business. They are in the lifestyle retail space and have added great value to us getting our brands to market.”. Veldskoen started sales in the UK in October last year, followed by Europe and the US. Sales are online to start with, but DORP is negotiating intakes with major retailers, says Dreyer. “I can’t confirm the retailers, because we are in the process of negotiating terms and prices. I can say that our focus is on the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and Austria.”. “Right now, we have seen good support in the UK and the US. Italy is a surprising good market, but it is early days.”. Veldskoen is made in Durban, at a third party, while DORP is based in the Western Cape. “We use only local raw material,” says Dreyer. “Right now we can produce what is required, but we would be happy with around two hundred thousand pairs a year in three years’ time, and more after that,” notes Dreyer. “We have a very close working relationship with our manufacturer. Quality control is critical and we inspect every shoe with someone from their and our teams present. We also offer a 100% money-back guarantee.”. DORP consists of a team of seven people. “We also make use of some fantastic freelance content creators and designers,” adds Dreyer. Veldskoen has, in fact, just expanded its product portfolio to include the Chelsea boot.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/208606","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1909665,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/208606/media/bb0fb9ef0aa07995eaecf6df06142ba8.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:58:48.168Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T13:58:51.120Z","state":"processed","duration":153.271704,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1909664,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/208606/media/f149fc8a8a134684404c9e1d262b0207_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-05T13:58:46.428Z","updated_at":"2019-04-05T13:58:48.056Z","state":"processed","duration":153.286531,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"7d308bfa547da6b285ed915ab3f45797f7708285","podcast_id":207993,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/","title":"05 April 2019. Welcome to the daily audio edition of Creamer Media's Engineering News. Starting with today's top story","author":"Creamer Media - Engineering News Newsletter","summary":"Eskom review team says strong leadership key for restoration of plant performance . The Eskom Technical Review Team, appointed in March to provide an independent assessment of the performance of the S...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-04T15:31:07.051Z","body":"Eskom review team says strong leadership key for restoration of plant performance . The Eskom Technical Review Team, appointed in March to provide an independent assessment of the performance of the State-owned utility’s power stations, says several coal plants can, with strong and empowered leadership, meet the much-vaunted energy availability factor (EAF) goal of 80%. It has acknowledged, however, that some of the older stations are unlikely to ever again be in a position to meet the target. Next Story. Local telematics market has room to grow, says new Cartrack South Africa CEO . Global telematics group Cartrack has appointed Harry Louw as the new CEO for its South African business. Louw is the former CEO of rival Netstar. In Other News. Lucas calls Northern Cape Africa’s renewables hub as she inaugurates Kathu Solar Park . The Kathu Solar Park, in the Northern Cape, was inaugurated by the province’s Premier Sylvia Lucas, on Thursday. The project was commissioned in February. Also Making Headlines. Strong renewable energy capacity growth continues. The decade-long trend of strong growth in renewable energy capacity continued in 2018 with global additions of 171 GW, according to data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency this week. The year-on-year increase of 7.9% was bolstered by new additions from solar and wind energy, which accounted for 84% of the growth. Next Story. Lack of road maintenance could cost South Africa millions of rands – SARF president. Roads that are not properly and timeously maintained are costing South Africa millions of rands, as well as negatively affecting the economy and society, says South African Road Federation president Saied Solomons. Solomons is also the CEO of the Southern African Bitumen Association. In Other News. Elmacast Engineering- Invests 134 rand million into autonomous upgrades in foundry|Elmacast Engineering (PTY) LTD, a foundry situated in Springs, South Africa, has recently completed phase one of its expansion project which entailed the installation of 4 new induction furnaces, automated continuous caster and a fully integrated double line heat treatment plant. The cost of the project totalled 134-million rand which increased the foundry’s capacity to produce in excess of 2500 tons a month of chrome casted grinding media for ball mills. Next story: ANC expected to clinch national elections, albeit weakened. Independent elections analyst and management consultant Dawie Scholtz expects the African National Congress will again win the May 8 national election and secure an estimated 56% of votes. Scholtz, who was speaking at a panel discussion hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills, in Sandton, on Wednesday, used a prediction model based on data from polling and the previous by-election, splitting potential voters into various sets of homogenous groups. Also Making Headlines. Myriad of factors impacting South Africa’s economy, future forecasts. There are a number of factors dictating the economic climate of the country and that are impacting on Citi’s forecast of future economic growth. This was a theme during a media roundtable held by Citi, in Johannesburg, on Thursday. The roundtable was presented by Citi chief economist for South Africa Gina Schoeman and Citi leading emerging markets economist David Lubin. Next Story. Digital initiatives can unlock value for South Africa – Accenture. South Africa can unlock financial value and create meaningful outcomes for citizens in their daily lives by implementing key digital initiatives across government services and key industry sectors, professional services multinational Accenture said in a statement on Thursday. Research indicated that the value that can be added to society through such digital initiatives would be about 2-trillion rand and the value-add to industry could be about 3.6-trillion rand, and could be unlocked by 2026, said Accenture Africa CEO Vukani Mngxati. In Other News. EOH expects Microsoft investigations to be completed by end-May. JSE-listed information technology services group EOH expects the investigations into alleged impropriety in the resale of multinational technology company Microsoft’s licences to be completed by the end of May, EOH CEO Stephen van Coller said in an update to shareholders sent out on Wednesday. “The Microsoft issue that has recently come to light is limited to a few individuals, but has had a disproportionate impact on EOH’s reputation. These last few months have certainly been the most challenging time in the history of the EOH group. However, we believe EOH is going to get through this period as a stronger, more agile business. Also Making Headlines. Intu Properties appoints Matthew Roberts CE. Matthew Roberts has been appointed CE of JSE-listed Intu Properties, with effect from April 29. Roberts will succeed David Fischel, who will be standing down from the board and leaving the company on April 26. Next Story. Electricity 2019: A review of South Africa's electricity sector (PDF Report)|Creamer Media’s Electricity 2019 Report provides an overview of South Africa’s electricity sector, with a focus on Eskom’s generation and financial performance and recently announced unbundling. It also looks at the changing electricity landscape and the role of independent power producers and embedded generation in the country’s energy mix, as well as other areas such as transmission, distribution and electrification. Thank you for listening.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/207993","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1907662,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/1419/podcasts/207993/media/f94334930b44cf193b309447c3f61f2c.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-04T15:31:24.642Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T15:31:30.522Z","state":"processed","duration":373.374833,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1907661,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/1419/podcasts/207993/media/e81a45dd84c262cd050d14f949ca3d84_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-04T15:31:21.503Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T15:31:24.489Z","state":"processed","duration":373.368163,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"2cd0b72b-7cfd-4315-b2d6-ced7b0f1a9f4","podcast_id":207963,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/lucas-calls-northern-cape-africas-renewables-hub-as-she-inaugurates-kathu-solar-park-2019-04-04","title":"Lucas calls Northern Cape Africa’s renewables hub as she inaugurates Kathu Solar Park","author":"Marleny Arnoldi","summary":"The Kathu Solar Park, in the Northern Cape, was inaugurated by the province’s Premier Sylvia Lucas, on Thursday. The project was commissioned in February. The 100 MW concentrated solar power (CSP...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-04T14:50:12.208Z","body":"The Kathu Solar Park, in the Northern Cape, was inaugurated by the province’s Premier Sylvia Lucas, on Thursday. The project was commissioned in February. The 100 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant is 80%-owned and operated by France multinational Engie. The balance is owned by various investors, including Investec, which invested 12-billion rand, and the Government Employee Pension Fund which invested 153-billion rand, in the project. The plant marked Engie’s first CSP plant of this magnitude and is its sixth CSP plant in South Africa. This independent power producer project was built in 32 months, starting in May 2016. About 1700 people were employed during the peak of construction, with 42% of those hired from the local community. The project has retained 25 of those people as permanent employees. The project will permanently employ 81 people over the next 20 years. The CSP plant comprises eight solar fields, with mirrors reflecting sunlight onto tubes, which absorb the heat, before it gets transferred through a pipeline to a molten salt tank containing 47000 t of salt to store energy. Kathu Solar Park was awarded under Round 3.5 of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme on December 15, 2014. As part of the project’s socioeconomic development plan, it will invest 1% of its revenue for the next 20 years, in advancing the local community – the John Taolo district. Kathu Solar Park already spent 8.5-million rand on 27 socioeconomic development projects during construction of the project. Lucas said there were now more than 20 renewable energy projects in the Northern Cape, including hydropower, wind, solar photovoltaic and CSP, making the province “the hub of renewable energy in Africa”. CSP TECHNOLOGY. Kathu Solar Park uses parabolic trough technology equipped with a molten salt storage system that allows for 4.5 hours of thermal energy storage to provide reliable electricity in the absence of solar radiation. The parabolic trough technology is a patented optimised collector technology developed by engineering group SENER. The SENERtrough-2 collectors are designed to optimise the power storage capacity and keep costs to a minimum. At the Kathu Solar Park, 384000 large mirrors reflect sunlight and collect solar heat to generate electricity. SENER’s innovative design ensures that the aperture of each parabolic trough reduces the cost by 30%. A parabolic trough plant comprises a significant number of solar collector assemblies which are made up of four constituent parts – a parabolic reflector (or the mirror), a receiver tube, a support structure and a tracking system. The parabolic trough collector operates by tracking the sun and focusing the sun’s rays into an absorber pipe. The absorber pipe, which is seated above the mirror along the focal line, contains a heat absorbent medium. The heat absorbent material carries energy to water in a boiler heat exchanger and the heat is used to produce steam, which drives a turbine.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/207963","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1907574,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207963/media/e11be7fc0836ed31e32634e838aa3554.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-04T14:50:24.265Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T14:50:28.327Z","state":"processed","duration":207.663961,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1907573,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207963/media/cb12b93a73ed451cd066e53478cb1f35_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-04T14:50:21.961Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T14:50:24.128Z","state":"processed","duration":207.673469,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"c8ec4e02-e9a1-410e-9ffa-73af5e680395","podcast_id":207956,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/local-telematics-market-has-room-to-grow-says-new-cartrack-south-africa-ceo-2019-04-04","title":"Local telematics market has room to grow, says new Cartrack South Africa CEO","author":"Irma Venter","summary":"Global telematics group Cartrack has appointed Harry Louw as the new CEO for its South African business. Louw is the former CEO of rival Netstar. Louw says he spent ten months at home last year f...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-04T14:39:20.154Z","body":"Global telematics group Cartrack has appointed Harry Louw as the new CEO for its South African business. Louw is the former CEO of rival Netstar. Louw says he spent ten months at home last year following his early retirement, with “boredom urging him to seek out a new challenge”. He joined Cartrack at the end of January, where he assumed responsibility for the South Africa and Namibia markets. “Cartrack is experiencing abnormal growth at the moment. Its compound annual growth rate in South Africa has been around 25% for the last four to five years,” notes Louw. With such growth figures, as well as taking into account Cartrack’s entrepreneurial culture, Louw’s 23 years of management experience is expected to enhance efficiency in the business and assist in growing it further. “I have a deep understanding of the industry, telematics companies and customers, which will be key in supporting Cartrack’s high growth strategy,” says Louw. One area Louw is focused on, for example, is improving the fuel consumption of Cartrack’s 600-strong technician vehicle fleet through the introduction of efficiencies such as smart routing and scheduling, by using the company’s own in-house products. Louw says he expects Cartrack to continue growing, despite domestic market new-car sales being in decline since 2014. “The South African telematics market is not nearly saturated. In fact, it remains underserviced, especially in the fleet management space. And it’s not just about security. If a company can save 5% on fuel using our products, it more than pays for the Cartrack technology.”. Cartrack has around 750000 subscribers in South Africa. Louw says his focus is on gaining new customers, wooing customers from competitors and retaining current Cartrack customers. He also wants to find ways to use the large amount of data available to the company, through the increased use of artificial intelligence. “We have data that should prove valuable to a number of corporate customers, such as insurance companies.”. Louw believes Cartrack’s edge over its competitors comes from the fact that its stolen vehicle recovery service is not outsourced, as is the case with most competitors. It also has an in-house technician training academy, which will train 50 new technicians this year, as well as a strong focus on research and development. Cartrack has research hubs in Singapore, Portugal, the US and South Africa. The research focus in South Africa is on hardware and internal systems.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/207956","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1907549,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207956/media/22b7e18bbd0c3e1b9bec7211b8cda171.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-04T14:39:31.291Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T14:39:35.380Z","state":"processed","duration":162.702827,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1907548,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207956/media/30948cb0f60c469e9796bfb80cd5b3a7_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-04T14:39:28.793Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T14:39:31.045Z","state":"processed","duration":162.716735,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"3ea59f53-e5da-40e2-bf55-72b1ffc78b31","podcast_id":207948,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/eskom-review-team-says-strong-leadership-key-for-restoration-of-plant-performance-2019-04-04","title":"Eskom review team says strong leadership key for restoration of plant performance","author":"Terence Creamer","summary":"The Eskom Technical Review Team, appointed in March to provide an independent assessment of the performance of the State-owned utility’s power stations, says several coal plants can, with strong and em...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-04T14:31:20.349Z","body":"The Eskom Technical Review Team, appointed in March to provide an independent assessment of the performance of the State-owned utility’s power stations, says several coal plants can, with strong and empowered leadership, meet the much-vaunted energy availability factor (EAF) goal of 80%. It has acknowledged, however, that some of the older stations are unlikely to ever again be in a position to meet the target. The 80% EAF target has eluded Eskom for several years, partly owing to the advanced age of various coal plants and partly because of insufficient maintenance. More than half of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations are over 37 years old, with the oldest being Komati at 55 years. In fact, 2012 is the last time the target (which in the early 2000s was far higher at 90%) was met, leading many energy experts to question whether it would not be more prudent, for planning purposes, to factor in a lower, but more stable EAF assumption. The Integrated Resource Plan could then be adjusted to reflect the introduction of supply alternatives earlier than would have been the case had the plants met the 80% target. During the recent National Energy Regulator of South Africa hearings into Eskom’s revenue application, the utility lowered its EAF assumption for the coming three years from 78% to between 71.5% for 2019/20, 72.5% for 2020/21 and 73.5% for 2021/22. Nevertheless, Eskom Technical Review Team member Phindile Mooketsi said during a briefing this week that its initial assessment showed that as many as nine of Eskom’s plants, 15 of which are coal plants, could be restored to meeting the 80% EAF target. Mooketsi said four stations – Koeberg, Majuba, Matimba and Lethabo – were already at 80%, while there were five others, which she did not identify, that had the potential to meet the target in future. She said three coal plants would not be in a position to meet the target. Earlier this year, Eskom indicated that it would be closing Grootvlei, Hendrina and Komati entirely over the coming three years, where 11 of the 24 units had already been shut. Improving the performance of the remaining plants would be dependent, Mooketsi said, on appointing permanent power station managers and giving them full authority to run the plants. It would also require critical technical vacancies to be filled. Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe said moves were under way to devolve decision-making from its Megawatt Park head office to the individual power stations so as to empower the power station manager to take human resources and procurement decisions. “The relinking we are talking about is designed precisely for that, where the decisions are taken by the manager of the power station and he is held accountable for them,” Hadebe explained. The utility would also seek to appoint permanent power station managers at the eight stations where the posts were currently occupied by acting power station managers. Four of the eight positions remained acting while disciplinary processes were finalised for managers who had been suspended. Efforts were also under way to streamline and accelerate, within the Public Finance Management Act framework, procurement processes, as the slow pace of procurement had been identified as a key reasons for the lack of critical components as services. The Eskom Technical Review Team said there was an urgent need to implement a project to focus on reducing the current procurement backlog. Mooketsi added that the team had already concluded that Eskom’s procurement processes needed to be re-engineered for “agility”.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/207948","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1907529,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207948/media/cdd30c7b13aae69c34cb1ab51976e00a.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-04T14:31:33.835Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T14:31:38.681Z","state":"processed","duration":229.138706,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1907528,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207948/media/ba8d3cb06383389684018ce6ce2c49cb_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-04T14:31:30.886Z","updated_at":"2019-04-04T14:31:33.664Z","state":"processed","duration":229.146122,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"cff88ed8-cf14-4da2-a5db-607f1b72cd09","podcast_id":207577,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/eskoms-financial-woes-not-abating-in-sync-with-load-shedding-risk-2019-04-03","title":"Eskom’s financial woes not abating in sync with load-shedding risk","author":"Terence Creamer","summary":"The cautiously optimistic prognosis provided by Eskom on the outlook for electricity supply for the coming nine months has been more than offset by the State-owned utility’s disturbing assessment of it...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-03T19:41:00.649Z","body":"The cautiously optimistic prognosis provided by Eskom on the outlook for electricity supply for the coming nine months has been more than offset by the State-owned utility’s disturbing assessment of its financial predicament. The group, which implemented ten days of confidence-sapping power cuts from March 14 to 23, is forecasting that it will be able to avoid load-shedding during the high-demand winter months, notwithstanding a plan to continue with relatively high levels of maintenance during the period. The improved supply outlook is premised on the return of two units at Kriel and Matla in April and May respectively, the commercialisation of two more units at Medupi and Kusile projects, as well as the shoring up of diesel stocks, which are used to power its open cycle gas turbines. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said during a briefing at the Lethabo power station on Wednesday that, at worst, there could be a maximum of 26 days of stage one (1000 MW) load-shedding during the winter months from May to August. He was optimistic, however, that a roadmap was in place to avoid such cuts entirely. During the March load-shedding episode Eskom resorted, at points, to stage four cuts of over 4000 MW as unplanned breakdowns across its coal fleet surged to over 13000 MW and the deadly cyclone Idai took down transmission lines used to import power from Cahora Bassa, in Mozambique. The mood on the financial front was far less upbeat, however, with chairperson Jabu Mabuza indicating that neither the recent tariff hike of 13.8%, nor the National Treasury commitment to inject 23-billion-a-year rand into the utility for at least three years (possibly ten) were sufficient to bring its debt-laden financial statements back into balance. Mabuza revealed that the utility faces a 250-billion rand hole in its finances even after the tariff increases announced by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the 69-billion rand National Treasury injection. Eskom Sustainability Task Team chairperson Professor Anton Eberhard said Eskom’s problem boiled down to the fact that it was not generating enough cash to cover its operational expenses and meet its rising debt-servicing obligations. Officially, Eskom’s debt stands at 420-billion rand, but it has reportedly risen materially since that figure was placed into the public domain. In addition, the new debt it is taking on is more expensive than the debt being retired, owing to the utility’s junk credit rating, which has fallen seven notches over the past ten years. Eberhard said that, while tariff-driven revenue increases and cost compression efforts were essential, they were unlikely to be sufficient to extricate Eskom from its current financial predicament. He revealed that the Eskom Sustainability Task Team, which had already proposed that Eskom be unbundled into three separate businesses of generation, transmission and distribution, would make a number of blended financing proposals to provide relief in its final report. The report will be published by the end of April. No turning back on Medupi and Kusile. Meanwhile, Mabuza reported that the utility would not seek to save costs by pulling back from the completion of the Medupi and Kusile projects, which are at least two times over budget and years behind schedule. He said an internal cost-benefit analysis showed that it was cheaper for Eskom to complete the projects, rather than to mothball the remaining units and pay contractor penalties. Medupi was 94% completed and Kusile 89% completed, CEO Phakamani Hadede said. Under Eskom’s revised schedule the last Medupi unit is expected to be introduced into the network in March 2020, while the final Kusile unit is expected to be commercialised in September 2022.","state":"processed","share_url":"https://spkt.io/a/207577","share_version":"v2","media":[{"id":1906315,"role":"body","content_type":"application/x-mpegURL","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207577/media/fe64a233e639135aee4b8378ac0bff71.m3u8","created_at":"2019-04-03T19:41:12.844Z","updated_at":"2019-04-03T19:41:20.728Z","state":"processed","duration":240.816585,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}},{"id":1906314,"role":"body","content_type":"audio/mpeg","url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/902/podcasts/207577/media/f88f07b8385d3987b38925cd93e25ace_compiled.mp3","created_at":"2019-04-03T19:41:10.657Z","updated_at":"2019-04-03T19:41:12.705Z","state":"processed","duration":240.822857,"voice":{"id":34,"language":"en_GB","name":"Amy"}}],"player_type":"MinimalPlayer","next_podcast_external_id":null},{"id":"b3fe3f739a9caf27785d610e2db214f655525405","podcast_id":207377,"url":"http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/","title":"04 April 2019. Welcome to the daily audio edition of Creamer Media's Engineering News. Starting with today's top story","author":"Creamer Media - Engineering News Newsletter","summary":"Power cuts slow South African private sector activity in March – PMI . Activity in South Africa's private sector contracted sharply in March, a survey showed on Wednesday, with firms citing electricit...","image":null,"published_at":"2019-04-03T15:31:07.106Z","body":"Power cuts slow South African private sector activity in March – PMI . Activity in South Africa's private sector contracted sharply in March, a survey showed on Wednesday, with firms citing electricity blackouts as the main drag on business. IHS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slipped to 48.8 from February's 50.2 as falls in new orders and employment saw output contract by the most in four months. Next story. Economy to remain ‘weak, patchy’ until after national elections – PUI . Economic and policy uncertainty in South Africa is expected to remain elevated until after the national elections on May 8. According to the North West University Business School’s Policy Uncertainty Index (PUI), positive and negative trends appear to be putting the S