Blog

Jun 02, 2023

Qtech: Manufacturers of a diverse range of standard and non

“Qtech Engineering has been in existence since 1965 and has steadily developed

"Qtech Engineering has been in existence since 1965 and has steadily developed into an engineering company providing as close as possible a one-stop reliable service to a varied and broad band of industries. While processing mass components makes up a large percentage of our capacity we do also manufacture our own components for specialist products and we have also diversified heavily into becoming known as a jobbing shop," explained Mark Maroun, Managing Director and one of two partners that own Quality Enhancement Technologies (Qtech).

"While we machine and process a diverse range of standard and non-standard parts and components, we have a speciality side to the business as well and that is manufacturing a number of different components and products for the rail industry, specifically overhead line equipment – or OLE – the name railway engineers give to the assembly of masts, gantries and wires found along electrified railways."

"We have also designed our own product which is known as a 3KVA section insulator. The section insulator is a device installed in the catenary system for electrical separation of two electrical feeds while allowing for the passage of a vehicle pantograph, such as in a crossover between two adjacent tracks. Ours are generally situated at the 18 kilometre feeder situation. You will recognise it by the sparks and sound the section insulator makes when a train passes through it."

"We do not involve ourselves in any of the wire requirements and will only get involved in the gantries if we need to. Our speciality is to provide for what we call the ‘connected’ components, products and assemblies. In other words the equipment used in the electric traction system that is used for transmitting electrical energy to the electric locomotives, trolley buses, trams and other electric traction systems. As trolley buses and trams don't operate in South Africa anymore, we concentrate on the electric locomotive lines."

"We manufacture numerous components for overhead main and local line electrification systems including: Cantilevers, droppers, clamps, insulators, spring droppers, steady arms, knuckles, brackets, U-bolts for tension, double suspension clamps, lightening arrestors, aluminium weight tension pulleys, section insulators and terminations."

"An overhead rail transport line consists of one or more wires (or rails, particularly in tunnels) situated over rail tracks, raised to a high electrical potential by connection to feeder stations at regular intervals. The feeder stations are usually fed from a high-voltage electrical grid and are generally situated every 18 kilometres. We can supply everything that is needed to suspend and hold in place the electrification wires between these stations."

Qtech manufactures over 350 different components and fittings for the rail industry

"From the birth of the railways in the early 19th century until the 1950s, steam locomotives were the dominant form of motive power on railways. They were finally phased out and diesel power – pioneered in America – started to become widespread in the 1950s. Electrically powered trains have a much longer history."

"The first OLE systems appeared before the First World War. OLE is now the preferred means of powering trains throughout the world. For example, when the high speed line from St Pancras to Paris was built, there was only one choice for the engineers: OLE. But there is no doubt that it can be visually intrusive, and installing it on existing lines can require alterations to bridges, stations and other structures. OLE is also undeniably complex and frankly baffling to the lay person."

"An efficient railway system that provides sufficient capacity for the future growth of both passenger and freight traffic is fundamental to creating the robust national infrastructure necessary for a successful, competitive and sustainable economy."

Pipe bending is essential for some of the assemblies

Qtech machines and assembles components and fittings

"Electrification is preferred for major railway lines because electric trains are lighter, cleaner, cheaper, quieter and faster to accelerate. They allow more trains to be run more efficiently and more quickly.According to the experts, in a perfect scenario electric trains are cheaper than diesel trains because they are cheaper to build and 20% cheaper to lease, maintenance costs are typically 33% lower, fuel costs are typically 45% lower because electric trains are lighter and more efficient, electric trains are lighter and therefore cause on average 13% less wear to the tracks and track maintenance costs are therefore lower."

"Electric trains are environmentally superior because they do not pollute the air during operation, they are more comfortable because they are quieter and vibrate less due to the absence of diesel engines and provide a better service because they have a higher power-to-weight ratio, which means that they are generally faster than diesel trains and because they accelerate more quickly, they reduce the journey times."

"South Africa's rail history dates back to the 19th century and was initially the vision of private individuals. The rail network was augmented further with the takeover of the last privately owned railway line – the New Cape Central Railway – between Worcester and Voor Bay in 1924."

"Electrification, one of the most capital-intensive projects, was also completed in this period. October 1924 saw the first electric test train running between Ladysmith and Chieveley in Natal."

The majority of components and fittings for the rail industry are cast iron castings that have been galvanised

Qtech machine, cut, bend, drill and perform other operations on the components and fittings. The majority are cast iron components supplied by either Vereeniging Foundries or Viking Foundry

"The country's rail network has had a chequered history, especially in the last 10 years. Vandalism, metal theft and the lack of political will to maintain and fix has put both freight and passenger services under immense pressure. There has also been international influence in the form of the Chinese trying to infiltrate Africa."

"All this has added up to suppliers to the network, like ourselves, encountering lean times and facing challenges. There was a time during Covid where we were struggling to keep our doors open and weeks on end we were working on short-time."

Wheels set in motion for rail infrastructure upgrade"However, the wheels have been set in motion for South Africa's rail infrastructure upgrade with the adoption by cabinet of the White paper on rail policy, in May. Basically, the green light has been given to restore the country's rail network, both freight and passenger services. This includes upgrading the existing lines and creating new lines for Transnet, PRASA and Metro. It is long overdue and is going to be costly but it will have plenty of positives. In our case it is great to see how busy we are again and we have plenty of happy staff."

"We know they are serious because the justice minister has, in a move reminiscent of the erstwhile SA Railways Police, recently empowered Transnet security officers to make arrests and assist law enforcement agencies with investigations in a bid to curb criminality and theft of infrastructure that has cost the state-owned freight rail and logistics company more than R5 billion over the past few years."

Droppers are among the suspension products that Qtech manufactures and supplies

Currently Qtech have four CNC lathes, three CNC milling machines and a number of manual lathes and drills in the machine shop

"Transnet are also challenging the Chinese to make available imported spare parts and components which are critical to service and maintain certain locomotives. This is good news but I say why can't these spares and components be made locally?"

Overhead line equipment"While it is possible to purchase a complete rail system from a number of manufacturers, it makes sense to employ a specialist company for the unique requirements of overhead line equipment. We are able to deliver modern and some exclusive OLE components, products and assemblies for our rail systems."

"To explain it visually, virtually everyone in South Africa who has been in the vicinity of rail tracks and line, would have seen our work. We have over 350 different components and fittings that we machine, cut, bend, drill and perform other operations on. The majority are cast iron components supplied by either Vereeniging Foundries or Viking Foundry. We have supplied them the drawings that have been given to us and they make the patterns and the cast the products for us. We then process further where necessary. We even coat and galvanise where it is required."

Qtech have recently purchased a pipe bending machine

Among the products manufactured by Qtech are U-bolts for tension springs

"Our manufacture of these components, spares, fixtures and fittings and spares for many industries has increased the local content of products, thus avoiding costly imports. Sadly, it was too late for one foundry in the Pretoria area that was a big supplier of ours. They closed their doors about two years ago."

"The biggest component that we supply to the OLE rail industry is a cast iron clamp that weighs seven kilograms. It has to have an aluminium liner inserted so we buy the sheet in strip and then crop it or cut-to-size."

"We have also designed our own product which is known as a 3KVA section insulator. The section insulator is a device installed in the catenary system for electrical separation of two electrical feeds while allowing for the passage of a vehicle pantograph, such as in a crossover between two adjacent tracks. Ours are generally situated at the 18 kilometre feeder situation. You will recognise it by the sparks and sound the section insulator makes when a train passes through it."

"The section insulator is designed to take into account all of the required electrical clearances necessary for the system voltage. The section insulator consists of an insulator located in the messenger wire above an insulator located in the contact wire immediately below it. The contact wire insulator is designed to allow passage of a vehicle pantograph across it. To ensure continuous current collection during the pantograph passage, the section insulator unit contains a side runner located on each side of the unit known as the side runners overlap. To ensure correct alignment of the unit, adjustable hangers are installed from the messenger wire to the lower section of the unit."

Mark Maroun, Managing Director of Quality Enhancement Technologies (Qtech) on the right with his ‘right-hand-man’ Werner Smit on the left

An aluminium weight tension pulley wheel being machined

"We do not make all the components used in the section insulator and not all of them are metal. Some are also imported and one of the main components comes from Israel. There are 35 different components that make up the section insulator. Generally they are used on lines where the speed limit does not exceed 70 kilometres. They are not suitable for those high-speed lines where, for example, in Japan the Shinkansen, colloquially known in English as the bullet train, runs."

History"The company was established by the late Paddy Witherington. In those days it was located Primrose Road, Germiston. Paddy's son David assumed leadership of the company in 1979. I started with the company in 1980 on the sales side."

"David subsequently sold the company to Mac van der Merwe in 1994 and I became a shareholder in 2000. My current partner – David Parodi – bought shares in the company in 2002. Between the two of us we now own the whole share portfolio. David could be referred to as a ‘sleeping’ partner because he does not get involved in the day-to-day running of the company."

"The manufacturing side is known as IFC Manufacturing and we are located Van Riet Lowe Street, Duncancanville, Vereeniging."

Qtech manufacture numerous components for overhead main and local line electrification systems including: Cantilevers, droppers, clamps, insulators, spring droppers, steady arms, knuckles, brackets, U-bolts for tension springs, double suspension clamps, lightening arrestors, aluminium weight tension pulleys, section insulators and terminations. Shown in the picture are double suspension clamps

"We moved the company to Vereeniging as the infrastructure in the area of Germiston that we were in was deteriorating and we needed a bigger factory. A bonus was that our rent was less."

"Currently we occupy 2 000 m² of factory space and as you can see it is bursting at the moment. But as I said earlier, we had challenges and fortunately we have overcome them. We did not just rely on the rail work. We concentrated on the general engineering and jobbing work and today we can take on any work as long as it is within our capacity limitations."

"We have even done work for Nissan where we were required to recondition the press dies they use. We have also done work for MA Automotive and Eskom. None of it has to do with supplying mass components but rather refurbishing work."

"Currently we have four CNC lathes, three CNC milling machines and a number of manual lathes and drills. We have also just installed a pipe bender because of the amount of bending work we are now doing for some of the OLE assembles."

"A brief synopsis of our activities includes supplying fully tested and certified ferrous and non-ferrous castings and forgings to BS 970 and ASTM standards. We have a fully equipped pattern and tool making facility, and castings are produced by three main methods – green sand casting, gravity die casting and investment casting. We then perform the necessary machining, bending, cutting or drilling requirements."

"Manufacture of overhead traction equipment is being good to us at the moment and long may it be because then we can all be positive about our rail industry in South Africa."

For further details contact Qtech Engineering on TEL: 016 427 1101 or visit www.qtecheng.co.za