South Africa-based condition monitoring company, WearCheck has opened two more cross-border laboratories recently bringing to thirteen the number of laboratories operated by the company, in nine countries.
The recent addition to their operations is an on-site condition monitoring laboratory at the Husab Uranium Project. Swakop Uranium, the owners of the new mining operation, awarded WearCheck a five-year contract to supply and operate an on-site laboratory for the mine.
As an open-pit mining operation, Husab uses the conventional truck and shovel mining method. WearCheck’s laboratory is well-placed to maintain the plant used in this process, including a huge fleet of massive loading and hauling equipment, at optimal output capacity. This aligns perfectly with the WearCheck target to help save customers time and money through reliability solutions for plant maintenance.
The Husab mine laboratory was set up as part of a joint venture with sister company, Set Point Laboratories, who built and supplied the assay side of the laboratory.
For WearCheck Managing Director Neil Robinson, the company’s expansion is a positive move. ‘We are delighted to have the privilege to do business across South Africa’s borders, and have been made very welcome in Zimbabwe and Namibia. By extending our geographical footprint, we are now able to offer condition monitoring services to many more industrial operations, which previously had no access to these services.
“WearCheck’s laboratory instruments are constantly upgraded to remain at the forefront of international standards, and our staff members attend ongoing training courses to keep ahead of global condition monitoring trends,” he added.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Zimbabwe, WearCheck, recently acquired the long-established oil analysis laboratory in the form of Harare-based Tribology Services, and brought it into the WearCheck fold.
The Zimbabwean laboratory has been operating for 27 years, and already services a wide range of clients. Now, as well as traditional oil analysis, WearCheck Zimbabwe also conducts thermography, vibration analysis, balancing, laser alignment, motor current analysis and milling. WearCheck Zimbabwe offers on-site sampling, as well as a 24-hour sample turnaround.
WearCheck said this year it is celebrating its 40th anniversary as laboratory operator.