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Kathu, the iron ore capital of the Northern Cape province, is where condition monitoring specialist company, WearCheck, recently opened its newest laboratory.
While for many years there has been a WearCheck office in Kathu where used oil samples could be dropped off, the nearest laboratory was in Johannesburg, where the samples were processed. However, now the samples are processed in Kathu, reducing turnaround time for local samples to 24 hours or less.
WearCheck is delighted to invest further in Kathu, whose name means “town under the trees”, where local industry has given the company a warm welcome and support for more than a decade.
The company’s unique Kathu laboratory is created from three remodelled shipping containers.
WearCheck’s head office in Westville is where the distinctive mobile laboratories are compiled in repurposed shipping containers. Kitted out with the latest laboratory instruments, the labs also boast features such as ventilation, air extraction systems, fire prevention, uninterrupted power supply, air conditioning and burglar bars.
The design of the container labs is fluid, to accommodate new industry developments.
WearCheck managing director, Neil Robinson, is addressing the infrastructure deficit in Africa by providing world-class scientific analysis services in remote areas near mining and other industries.
Says Robinson, ‘ While establishing a brick and mortar laboratory in certain locations is often hindered by the lack of basic infrastructure, the container laboratories relatively simple to place in areas with limited resources.
‘Ensuring consistently accurate test results is critical, therefore each mobile laboratory remains connected to the WearCheck South Africa LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System), which guarantees quality control.’
WearCheck Johannesburg moves to Longmeadow Estate
WearCheck recently relocated its Johannesburg laboratory, WSL (WearCheck specialist laboratory) as well as its dedicated divisions – asset reliability care (ARC), transformer oil testing, water analysis and lubricant-enabled reliability (LER) services – to a convenient, ultra-modern new location in Edenvale.
‘With all our services under one roof, WearCheck Johannesburg is truly a one-stop hub for customers which make use of more than one of our condition monitoring programmes,’ says Robinson.
WearCheck’s growing footprint extends across nine countries in Africa and beyond, including many satellite offices and 15 world class laboratories.
