A crippling strike near the end of 2021 in the steel and engineering industry affecting more than 500,000 workers coupled with a decrease in workforce as companies implemented COVID restrictions meant that the mining industry had to find a way to work smarter in order to ensure production levels remained steady.
Pretoria based, Mechanical Rotating Solutions, has reported a notable increase in its pipe coupling business during this period which according to MRS Managing Director, Franscois Steenkamp, can be attributed to the flexibility offered by the Straub pipe coupling range.
“When faced with a reduced workforce you need to find a way to maintain productivity without having to sacrifice quality, or neglecting other parts of your operation. The STRAUB pipe coupling system eliminates the need for any pipe end preparation which under normal circumstance can be highly time consuming and labour intensive. The STRAUB system can replace welded, flanged, threaded, or grooved type pipe joints in a matter of minutes.
The removal of a suction pipe for pump maintenance or repair usually requires that either the flange bolts are manually removed, which is highly time consuming, or are removed utilizing a cutting torch which entails acquiring the necessary permits to conduct welding, flame cutting, soldering and similar operations in a plant. Not only does the needed paperwork and acquiring of the appropriate signatures for permits lead to increased downtime during a breakdown, having to transport the usually bulky equipment to site further contributes to a loss of productivity. Utilising Straub couplings such as the Straub Open Flex cuts pipe disassembly down to 15 minutes. This is a massive increase in productivity when compared to 20 to 30 bolts that have to be removed either individually by hand, or by using a cutting torch which may take up to two hours every time maintenance needs to be conducted.
Apart from the immense customer benefits of minimising downtime and ease of installation the STRAUB range of pipe couplings further offers a progressive sealing effect whereby when pressure in the pipe rises, the contact pressure on the sealing lips also increases due to the flow through the pressure equalisation channel. STRAUB pipe couplings are used in a wide variety of situations, industries and plants, such as: Construction, Water Supply, Waste Water, Industry/Mining, Shipbuilding/Offshore and Pipe Repair.
As a South African agent of Straub products, Mechanical Rotating Solutions is able to procure, install and commission the right Straub connection, which will meet the project-specific requirements fully. Straub Couplings come fully assembled and ready to install. A torque wrench is the only tool required to do the job. Lightweight and with a low profile, Straub couplings are easy to handle and can be installed in the tightest of spaces. The unique lip seal design seals on even rough pipe surfaces. STRAUB couplings are used to join virtually any plain end pipe or tube including steel, stainless steel, ductile iron, FRP, PVC, CPVC, C900, concrete pipe, copper and CuNi piping up to an outer diameter (OD) of 5000.0mm