MONTHLY MAGAZINE
MARCH 2026
ISSUE NO. 03
The Reliability Brief
High Oil Prices Will Increase Maintenance and Reliability Costs
There is an inescapable reality that reliability and maintenance managers have to face: the impact of the record increase in oil prices on the cost of keeping their machinery running, and then coping accordingly.
For the record, Brent crude prices rose sharply in the last week of March, reaching over $110 per barrel at times. And with no end in sight to the War in the Middle East, we should be braced for more.
Plant Commissioning
Rushed Commissioning a Recipe for Plant Chaos
One of the root causes of the downtime of new process and power plants in Southern Africa is that the EPCM (or the main contractor) skips critical steps during the commissioning phase in a bid to ensure that a project reaches completion and meets clients’ expectations. As you would have thought, in most cases, this oversight becomes very costly to address effectively, if at all it is.
Thus, to mitigate the impact of poor commissioning on plant reliability, operational assessments have to be thorough. Conveniently, there are assessment tools that have proved effective in facilitating this process.
Machinery Breakdown Insurance
Neglecting Maintenance Voids Insurance Claims
Without a doubt, the common oversight and the root cause of claim disputes in Machinery Breakdown (MB) insurance is when clients neglect their maintenance obligations underlined in policies, yet expect to be covered after an incident, laments George Parrott, Commercial …
Insurance is Not a Maintenance Budget
Treating Machinery Breakdown (MB) Insurance like a budget for ongoing maintenance obligations leads to claims disputes, and frustrations for clients in the heavy machinery industry. What is often ignored is that insurance does not cover deferred maintenance.
Power Generation
Protecting Africa’s Power Systems in the Age of Climate and Cyber Risk
Electricity has become the backbone of modern society. From healthcare and water systems to telecommunications, finance, and transport, nearly every essential service now depends on reliable power. Yet as power systems become more digitalised, decentralised, and interconnected, they are also becoming more exposed to climate-driven hazards, cyber threats, and physical sabotage.
Appointments
SKF South Africa Welcomes Andres Vera as Managing Director
Newly appointed Managing Director of SKF South Africa, Andres Vera, shares his five-year vision for the company: “Africa is a key growth engine for SKF and it is my aim to position the company as the continent’s leading partner for intelligent and clean rotation…
Cyber Security
Why the New Machinery Regulation is a Wake-up Call on Cybersecurity
The EU Machinery Regulation (MR), which comes into force in January 2027, is designed to modernize how every machine – whether newly built or significantly modified – is assessed for cybersecurity vulnerabilities.Â
Condition Monitoring
Technical Compliance Audits Boost Safety, Efficiency in Deep-level Mining
The most valuable Technical Compliance programme is one that improves decisions. It should help a mine answer practical questions with confidence: Are our critical defects becoming less frequent?
Pre-Owned Equipment
Get Informed Inspection Before Purchasing Pre-Owned Equipment
Wolfgang Bühn, CEO of MEVAS – a consulting firm that provides inspection services for heavy equipment in Africa and other regions – advises fleet managers to engage reputable consulting companies to carry out this vital task.
Pump Procurement
Shifting Pump Procurement from CAPEX to TOTEX
Schurco Slurry has established that the cheapest pump to buy often ends up being the most expensive to own and operate. Hence, the company’s External Sales Representative, Dandre Fourie, urges mining companies in Africa to think beyond price and consider lifecycle costs when purchasing pumps for abrasive slurry applications.
