MONTHLY MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2026
ISSUE NO. 09
The Reliability Brief
Keeping the Turbines Turning
In South Africa, a lot is being made of how much wind power generation is coming on stream, easing pressure on the ageing national grid and diversifying the energy mix. Exciting times, indeed!
Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO)
Making Wind Turbine Operations and Maintenance Work
In wind turbine maintenance, SCADA data, vibration monitoring, oil analysis, borescope inspections, blade inspections and electrical testing all provide different pieces of the picture. Ultimately, the value comes from putting those pieces together.
Keeping Turbines Available and Reliable
Engineering, assembling, and installing wind turbines for power generation is only the beginning of the asset lifecycle. Once commissioned, the focus shifts to protecting availability, production and long-term asset value through an Operations & Maintenance (O&M) strategy that responds to the condition and operating history of the asset.
Maintenance Finance
Syntax Introduces Maintenance Cost Budgeting for Mining
Syntax, a global technology solutions provider driving enterprise transformation in the cloud, has announced the launch of Syntax Maintenance Cost Budgeting, a mining-focused solution that helps finance and maintenance teams improve visibility into maintenance spend across…
Maintenance Scheduling
Planned Shutdowns Strengthen Critical Equipment Reliability at Kumba Iron Ore
In mining operations, planned shutdowns are undertaken to achieve reliability and improve safety compliance. However, if not carefully managed, they can have the unintended consequence of costly, extended production downtime. And so, striking a balance is key.
AI Automation
AI is not a Quick Fix, Nor Should it Be
Paul Steyn, Field Services Projects Manager for SSA at Schneider Electric: “We are still heavily dependent on human intervention to operate equipment correctly. AI cannot simply be added to an industrial environment and expected to deliver immediate results.”
Lubricants
Electrostatic Spark Discharge: When Static Strikes Back
Electrostatic spark discharge plays a significant role in compromising oil condition. It is the focus of the next article in WearCheck’s “When Good Oils Go Bad” series.
Condition Monitoring
Fix the Pipeline, Save the Pump
In many cases, as examples from municipalities in South Africa and other countries in the region indicate, failure of water distribution pipe systems does not occur in isolation. Sooner or later, other equipment or components that are part of the system can be affected….
Bringing Predictive Maintenance Closer to the Machine
On-site laboratories are changing the reliability equation by placing advanced analytical capability closer to the machinery that generates the samples. Neil Robinson, managing director of WearCheck, says the commercial value of an on-site laboratory lies in shortening the time…
When Maintenance-system Compliance Starts Replacing Plant Reliability
WearCheck’s Asset Reliability Care division manager, Annemie Willer, warns that one of the greatest threats to effective machinery maintenance is not a lack of technology, but the gradual replacement of technical judgement by maintenance-system compliance….
Materials Handling
Why Transfer Systems Demand Engineering Partnerships, Not Equipment Purchases
Materials transfer is often viewed as a collection of individual transfer points yet its performance influences the efficiency, reliability and operating cost of an entire minerals processing plant. According to Dewald Tintinger, Technical Director at Weba Chute Systems,
