A Success Story of Teamwork and Efficiency

At the end of 2022, Air Blow Fans was tasked with a challenging project: to supply, install, and commission two 4.8 metre diameter, 1100 kW centrifugal fans for a coal mine in Mpumalanga, along with accompanying equipment. Each fan was designed to supply 300 m3/s of air at a pressure of 2.85 kPa. The additional equipment supplied and installed included two motor houses, fan casings, radial vane controls, self-closing doors, drift work, and a bifurcated 7,1m shaft top bend.

Air Blow Fans and its design partners handled all the in-house civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation design. In addition, we managed the civil, mechanical, and electrical installation and construction teams on site. While a core team was allocated to the project, the number of people on site varied.

A significant part of the project’s success was due to the expertise of the Air Blow Fabrication crew. The entire build was managed at our factory in Springs. It showcased the skills and dedication of everyone at the workshop, considering the size and mass of the impellers – each weighing roughly 13 tons (including the shaft). From management and admin to the boilermakers and welders, painters, assembly and testing teams, our staff worked tirelessly on this build, demonstrating their commitment to our core values of Innovation, Collaboration and Excellence.

The project was completed in a tight time frame of 12 months, from the date of contract award to handover. Despite the pressure, the biggest success was how all the teams, including the client project team, were unified in achieving the goal within time and budget.

This accomplishment did not go unnoticed, as it won the “Best Project of the Year” award at the client’s annual awards dinner at the end of 2023.

Highlighting Air Blow Fans’ steadfast commitment to providing top-tier products and services, even in demanding scenarios, this project also underscored the power of teamwork and collaboration in achieving shared goals.