Gibela’s flagship train manufacturing plant opens in Dunnottar
The plant is the first of its kind on the continent and it is where 580 modern commuter trains will be built by South Africans for South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the Gibela flagship train manufacturing plant in Dunnottar last Thursday.
The plant is the first of its kind on the continent and it is where 580 modern commuter trains will be built by South Africans for South Africa.
The official opening of the factory falls within Transport Month whose theme this year is ‘Transforming and Modernising Public Transport in Gauteng’.
Transport Month seeks to create awareness about transport as an enabler for economic growth. Gibela’s
ALSO READ:
Gibela’s construction nears 65% completion
53 000m² greenfield plant, spreads over a 78ha site. It was built at a cost of R1-billion within the scheduled 22-month construction period.
Its manufacturing workshops, covering 33 000m², are designed in a modular format to facilitate a lean manufacturing process.
At peak production, two cars a day, one-and-a-half trains a week and 62 trains a year, will be produced.
The Gibela manufacturing team is gearing up to achieve maximum manufacturing capacity, which previously had never been achieved, by the end of 2020.
ALSO READ:
Gibela CEO Thierry Darthout says, “The plant provides South Africa with its own capacity to manufacture modern trains. This will have a massive, positive impact not only on South Africa’s commuting public but also on the country’s economy.”
The world-class plant features the latest innovations, making for an advanced manufacturing process involving 250 linked industrial activities and the assembly of at least 10 000 parts.
Some 19 new process innovations are in place:
• A standout example is a drawbench, a machine used to shape 5mm stainless steel metal. The most modern of its kind currently available in the global rail market can pull 22m long side sill profiles – a length unique to the rail manufacturing industry – and fabricate roof corrugations and various stiffeners for the train. As the parts, its products are safety-critical, 100% accuracy – all of the time – is essential.
• Seven-axis robots have been installed to work in otherwise hard-to-reach welding places, improving efficiency.
• Mechanical and electrical rotating fixtures are in place for improved ergonomics and increased speed.
• A scissor lift table replaces overhead cranes, eliminating safety risks during installation while increasing efficiency and accuracy.
The plant has a bespoke, 4 700m² training centre, critical for the transfer of new rail-related skills to Gibela’s employees, the employees of first- and second-tier suppliers and eventually the whole of the railway sector.
A 1.2km test track for the dynamic testing of the new trains and an office complex finish off this impressive, modern train production hub.
From the start of construction, the plant has delivered benefits in terms of providing employment and new skills for people from nearby communities. The total construction spend was with South African companies, 30 % of them black women-owned.
Of the plant’s official opening, Thierry says: “It was an honour to have President Cyril Ramaphosa officiate.
“We are immensely proud of what we have achieved, and we commit to delivering trains to Prasa that will both improve the lives of South Africans and provide a valuable platform for South Africa’s industrial rebirth”.
The first proudly South African train, built by a South African workforce for South African commuters, will roll off the test track at the new Dunnottar plant by the end of 2018.
Follow us:
For more #hyperlocal news at your fingertips, visit Springs Advertiser, Boksburg Advertiser, Benoni City Times, African Reporter
