Afritech Equipment Solutions was involved in another milestone shutdown executed at the inland Natref Refinery in Sasolburg.

Natref Refinery sought a solution to overcome the black window period during the shutdown. They turned to Afritech Equipment Solutions to provide all larger diesel generators and DB Boards due to our proven track record on previous shutdowns, both at Natref and other petrochemical refineries in South Africa. 

With 160 years of combined senior leadership experience, Afritech assures unmatched service and support, ensuring our clients experience zero downtime. Our commitment goes beyond products—it’s about solutions that drive productivity and elevate the petrochemical industries.

Afritech’s Solution

Afritech Equipment Solutions supplied all the Main Contractors with their plant and equipment requirements and associated consumables to execute their shutdown scope of work.

We also implemented our on-site VMI (Vendor-Managed Inventory) Consumable store for one of the main contractors, for which Afritech Equipment Solutions supplied a shutdown-specific consumable store solution. Our VMI digital scanning system controls and manages the issuing of consumables to artisans. Watch this space, where we will outline and discuss our FMI / VMI concept in a specific and separate article.

Natref Refinery also entrusted Afritech Equipment Solutions with supplying all the larger diesel generators and associated DB Boards for black window periods and the crucial role of supplying power to the heat treatment contractor/s. Natref Refinery issued a letter of appreciation for the professional and safe way in which we obtained our supply objectives.

Afritech’s Outcome

The shutdown began at the end of May 2024, continued, and concluded on July 19th, 2024. During our postmortem review of this project, due to our shutdown planning knowledge and relevant experience, no downtime was recorded for any rental equipment, and we ensured that any ad hoc, special, or specific consumable requirements were delivered on time.

Once again, this shutdown reflects that price is no substitute for quality, reliability and experience. We want to thank our projects and shutdown team again for ensuring a safe and timely shutdown completion.