Hytec Engineering has recently made another commitment to lowering cylinder downtime with the purchase of an additional 242 cylinders that will be used in its Service Exchange Programme. The increased stock and additional sales representatives enables clients to better maintain a continuous production in their mining and industrial operations.

 Through Hytec Engineering’s exclusive Service Exchange Programme, clients are able to exchange defective hydraulic cylinders for fully functioning units while theirs is repaired, ensuring minimal downtime at their operations. “The primary aim of the Programme has always been to get clients replacement cylinders in the shortest timeframe possible,” comments Pierre Goosen, General Manager, Hytec Engineering. “With this increased stockholding, we’re now able to offer clients an even shorter downtime potential by lowering the lead times on exchanged units.”

 The new stockholding will complement the company’s current extensive Liebherr service exchange stock which includes various-sized hydraulic cylinders from leading brands such as CAT, Komatsu, Volvo and Hitachi that have long proven their success in Africa’s earthmoving, drilling and surface mining operations. While a majority of this stock will be set aside solely for the Service Exchange Programme, clients can also purchase excess stock from Hytec Engineering’s facility in Johannesburg.

 Hytec Engineering ensures the operational efficiency of all second-hand and refurbished cylinders by adhering to strict OEM standards through its CAD facility, reverse engineering services as well as its specifically designed cylinder test bench that tests stroke sizing and leak detection on every cylinder.

 “Every component is inspected and tested upon arrival at our factory,” adds Goosen, “we also monitor the amount of times we reuse a component before scrapping it to ensure that no cylinder is at the risk of material fatigue.” Once a cylinder has been tested, the automated system generates a certificate that can be used for quality control by clients.

Hytec Engineering also has recently expanded and strengthened its highly experienced sales force to accommodate this recent market growth. The company is also looking expand its 4 000 m2 workshop facilities to further increase stock and refurbishment turnaround times.

 The Service Exchange Programme is available through Hytec Engineering’s Johannesburg-based operations and is supported throughout Africa by the Hytec Group’s network of 35 branches in South, East, West and Central Africa. Hytec Engineering is the hydraulic cylinder specialist company within the Hytec Group.