Gueffroy and Hanwith-Horden join forces and launch Spectrum Machine Tools Africa

Company to focus on marketing the Durmazlar (Durma) range of forming equipment and Hyundai Wia CNC machining equipment.

Two well-known personalities in the metalworking equipment sales environment in South Africa have teamed up to form a joint partnership company – Spectrum Machine Tools Africa. The announcement reinforces Durmazlar South Africa’s statement last year about its commitment to the local market while at the same time gives new life to Hyundai Wia, a well-known Korean machine tool builder of CNC machines.

“We have been one of Durmazlar’s most successful agents in the world since we were appointed to represent them in South Africa for the sales and servicing of their equipment in 2009. Our nine-year association with Durmazlar has been very rewarding in many aspects and their sheet and plate manipulation equipment is now accepted as one of the leading brands in South Africa,” said Byron Gueffroy, one of the joint partners in the new company – Spectrum Machine Tools Africa.

“The formation of the company has emanated as a result of me opening up an associate company – Spectrum Machine Tools – in Belfast, Northern Ireland last year,” continued Gueffroy.

“I was approached by Durmazlar to conduct a feasibility study to investigate creating a presence in a country where they had had limited coverage, with the possibility of opening up a business in Northern Ireland,” explained Gueffroy.

Byron Gueffroy

“When I began my research it did not take me long to realise that this was more than an opportunity. Durmazlar has a number of installations in both Northern Ireland and Ireland so it had traction. But we could see that the brand had been neglected, to a certain extent, and needed a dedicated business like ourselves in South Africa to take the brand forward.”

“As you can imagine I was spending some time away from the operations in South Africa, while I set up in Belfast. With all the electronic means that we have at our disposal these days it was not of any concern to me. But to counteract any negative impressions in the market Sean Moriarty joined the company at the beginning of last year, as my Sales Manager,” explained Gueffroy.

“The market place never stands still for very long in South Africa. With the acquisition of a leading and well-known distributor of metalworking equipment last year I approached Vaughn Hanwith-Horden, who had been with the company for 29 years and more recently its Managing Director, to form a joint partnership company to continue to market the Durma brand in South Africa.”

“Coincidently we had been approached by Hyundai Wia, a leading Korean manufacturer of high technology CNC metalworking machine tools such as CNC lathes, machining centers, boring and milling machines, to become the company’s sole distributor and agent in Sub Sahara Southern Africa, which we had been considering. We subsequently formed Spectrum Machine Tools Africa and the company began trading at the beginning of February 2019,” added Gueffroy.

Vaughn Hanwith-Horden

“I have been in the industry for nearly three decades now and have gained some valuable experience working with some of the doyens of the industry. I started off at Green & Sons and my boss was the late Neels Nel – what a character. When Green & Sons merged with Forest Engineering I have Dennis Rutter to thank for all that he taught me. When the subsequent merger took place between Forest Engineering and Holmach Machine Tools Graham Holkham became my mentor. Lew Clarkson was also with the company and he was happy to impart his knowledge,” said Hanwith-Horden.

“Although all of these guys are now retired they are still very well-known in the industry. They have guided me through the transition of selling conventional machine tools to the high-tech CNC era and we had some leading Japanese, Taiwanese, European and US brands that we represented on the CNC machining side.”

“I was already in the industry when metal cutting machines such as CO2 lasers began to get recognised as a very viable option for processing sheet metal. I had a long relationship with a Swiss company that manufactures lasers and I can proudly say that I was responsible for making their brand a recognised product in South Africa. Durma already has a very good name in South Africa and has been one of Durmazlar’s most successful agents in the world since Byron was appointed to represent them in South Africa for the sales and servicing of their equipment in 2009,” added Hanwith-Horden.

“With my experience in the sheet metal field it is my intention to penetrate the market place even more.”

Lissmac development
Spectrum Africa have also recently been appointed agents and distributors for Lissmac metal processing systems. Lissmac, headquartered in Germany, has developed its own series of steel brushing, grinding and deburring machines. These machines perform oxide removal, edge rounding, deslagging, finishing, and deburring processes.

Service orientated
“Both Byron and myself have worked in the metalworking industry for many years marketing and selling shaping and forming equipment. What we have learnt is that you have to be very service orientated and particularly you need to have access to service technicians that know the equipment that you sell.”

“Within the new company, which is situated next to the Rand Airport, we have two permanent service technicians employed. Additionally, we all know as suppliers that you are only as good as your service backup and ability to supply spares timeously. We have therefore reached an agreement with Elkana CNC Services that they would be our preferred service and installation team. Emmel Kambouris, who has been servicing and installing machine tools for over 30 years, heads up Elkana and he is supported by five other service engineers – three on the CNC machining side and two looking after the mechanical side. This gives us peace of mind that there will always be someone available to service the machines that we have installed, countrywide.”

Hyundai Wia Machine Tools
The company has been represented locally for many years, first under the name Kia before changing to Hyundai Wia in 2009. In 1983, Hyundai Wia hit a major milestone when it became the first to manufacture a CNC machining center in South Korea.

Hyundai Wia F400/500 Machining Centers – from 1 000mm x 460mm to 1 200mm x 500mm table size

Hyundai Wia L280 Turning Centers – from 720mm to 1 000mm turning length

Hyundai Wia (www.hyundai-wiamachine.com) has been a core division of Hyundai Motor Group, building the CNC turning centers, machining centers and multitasking machines the automotive manufacturer uses to build its parts. Located in Changwon/Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea the company currently employs over 2 000 people and supplies its products to over 60 countries worldwide. Machine tools manufactured by Hyundai Wia include twin and multi axis CNC lathes, vertical and horizontal machining centers, horizontal boring machines, grinding machines and special purpose machinery, which are supplied to customers in the automobile components, IT, shipbuilding, mould making, energy, mobile telephone and heavy industries.

In excess of 140 different machine models have been manufactured and supplied by Hyundai Wia in the last 35 years.

About Durmazlar
Durmazlar is a leading machine producer in Turkey and a leader in the world market on metalworking machines with its annual production capacity. Durmazlar, which improves its services and production as a tradition inherited from its founder, is one of the leading industrial institutions in Turkey.

Today, more than half a century after its inception, Durmazlar is exporting to 82 countries around the world and with its 150 000m² under roof production area and 1 000 employees, Durmazlar is constantly working to achieve better. Durmazlar has adopted the principle to produce world standard products by marketing the latest technologies at competitive prices.

Durma manufactures a range of synchro and multi-axis CNC press brakes. The Durma AD-S Series CNC Synchro press brake is available in up to 11 axis configurations

Spectrum Africa have also recently been appointed agents and distributors for Lissmac metal processing systems. Lissmac, headquartered in Germany, has developed its own series of steel brushing, grinding and deburring machines. These machines perform oxide removal, edge rounding, deslagging, finishing, and deburring processes

The Durma D-Tower loading-unloading system has the ability to fully automate the laser cutting process without adding human factor. The number of pallets in the system can be changed according to usage and need

Durmazlar was one of the first companies in Turkey to manufacture metalworking machines. Today the company manufactures CNC hydraulic press brakes, full automatic presses, CNC hydraulic shears, punch presses, laser cutting and plasma cutting machines, plate and section rollers as well as band saws. These machines find a wide area of application sectors including automotive, construction, textile, electronics, air transportation, shipyards, defence and the industry of heating-cooling.

Production processes are performed by high precision machinery to ensure the same high performance after many years of use with the application of powder and robotic welding technology and stress-relieving treatments.

For further details contact Spectrum Machine Tools South Africa on TEL: 011 865 4090 or visit www.spectrumafrica.co.za