To ensure prosperity the company has followed a strategy of continual investment in new equipment and capacity.
At almost every step in industrial applications where fluid, slurry, water and the like are required to be processed or moved in or out, pumps and valves are needed to move the materials or to control them (the materials). There are numerous industries and applications using pumps and valves, too many to mention. Some require safety critical tolerances, others where the materials used need to be chemical resistant. Or it could be just a workhorse where high tolerances are not required.
As a result there are numerous different types and sizes of pumps and valves that are required in industry or everyday life. Coupled with the fact that there are a number of components that make up a pump or a valve, the scope for manufacturers of pumps and valves is enormous. Whether it be manufacturing high-pressure pumps or ordinary swimming pool pumps. And of course these pumps are all normally working in an environment where wear and tare takes place, many of which are highly abrasive or corrosive, so replacement components will always be needed.
PTF Manufacturing has zeroed in on machining components for the pump and valve industry as its primary business strategy, but with a difference.
This month owners Brandon Morris and Nas Kalogianni reach the 10 year milestone since they acquired the business in January 2003. PTF has operated as a general engineering machine shop since 1972 although the emphasis of the company these days is complex and precision machining.
Originally located in Knights, Germiston the company moved to its present facility in Miller Road, Germiston in 1984.
Current owners Brandon Morris and Nas Kalogianni
“The company was started by an Italian immigrant Carlo Perosino,” explained Brandon. “He was a true craftsman who built up an enviable reputation in the industry. His brother Osvaldo was also involved in the business, and one of his first employees, Francesco Tadesco, still works for us today. Francesco, also of Italian descent, constantly amazes us with his skill and craftsmanship and is an asset and mentor to many of our other machinists in the company.”
Nas and Brandon purchased PTF in 2002. They both had dealings in the pump sales and manufacturing industry and when PTF came on the market they knew it was a business with huge potential.
The first machine the current owners of PTF acquired was a Victor V-Turn 26 that has a 380 mm maximum turn, 520 mm maximum swing and 650 mm between centers. It was the first of many more Victors that the company would purchase and was also the first machine that Dudley Meredith from Victor Fortune ever sold. The machine is still very much in operation and the machinist that PTF assigned to the machine, Derek, is still working on it
“It was not easy for us in the beginning. Just trying to raise the capital to purchase the business was a struggle. We basically had to put up everything we owned for collateral.”
“But we have not looked back and today the company has grown three fold.”
Investing in equipment
“From the beginning Nas and I took the decision that if we were going to be successful and competitive we would have to regularly invest in new equipment. The business already had CNC lathes and mills and some conventional equipment, most of which are still working today, but from the start of our transition into the company we knew that modernisation would be a key part of our emerging production strategy.”
One of the first employees of PTF, Francesco Tadesco, still works for the company today
“The first machine we acquired, the same year that we purchased the business, was a Victor V-Turn 26 that has a 380 mm maximum turn, 520 mm maximum swing and 650 mm between centers. It was the first of many more Victors that we would purchase and was also the first machine that Dudley Meredith from Victor Fortune ever sold.”
“This machine is still very much in operation and the machinist that we assigned to the machine, Derek, is still working on it.”
“Virtually 70% of components machined by us are stainless steel with most metals making up the remaining 30%.” These components were machined on the Victor Vturn-V760
“Virtually 70% of components machined by us are stainless steel with most metals making up the remaining 30%.” These components were machined on the Victor Vturn-V760
“We have subsequently purchased another five CNC horizontal lathes, a vertical machining centre and a CNC vertical turning lathe from Victor.”
Niche area
“Because pumps come in many sizes and types requiring many different sizes of components to match each pumps capacity, pump manufacturers require a wide variety of new and replacement parts. The majority of the components that go into assembling a pump require minimal setup time and precision machining.“
“The pump manufacturers are constantly looking for job shops that can machine these most popular types of pump and valve components at very competitive prices and as a result it becomes a ‘dog eat dog’ business.”
“We decided that we did not want to operate in this area and have created a niche for ourselves in machining the more complex components. These parts consist largely of axisymmetric shapes, so lathe work is the main part of the production, but as we have grown and added more equipment to the shopfloor so we have added the variety of operations and components that we are able to machine.”
A copper bronze alloy spin casting that was machined on the recently acquired Yu Shine VL-1600ATC+C heavy-duty vertical lathe, also supplied by Victor Fortune. PTF first machined the surfaces and then the radius before drilling. The component, which has a diameter of 1350mm, arrives weighing 211 kilograms and once the machining is completed it has a weight of 99 kilograms. The company had four of these to machine and each one took about nine hours to complete. The machine allows the company to compete for projects that require large and heavy duty machining
“The challenge facing us going forward is that as the equipment becomes more and more sophisticated, it offers opportunities for other players to enter our arena.”
“To combat this we continue to invest in equipment that is out of the reach of most and allows us to offer more to our clients.”
New Yu Shine VL-1600ATC+C heavy duty vertical lathe
“We have only had the Yu Shine for a year now and although it took us six months to get accustomed to the machine, as well as manufacturing the jigs and fixtures required for the machine, we are now in a position to offer an extended range of machining capabilities.”
The type of components that PTF machines includes shafts, impellers, bearing covers and housings, sleeves, spindles, casings, clamp and wear plates, stuffing boxes, retainers, washers and lids, although they are not restricted to these
“There are very few companies in South Africa that have this capacity and as word gets around we are finding that more and more projects are being offered to us.”
“The Yu Shine VL is a heavy duty and versatile CNC vertical lathe manufactured in Taiwan and supplied by Victor Fortune. The machine has a swing diameter of 2 000 mm, a turning diameter of 1600 mm and turning height of 1350 mm. The table load is up to eight tons.”
“The power spindle combines the spindle motor and a 2 step transmission to provide powerful face milling, end milling, drilling, tapping and grinding operations. Equipped with a second power spindle, the C and CF axes provide turning, face milling, side milling, drilling, grinding and tapping operations all in a single set-up.”
The Yu Shine VL is a heavy duty and versatile CNC vertical lathe manufactured in Taiwan and supplied by Victor Fortune. The machine has a swing diameter of 2 000 mm, a turning diameter of 1600 mm and turning height of 1350 mm. The table load is up to eight tons
“An added option that we included was live tooling which gives us a huge amount of flexibility.”
“An example of a component that we have just completed on the Yu Shine is a copper bronze alloy spin casting. We first machined the surfaces and then the radius before drilling. The component, which has a diameter of 1350mm, arrives weighing 211 kilograms and once the machining is completed it has a weight of 99 kilograms. We had four of these to machine and each one took about nine hours to complete.”
Type of components
The type of components that PTF machines includes shafts, impellers, bearing covers and housings, sleeves, spindles, casings, clamp and wear plates, stuffing boxes, retainers, washers and lids, although they are not restricted to these.
The company machines between 120 and 150 shafts a month, depending on the orders. On the conventional machines they can machine up to four metres between centres and on the Victor V Turn 40 they can accommodate up to 2,2 metres between centres
“We machine between 120 and 150 shafts a month, depending on the orders. On the conventional machines we can machine up to four metres between centres and on the Victor V Turn 40 we can accommodate up to 2,2 metres between centres.”
“Virtually 70% of components machined by us are stainless steel with most metals making up the remaining 30%.”
Traceability
Besides having all the required quality and inspection checks and equipment PTF also have a Telesis pin stamper, supplied by Traceability Solutions, at their disposal.
“The requirement by OEMs is complete traceability on every component. The Telesis does this with heat markings, time, date and all the other stipulated markings required by each individual OEM.”
Besides having all the required quality and inspection checks and equipment PTF also have a Telesis pin stamper, supplied by Traceability Solutions, at their disposal
Ten years ago PTF was very much reliant on one pump manufacturer for work. However the company has expanded to become a job shop supplier for several pump manufacturers. These include Weir Warman, Sulzer, Grundfos, Sam Engineering and Rapid Allweiler, to name a few. On the valve side they machine components for Dynamic Fluid Control, Bay Engineering and Franklin Electric.
The staff compliment currently totals 30.
The facility comprises two separate buildings each with 870 m² under roof. The second building was only completed just before the holiday period in 2011.
“We had been buying machines regularly and were running out of space. The second building was always in our plans but every time we found an excuse to buy another machine. However when we purchased the Yu Shine it forced us to build it.”
Components ready for delivery
“The benefit is that we now have a modern facility that houses all our recent purchases and still gives us the space to purchase more machines. An atmosphere controlled quality measuring room is also in the pipeline for this second building and should be completed in 2013.”
As the company is primarily a job shop that machines the components from billet or is supplied the castings from the clients there is no need to have its own design facilities. However it does run its machining operations on EdgeCam.
For further details contact PTF Manufacturers on TEL: +27 (11) 825 3590
