KLINGER South Africa’s valve refurbishment program: reduce, reuse, and recycle

After years of leadership in valve and gasket development and production, KLINGER was ready for a new challenge: could they offer their customers refurbishment services, thereby closing the entire product life cycle?

KLINGER South Africa rose to the occasion, becoming one of few leading valve distributors in South Africa to achieve refurbishment certification. With four years of successful valve refurbishment experience already on the books, KLINGER South Africa’s program attracted the attention of Sasol, a world leader in the chemical and fuel industries. Companies across multiple sectors took notice of the refurbishment program, including big names such as the international steel and mining company ArcelorMittal, Omnia, and the South African polymer producer Safripol.

Discover KLINGER South Africa's Valve Reconditioning Services

Refurbishment quality through attention to detail

To make a name for the company as a refurbishment source, KLINGER South Africa knew they would have to prove their commitment to detailed, immaculate work.

 

The refurbishment team consists of a core staff committed solely to refurbishment work at KLINGER South Africa’s Sasolburg location, including a quality assurance officer, workshop manager, costing clerk, and valve technicians. Additional flexible staff are available for larger or more urgent projects.

KLINGER South Africa’s program focuses on transparency and customer satisfaction at every step in the refurbishment process. Collection, transport, and delivery services are available, allowing the customer to remain on-site without down time. Each workshop space is customized to accommodate the needs of the product line being refurbished. The customer supervises and signs off for each phase of the project, from receipt and inspection to machining and pressure testing. KLINGER South Africa guarantees all work performed and all replacement parts used.

Refurbished valves: certified, signed and labeled

Each valve is inspected on arrival, with all possible issues documented and photographed for tracking through the refurbishment process. After visual assessment, the valve is stripped and examined in detail, with all parts meticulously inspected for wear or failure and re-photographed. The customer receives a detailed evaluation describing the valve’s diagnosis and recommended actions for repair. On customer approval, parts are re-machined or replaced, flange ends are smoothed and deburred, and the valve is reassembled and painted. After successful pressure testing, the valve is certified, signed, labeled, and returned to the customer.

Level gauges are also serviced through the KLINGER South Africa refurbishment program. Like valves, they are documented and photographed, then disassembled and analyzed for wear or failure while being re-photographed. After sandblasting and replacing the glass and gasket, they are reassembled and pressure tested. Once a cock valve is applied, they are certified, signed, labeled, and returned to the customer.

All components are disassembled, photographed, and carefully analyzed for wear or failure, before they are reconditioned, reassembled and pressure tested.

Sustainable maintenance saves time, money, and resources

Valve maintenance and damage can cause system down time, which affects a company’s bottom line. Maintaining a back-up fleet of valves to minimize down time requires the customer to tie up capital in unused inventory. With valve refurbishment, the customer is able to minimize expense and material usage. Rotating components through the refurbishment process spreads wear across the entire system, allowing the customer to track valves’ life cycles and to better predict maintenance windows. Avoiding disposal fees and minimizing material sent to landfills are other benefits of refurbishment.

Before (left) and after (right): Once it’s refurbished this Sasol valve looks as good as new.

Building stronger customer relationships

While offering full life cycle support for valve and gauge products is a notable goal on its own merit, KLINGER South Africa also takes pride in building stronger customer relationships through its refurbishment program. Says Herbst, “It's a good synergistic service to valve manufacturing and supply.” Serving as an end-to-end solution for valves and gauges allows KLINGER South Africa to take a big-picture perspective on product technology, using the lessons learned during the repair process to refine research and design at the start of the product life cycle. Customers have the opportunity to address wear and failure issues with product experts, receiving custom feedback that allows them to improve the service life of products that are historically subjected to severe or abrasive conditions.

Discover KLINGER South Africa's Valve Reconditioning Services