Valve repair and engineering consulting company Brimis Engineering expects that ageing and old infrastructure will result in several project opportunities focused on renewal.

Brimis Engineering MD Andile Nqandela tells Engineering News that the company expects new projects from water boards such as water utilities Rand Water, Magalies Water and Lepelle Northern Water, as well as water management entity Umgeni Water.

He notes that the company intends to compete for the projects with its international partners, including manufacturing companies Georg Fischer and Cla-Val, and valve solutions provider VAG.

“We are bidding for various water treatment plant refurbishments and have identified opportunities in the municipal water-reticulation maintenance space, for which we aim to put forward proposals,” he advances.

Further, the company is aiming to introduce plastic valves for several severe applications in the water management space and to use the Internet of Things tools to monitor plant performance and implement predictive- or risk-based maintenance of water reticulation systems, says Brimis Engineering technical director Moeketsi Mpotu.

“We also plan to implement improved inventory management of various plastic valves and piping accessories used in the severe applications space; these are best suited to chemical applications in water treatment plants,” he adds.

The company is involved in several dewatering projects for various power plants, coal mines and municipal wastewater management on an ad hoc basis. Together with Georg Fischer, it also aims to introduce the Georg Fischer instrumentation product line by the end of the year.

In the long term, Brimis Engineering aims to establish a fully functioning water management consultancy division with a specialised focus on mining dewatering and municipal infrastructure renewal, Mpotu concludes.