South African traction transformer factory celebrates its 5th anniversary

Hitachi Energy’s traction transformer factory, including production lines, an assembly facility and a world-class testing facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, celebrated its fifth anniversary on 10 December 2021.

The facility was built by a dedicated team of 30 people, led by Quinton Gouveia, Senior Project Manager and Transformer Factory Manager for Hitachi Energy. It was inaugurated in 2016 as part of the company’s drive to find local as well as global solutions to the challenge of transitioning to a more sustainable energy future.

“My sincere appreciation to the traction transformers’ team, and all those who support our operations, for your unrelenting dedication to meeting safety, quality, and customer requirements,” Gouveia said. 

As a mission-critical infrastructure provider, Hitachi Energy is proud of its people, their passion, and their commitment to pioneering a sustainable energy future. The company fosters safe working environments to protect its people, preserve business continuity, and continue to operate effectively in the modern world. 

To date, 150 traction transformer units have been tested successfully at the factory’s world-class test facility , which carries out routine tests as per IEC60310. The factory also includes a winding production shop with two production lines and a separate assembly facility with coil preparation, active part assembly, three-phase rack assembly, tanking, and oil filling.  

“These projects display our resilience, dedication, and very proudly, the South African attitude of empowering local production and creating local employment opportunities. They are great examples of our local expertise, capability, and the emphasis we place on safety,” said Malvin Naicker, Managing Director for Sub Saharan Africa at Hitachi Energy. 

“As the local team, we believe that we can achieve more together by co-creating global and local solutions to solve the global challenge of an inclusive and equitable carbon-neutral future,” says Quinton. 

Hitachi Energy continues to collaborate with customers and partners locally. Its innovative solutions for the utility, industrial, and infrastructure sectors encompass the entire value chain. In conjunction with its valued customers and partners, it aims to advance the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible, and secure, while at the same time balancing social, environmental, and economic value. 

Notes to Editors:-
Key projects and dates:

• Assembly facility completed and commissioned:            10 December 2016
• HV test facility completed and commissioned:                 28 February 2017
• First locally produced unit passes the routine test:         23 March 2017
• First locally produced unit ready for delivery:                   28 November 2017