Gulf Importers

Weg sees growth prospects

Cox: a “whole solution approach”

Brazil’s Weg, the automation and control technology provider, expressed optimism it would continue to witness growth in the GCC region where its customers include major oil and gas companies.

The company exports to all the Gulf states and the main products it ships are the W22 and M-line motors and the CFW11 and MVW01 variable speed drives, said Weg Middle East managing director Colin Cox.

“Saudi Arabia was our biggest market in 2013, and this year we are expecting Qatar to become our largest market,” he said.

“Since we first set up an office in the Middle East in 2008, we have seen a steady increase of approximately 20 per cent year-on-year growth. We work closely with the major oil and gas companies throughout the Gulf, including Saudi Aramco, Qatar Petroleum, Adnoc, and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).”

The company has a sales and after-market facility in Dubai. As well as supplying directly to end users, the process accounting for 70 per cent of its business in the region, the company has two key distributors and works closely with Aikah Establishment and Alkawn Al Saudi. It meets the needs of those who require standard products from stock through its distributors, while the needs of those who want bespoke engineered solutions and support from installation, commissioning to maintenance are met directly.

Giving a rundown of prospects in the region, Cox, said: “We are optimistic in terms of the market. In Oman we foresee growth due to extending oil and gas production (EOR – Enhanced Oil Recovery) projects. In Saudi Arabia we predict the diversification into petrochemicals (downstream activities). This is being driven by the Government’s need to remove the dependence on oil revenues in the future by developing and using the local feedstock for petrochemical products and fertiliser production.”

The CFW500 variable speed drive delivers a robust, flexible and smart solution for speed control of three-phase induction motors

The CFW500 variable speed drive delivers a robust, flexible and smart solution for speed control of three-phase induction motors

Cox believes there are products his company makes which the Gulf is not yet buying but would benefit much if it did so. “While we are well known for motors we feel that we have an equally strong proposition for drives and generators,” he said. “Plus, with Weg it’s not simply products, but rather the whole solution approach that can offer many benefits to the end user.

“At Weg we work closely with our customers and take responsibility for ensuring their system works as they wish. In addition to supplying bespoke products, we offer service and support, enabling them to keep their processes running efficiently with minimum downtime.”

Internationally, Cox said, the company’s best-selling products in 2013 included “our core products: the W22 motor, that provides significantly lower energy consumption, lower noise and vibration levels, higher reliability, easier maintenance and lower cost of ownership in pump and compressor applications; the M-line induction motors that offer exceptional flexibility in design and can be easily adapted to the strictest operating requirements; and the CFW11 variable speed drive that provides excellent speed control of three-phase induction motors.”

The Middle East accounts for a meagre share of Weg’s global turnover in 2013, just $27 million against a total of $3.6 billion.

 

W22Xd motors launched

The W22Xd, launched in the Gulf. W22 motors provide significantly lower energy consumption, lower noise and vibration levels, higher reliability, easier maintenance and lower cost of ownership

The W22Xd, launched in the Gulf. W22 motors provide significantly lower energy consumption, lower noise and vibration levels, higher reliability, easier maintenance and lower cost of ownership

At Adipec in Abu Dhabi, Weg launched its W22Xd super premium efficiency range of hazardous area motors which the company states are the most energy-efficient flameproof motors available on the market.

“Energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important topic in the Middle East,” said Cox. “The region is incredibly proud of its development over the last 20 years and as it continues to look to move towards a more sustainable future, energy efficient motors will further establish the region as an efficient user of the world’s resources as well as contributing to a company’s bottom line.”

Weg’s W22Xd hazardous area motors are designed to cope with the rigours of aggressive and explosive atmospheres, while exceeding high IE4 energy efficiency levels with minimised noise, vibration, and low operating temperature for increased reliability and safety. The motors are available in sizes 3.0 kW to 1,000 kW for gas groups IIA, IIB and IIC, and are Atex certified. With the W22Xd motors, Weg has the widest range of energy efficient low voltage hazardous area motors available in the market today.

 

Other products showcased

Weg showed a range of variable speed drives on its stand. The CFW500 range is available in power ratings from 0.18-22 kW for automation applications including centrifugal and process pumps, fans, compressors and conveyors, and has a built-in micro-PLC, which can be programmed to the IEC 61131-3 coding standard. It also comes with pre-programmed macros for a range of applications, for example positioning, timer and acceleration. It connects to all the major fieldbus systems including Profibus-DP, DeviceNet and CANopen.

The SSW06 and SSW07 soft starters were also on show along with a MVW01 panel unit. Weg’s SSW06 soft starters reduce starting torque in the powertrain by controlling the voltage delivered to the motor. The operator interface has a high-visibility LED display while the keypad provides start, stop, and reset controls, as well as the programming interface. A copy function stores two sets of parameters and can be used to download parameters to other SSW06s for easy cloning of multiple starters. Integral bypass contacts are engaged once the motor is at full voltage to reduce power loss and heat dissipation.