There are many family businesses that fail when the younger generation takes over. But there are also many success stories to tell. Running a family business involves personal relationships that other companies may not have. Anceriz Engineering in Germiston, Gauteng is a third generation family business. Fernando da Silva Anceriz founded the company in 1972 and retired in 2011. His daughters Alda da Sousa and Antonia Castaneira are already with the company as CFO and Managing Director respectively, and they are now doing well. But it is Dane da Sousa, grandson of Fernando and son of Arda, who is the driving force behind the company.
Ancerise started the company as a general engineering recruitment firm not focused on any particular industry.
“My grandfather founded this company because he had a passion for machining. He was a craftsman and he liked to see parts made of metal, quality was the main thing for him. He was even more passionate about machine tools in the workshop, 2011. When he retired in 2018, his focus shifted completely from machining to machines.Repairing and fixing the various machines on the floor was his first priority, but also needed to keep the components from mixing,” Dane da Souza explains.
The latest addition to Anceriz Engineering’s machining division is the Victor Vturn-S26, their new 3-axis CNC turning center with slant bed technology. The Vturn-S26 horizontal lathe is equipped with servo C-axis and BMT servo fast turret, fast feed speed of 18/24 m/min and high pulling force of 1441 Nm. The 4.5 kW motor provides a real-time tool speed of 4000 rpm, and the swing on the bed is increased by 600 mm, which increases the maximum turning diameter to 430 mm.
“When I joined the company in 2010, there was no sign of lean manufacturing or workflow on the shop floor. You could barely get around the machines, it was so crowded. The way the machine shop was set up helped my 33 year old grandfather, so changing the place to work will not be easy.”
“Since its inception, the company has specialized in engineering services, including conventional milling, conventional turning, milling, surface grinding, grooving and boring. The company’s customer base ranges from the automotive, railway, rolling, mining and agricultural industries to pulp and paper and paper and the paper industry. His clients include Scaw Metals and Plasserrail. Who knows how many different components are processed.”
“The key to running a successful family business is to always be honest and remember the company’s history. But there comes a time when a company isn’t doing well and changes need to be made.”
“I studied industrial engineering at university before I joined the engineering company my uncle worked for. He was my mentor and at his company I learned everything from manufacturing to invoicing. The range of products a company produces will also affect on our relationship with my grandfather’s company. Today.”
From Shop Floor Chaos to Lean Order Classical lean principles are indeed considered a boon, but for manufacturers who produce components in small batches, the benefits can be difficult to achieve. This can be achieved, but an efficient layout of the machine based on component routing is required.
Anceriz Engineering Liner Adapters for Mining Drilling
“Through negotiations within the family, we have decided to focus on the processing of fewer components, but the assembled components make up the product. At this point, we will be a company that is not only seen as a processing company, but also as a company that adds the importance of separating business decisions away from family life, although this is easier said than done By maintaining boundaries, you are less likely to have conflicts with your family at home or at work Sometimes decisions are made in the best interests of the company This can upset family members But even if my personal loyalty may depend on this person, it is important to make choices at work that serve the common good of the company, not business decisions based on family loyalty,” de Souza continued.
“To get out of the crisis, you need to understand two key points: understand the nature of lean manufacturing and how it is applied in engineering shops, not in a manufacturing environment. First, understand that the vast majority of generally accepted lean manufacturing practices are aimed at optimizing processes. That is, how products move through manufacturing operations.Secondly, and most importantly, it must be recognized that the most effective way to optimize a process is to distribute work across product families rather than across parts families.”
“We have chosen to focus on the mining industry, both surface and underground, but with a focus on drilling products – down-the-hole drilling (DTH) and reverse circulation (RC) drilling products. These include pipes, inner pipes, drill pipes, couplings, liners. adapters and other accessories.
“These products are categorized as rock drills and rock drills and can be used in most mining operations.”
Journey “What is the most efficient way to increase your own capacity? The traditional way is to increase assets by buying or renting additional machines, but this is not always the best way. Reduced productivity and component costs come at the expense of efficiency.”
“In our case, it was getting rid of old and non-production assets and then getting more productive assets and implementing processes and production systems. As I said, walking the shop floor is a task because of the clutter. In the company, it was a challenging period in history of the country, but in order to move forward, we must be realistic.”
“In less than 10 years, we can say we made the right decision despite the poor performance of the mining industry. This can also be attributed to our innovative and reliable small, dynamic team.”
Components manufactured by Anceriz Engineering for Reverse Cycle (RC) Hammers
“Manufacturing products and components for harsh environments and complex environments is a task that not every manufacturing company enjoys. If you supply products to a demanding mining industry and your competitors are not just local suppliers of the future business, but a multinational company that If you If you have been in business for many years than you, then it will be more of a challenge.In addition, the face of mining has changed dramatically over the past decade.This is especially true in South Africa, where the contraction is due to external pressures.Expenses, low prices for goods, labor conflicts and declining productivity have all taken their toll in South Africa South Africa is home to most of the deepest (and historically richest) gold mines in the world, located about 70 km southwest of Johannesburg. for ore extraction. Most of these mines have reached the stage of maturity, and the cost of extraction gold may soon exceed its value. Therefore, it is not surprising for the world’s mining companies that the challenge now is to maximize processes and reduce costs.”
OEM Involvement “We don’t sell directly to end users, we make products for OEMs such as Sandvik, Epiroc, Caterpillar, etc. They then brand and distribute their products. You can find them in Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Ghana, Burkina Fuso and many other countries, 60% to 70% of our production will be exported.”
Down the Hole (DTH) “Our DTH products cover all operations related to the DTH drilling method. Main product categories include DTH drill pipes (hot rolled and cold drawn), DTH connections, DTH accessories such as stabilizers and drill collars, starting rods, check valves etc.) Product selection will include applications such as piling, bench drilling, production drilling, site survey, horizontal drilling, frontal piling, water well drilling, etc.”
“Our DTH drill pipe is available in lengths of 3, 6, 9, 10 and 12 meters and diameters from 2 to 8 5/8 inches. ”
Reverse Circulation Drilling Tools “Today, reverse circulation is the method of choice for pre-exploration, mining and in-pit grade control. This technology has won the market due to its speed, efficiency and ability to provide accurate samples for evaluation by geologists. ”
“Our reverse circulation (RC) hammers are designed for all types of exploration drilling (deep holes and grade control). Whether you are exploring potential sites or operating existing mines.”
Anceriz Engineering DTH drill pipes are available in lengths of 3, 6, 9, 10 and 12 meters and diameters from 2 to 8 5/8 inches. All of these pipes are cut to length and the ends are machined on a flat lathe provided by WD Hearn.
“RC hammer is basically the same as a traditional down-the-hole hammer, but the inner tube runs through the center of the hammer. The cuttings are collected in the hole at the front of the drill bit, closed and transported in the inner tube. It is located on the bit and the chuck between splines. The inner tube is consumable material and can be easily replaced with a hammer head.In all air hammers, the inner tube assembly can be removed without removing the rear head.”
“We manufacture all RC drilling components, including RC drill pipe, inner tube, all connections, oil reservoirs, wells, cross connections, purge and drain connections, head wear inner tube, swivel joints, flow guide box and hose for sampling. “.
API Certified Gauge “The industry norm is to use API certified thread gauges in mining equipment, but it’s surprising how many companies don’t. the determination of the reliability of the drill string connection lies in the proper inspection of the threads.
“We are pleased to announce that our thread gauges are API certified and regularly sent for calibration. All of our API thread gauges are stored in a clean, temperature-controlled eco gauge bank.”
CNC Machining “We chose Victor Fortune CNC machines after cleaning up our old equipment. We now have five CNC lathes and two CNC milling machines.”
“The newest addition to our machining department is the Victor Vturn-S26, their new 3-axis CNC turning center with slant bed technology. The Vturn-S26 horizontal turning center has a servo driven C-axis and a fast servo BMT turret with fast speed feed rate of 18/24 m/min and high thrust of 1441 Nm.The 4.5 kW motor provides a real-time tool speed of 4000 rpm, adding 600 mm of bed rotation, which increases the maximum turning diameter to 430 mm.”
“This machine was installed during the lockdown. Supplying products to the mining industry keeps us going as we are considered an important supplier.”
Other New Developments Other new developments by Anceriz Engineering include the introduction of the Optimus management information system software, which will help companies transform and automate their internal business processes to create projects such as estimates, work packages and production plans, work lists, invoices and deliveries. List of information.
Anceriz Engineering is API certified for regularly calibrated thread gauges. All API thread gauges are stored in a clean library of temperature controlled environmental gauges.
The company also increased the roof area from 1,200 square meters to 1,800 square meters and rented a building next door to be used as a warehouse. Anceriz Engineering has 25 employees working in two shifts.
“My grandfather continues to be the chairman of the company and visits us regularly. It’s nice that we can joke about changes in the equipment and direction of the company. As he said, smart people run smart companies. Family members also need to come to an agreement, not accept “My way or a road trip approach to decision making, because there is often no one right answer to a question. After all, you have to respect family members and employees.”
Post time: Nov-03-2022