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Moeller Wins at New Toyota Plants

Moeller Electric has completed the supply of circuit-breakers for control panels at Toyota's newly built Boshuku and Tsusho plants, outside Durban.

Boshuku will manufacture filters and supply automotive interior systems to Toyota vehicle plants worldwide.

Tsusho was commissioned in June to streamline production and optimise the supply chain function of the South African plant only.

Both Boshuku and Tsusho are located in Southgate Industrial Park, close to Toyota's main local assembly line in Prospecton, Durban.

Control panels for the two plants were designed by DBA Consulting Engineers, Moeller Electric's direct customer and a specialist firm with a reputation for on-time and on-budget performance in big industrial and commercial projects.

According to for Louis Oberholster, manager of Moeller Electric's Durban branch, the circuit-breaker order was worth approximately R700 000.

He said that his branch had begun working with DBA Consulting on the Toyota tender in mid-2005, and secured the contract in October.

Moeller Electric's contract comprised the supply of four air circuit-breakers of 3500 amps and 2500 amps, 120 moulded case circuit-breakers, and some 800 miniature circuit breakers of various kinds for different operating temperatures.

All components were delivered to Switchboard Manufacturers and Gamma Panels, the two panel-building companies appointed by DBA Consulting.

Dawie Barnard, managing consultant at DBA, said that it was the high quality of the Moeller product, together with Moeller Electric's established reputation for on-time delivery and effective technical back-up, that had been the deciding factors in placing the business.

Barnard explained that control panel design in industrial projects is characterised by last minute re-positioning of process machinery within the factory layout, and by occasional ordering of different machines.

"This happens in nine out of every ten projects," said Barnard, "and requires very rapid response from our suppliers. We have to re design the control panels quickly - usually overnight - then pass the new specifications to the supplier, who has to be able to deliver within 24 hours.

"Moeller Electric has managed to meet every delivery time since we began working with them in 2001, on occasion even flying components in from Germany to meet particularly tight programmes.

"For the Toyota project, they were up against stiff competition from other leading suppliers, but it was their ability to deliver that clinched the contract. Our relationship is ongoing because of their ability to perform consistently under these difficult scenarios," Barnard concluded.

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