In the second largest sub-Saharan Africa installation of the latest range of Allen-Bradley variable speed drives (VSDs), Rockwell Automation supplied the Mashonaland Tobacco Company (MTC) in Zimbabwe with just under 300 PowerFlex AC 753 VSDs of varying sizes.
The 400 V, three-phase drives formed part of the automation upgrade of MTC’s newly reopened plant in Harare, following the recovery of the Zimbabwean tobacco industry. A major benefit of the new generation VSDs that MTC picked up shortly after the installation was that the power factor correction bank on the input of the plant did not need to be activated as often.
“This reduction is due to the inherent power factor correction of an AC VSD, and the improved speed control on the process. As a result, MTC envisages sizeable energy and cost savings over the long-term,” explains Colin Morris, Rockwell Automation branch manager, sub-Sahara Africa Export.
The robust, state-of-the-art Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 753 AC VSDs provide MTC with increased application flexibility, advanced diagnostics and reporting excellence by supplying real-time information, which aids troubleshooting and helps minimise downtime throughout the plant.
The first 98 of the AC drives were delivered to MTC within six weeks of Rockwell Automation receiving the order, and were fitted with input/output reactors and line chokes. Thanks to the user-friendly design of the VSDs, MTC was able to retrofit and commission them with minimal technical assistance from Mine Elect, Rockwell Automation’s Zimbabwean channel partner.
“MTC has a few existing Allen-Bradley 1336 Legacy drives in the plant, and has been impressed with their reliability, performance and longevity. When it came to choosing drives for this upgrade, our products were the automatic choice,” says Morris.
The company will be receiving training from Rockwell Automation for the long life ahead of the drives, and maintenance support from Mine Elect.
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