MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

Turning your tube-bending and end-forming into a production pipeline

BLM Group
With the suite of BLM equipment, a factory can be in production 24/7. What is more, the entire process and suite of machines can be controlled from a single terminal.
Conventional production-line steel processing dictates that one part is made at a time. Parts are processed sequentially and eventually become part of a larger whole. However, it has been shown that this system, being sequential, is inherently inefficient as, among other things, the production line has to cater for intermediate storage and retrieval of semi-finished goods.

The BLM Group presents a productivity enhancing solution in its 3-Runner, Smart, E-Shape and E-Form suite of machines. In South Africa, BLM equipment is distributed by First Cut, the country’s leading distributor of cutting consumables and capital equipment.

The 3-Runner straightens, forms and cuts tubes from a coil. It cuts these to parts of different lengths and feeds a Carm 7 loader linked to the Smart bending machine. The Carm 7 selects the tubes according to their length, feeding them into the Smart tube bender, notifying the bender of what type of tube it is feeding next.

The 3-Runner can be configured and used with an array of other BLM equipment to carry out either a single job or as a complete production process, being modular and customisable. It is possible to use the 3-Runner as the basis of a system and then add to it with functions such as forming and programmable unloading.

With the 3-Runner, all machine movements are managed by electric axis and all positions and parameters are saved in the part program. This guarantees fast set-up and accurate positioning while diminishing the need for highly skilled technicians to be constantly in attendance.

The Smart tube bender is capable of both right-hand and left-hand bending. Stack tooling provides multiple radius capability to bend tube, wire or hybrid tubes (with flanges or end forms). The Smart is particularly well suited for bending complicated shapes and multiple-radii tubes used in the automotive, air conditioning, heating and refrigeration industries.

Once the Smart has bent the tube, the robot loader unloads the part and feeds it to either the E-Shape or the E-Form end formers according to what type of part it needs to be. Once end-forming is complete, the loader unloads the part into a selected container.

The E-Shape and E-Form all-electric tube forming machines exert up to 10 tons force and employ a wide variety of forming tools for maximum production versatility. As the action of the machine is horizontal, there are no overhead hindrances to operation. The E-Shape can be set up for 10 processing stations (the E-Form has seven processing stations) and both can be easily equipped with ram stations, rotary tools or cutting tools. While the E-Shape performs CNC end-forming and facing, the E-Form performs the additional function of rolling. By combining these technologies, it is possible to obtain parts with repeatable end forms, finish and quality.

This enhanced efficiency has one immediate benefit in that it minimises part costs, as various operations can be overlapped. This eliminates intermediate steps and the reworking of parts. With this suite of BLM equipment, a factory can be in production 24/7. What is more, the entire process and suite of machines can be controlled from a single terminal.

The business ethos of both BLM and First Cut is very much aligned. For more than 60 years, BLM has developed advanced systems for processing tubes, special sections and bars to make production simpler, more innovative, enhancing its customers productivity, while First Cut has built its success on a base of unmatched customer service.

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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.