Werner Pumps, a leading manufacturer of high-pressure jetting equipment in South Africa, has patented its wet and dry combination jetting and vacuum truck unit, designed and manufactured locally in South Africa. The company has already built and sold the first few units and believes demand for such trucks will continue to grow.

Sebastian Werner, MD at Werner Pumps, says the company has built on the success of its IMPI Combi Unit, a versatile machine suited to many applications, to fill a gap in the market for a truck that is able to meet dry vacuuming application requirements too.

The need for new

“We found that customers were looking for a machine that could not only be used in wet jetting and vacuuming applications, such as stormwater drain or sewer cleaning but also for dry applications, such as dust suppression on mines or managing fly ash in power generation facilities,” he says. “We developed a new version of our vacuum pump to address these needs, and we’ve seen that the unit performs well in the ‘in-between’ applications too, such as vacuuming slurry. This makes it a great investment for customers who are using it for multiple applications. We’ve already deployed the first unit, and the customer is very happy with its performance.”

As with the dry-only system, the high-pressure pump on the Werner wet/dry IMPI system has a capacity of 295l/min at 135 bar and is fitted with a pneumatically operated regulating valve, making pressure adjustment simple and contributing to operator safety.

The vacuum pump has a 2400m3/hr suction capability, and the vehicle is fitted with a 12,500-litre stainless steel tank. Other features include a hydraulic slewing suction boom, two hydraulic-driven hose reels and multiple toolboxes.

“We’re always looking to innovate based on what our customers need,” says Werner. “We also love to prove that South Africa offers great local products and technology that can compete with our international counterparts and even exceed what they offer for the African market.”