Watson-Marlow Bredel SA has launched the new APEX range of pumps for dosing, metering and transfer duties between 2.8 and 1 200 litres per hour.

Robust, reliable and flexible, APEX sets the new standard for lowering life cycle costs in a broad range of tough industrial applications. Unlike other pump types, these hose pumps have no expensive wearing components such as seals, valves, membranes, stators, rotors or glands to maintain.

The pumps are perfectly suited for handling difficult fluids – corrosive, viscous, shear-sensitive, gaseous, crystallising or even fluids with a combination of these properties.

“The all-round performance of the new models 10, 15 and 20 means they are suited to applications ranging from lime dosing and slurry transfer to handling food and beverage products,” says Watson-Marlow Bredel SA general manager Nico van Schalkwyk.

“Along with a two-year warranty, customers purchase safe in the knowledge that these pumps are manufactured by Bredel, the world’s largest manufacturer of hose pumps, with more than 100 000 models in operation around the globe,” he adds.

Offering the best performance available on the market for pressures up to 116 psi makes this pump an ideal choice for ongoing, precise dosing. The pumps also require extremely low maintenance, giving extended up-time and therefore process continuity.

With a cast aluminum housing which provides superior heat dissipation, robust direct coupled technology and precision machined hosed elements, the pump offers decreased cost of ownership, reduced operating costs and low inventory stocking.

Among the many benefits of the new pumps is ease of scalability. While the pump offers optimum performance for low transfer applications, should process requirements change, easy upgrades are achievable without having to buy a new pump.

“APEX models are three pumps in one, with a single pump body adjustable for three hose sizes (10, 15 and 20mm) when production volumes rise,” says van Schalkwyk. “Such scalability to higher flows provides future-proofing that cannot be matched by competitor pumps.”

New branch
Watson-Marlow has also expanded its area network with the opening of a branch in Cape Town. The company has restructured its sales force and appointed Bernard Rabé as Cape Town area manager to focus on industrial sectors such as food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and environmental.

“In terms of sales we have registered real-term growth of double digit figures over the past 12 months – and our goal is to achieve the same success rate in the Cape,” says van Schalkwyk.

In explaining the rationale behind the new branch, he points out: “Our strategy is to ‘go-direct’ in all major areas/accounts. We have achieved this goal in recent years with the opening of branch offices in Durban and Rustenburg and they have proved to be highly successful.”

He adds: “With any distributor there will always be a conflict of interest between peristaltic, progressive cavity (mono type) and double diaphragm pumps. To survive in the current economic climate, we need aggressive marketing and a committed sales team to carry us through.”