Uninterrupted service from Rand-Air compressors is the key to success for South East Marine Services 12 January 2011 In the busy ship repair business, where fast turnaround times are expected, equipment needs to be reliable and robust. South East Marine Services have been involved in ship cleaning since April 1983 and relies on Rand-Air’s compressors to give them the uninterrupted service levels they require for their blasting and coating equipment. “Our main activity is abrasive blasting, coating, hull cleaning and tank cleaning of the ships, offshore supply vessels and oil rigs, brought into the dry dock at the Port of Cape Town for repair and refurbishment, ” says owner of the company, Hans Petring. “When we first started out we hired equipment from another compressor hire company but Rand-Air continued to visit us so we decided to give them a chance in 1985 and then there was no turning back.” Hans explains that his company hires the occasional small generator from Rand-Air but that their core interest lies in the range of compressors from 140 cfm up to 1000 cfm. “A few years ago I told Rand-Air that I needed a higher capacity compressor for some of the larger jobs I was undertaking. They listened to my needs and promptly ordered an Atlas Copco 1000 cfm machine – the first of its kind to be used by a compressor hire company in South Africa. This willingness to please its customers is inherent in all of Rand-Air’s staff and is one of the main reasons we have such a strong, enduring relationship.” South East Marine Services employs 15 people on a fulltime basis, with this number multiplying up to 100 people on a casual basis when larger contracts are underway. “In most instances we know in advance when a ship is coming into dry dock for repair/refurbishment and then we can prepare the necessary staff and equipment for the job at hand. However, sometimes a vessel is brought in for emergency, unscheduled work and we need to mobilise the team and equipment quickly and efficiently. For this reason we demand extraordinary service from Rand-Air and in the rare instance that they cannot provide their own equipment, they cross-hire compressors from third parties to accommodate us,” Hans says. “We are very busy, so most days of the week we have a number of a number of Rand-Air compressors on hire for anywhere between two days for the smaller jobs and up to 15 days for the larger jobs. We generally use four 800 cfm or 1000 cfm compressors and a couple of smaller compressors for these larger jobs,” says Hans. “We have obviously considered buying our own compressors in the past but the logistics involved, such as having a dedicated service mechanic, insurance on the machines and the availability and cost of spares, were additional deciding factors in continuing to hire rather than purchase. “Besides the obvious convenience factors and the high levels of service provided by Rand-Air’s team, there is another benefit to hiring these well-maintained and high-quality Atlas Copco compressors. The machines are designed and engineered to operate at the constant pressures so crucial to the superior sandblasting finish required to achieve the desired profiles needed for painting,” Hans explains. “At the end of the day, delivering the correct pressure and volume in this industry is imperative. If this is not achieved, there is a waste of grit during this process, which leads to loss of production, time and ultimately money,” he adds. “Apart from the reliability of the machines, another plus for us is that Rand-Air has offices five minutes away from our base next to the dry dock so they are available to assist us at a moment’s notice. I can say without reservation that the service provided by them is second to none,” Hans concludes.