Power transformer designer and manufacturer Actom Power Transformers has celebrated its recent recommendation for accreditation as the only South African National Accreditation System- (SANAS-)certified power transformer test lab in South Africa.

The company marked this major milestone with a celebratory ‘Open Day’ at its Wadeville factory, in Gauteng. The event not only honoured the company’s over 60-year legacy as a trusted local manufacturer, it also celebrated the completion of a major factory expansion.

Although Actom’s milestone anniversary fell in 2023, celebrations were delayed, ensuring they would coincide with the finalisation of key infrastructure upgrades, which resulted in a 35% increase in production capacity.

This included new winding machines, assembly stations, and a second vapour phase drying oven, which are essential for manufacturing large-scale, high-voltage transformers.

These improvements enable Actom to meet growing demand from the power utility, municipal and renewable-energy sectors across Southern Africa.

“We don’t just supply products; we build long-term partnerships with our clients,” says Actom Power Transformers divisional CEO Steve Jordaan.

He adds that Actom transformers are designed to last 40 years, and “with our in-house design team, end-to-end manufacturing capabilities and cradle-to-grave support, we deliver reliability our clients can depend on”.

Lab Firsts
A standout achievement celebrated at the Open Day is the company’s SANAS ISO/ International Electromechanical Commission (IEC) 17025:2017 recommendation for accreditation for its in-house transformer test laboratories – the only such certification for power transformers in Africa.

This accreditation ensures the precision and reliability of Actom’s in-depth IEC 60076 test protocols, which include impulse testing with a 2.4 MV impulse generator, chopped wave and switching impulse analysis, partial discharge diagnostics, and full factory acceptance tests.

“With SANAS accreditation, our customers can now trust that our testing is independently certified to international standards,” adds Actom sales and marketing manager Wilma Muller.

She adds that this sets a new benchmark for transformer quality and testing on the continent.

Local Expertise, Global Standards
Founded in 1963 as a subsidiary of Scottish transformer manufacturer Bonar Long, Actom Power Transformers has evolved into a fully South African business with a comprehensive in-house engineering and manufacturing team.

The company designs and manufactures Class 1 and Class 2 transformers from 2.5 MVA to 315 MVA and up to 275 kV, serving the needs of generation, transmission, distribution, industrial and renewables projects.

Key to its success is its intellectual property and over 30 years of design experience, backed by advanced engineering tools and global technical partners.

The company holds over 50 approved designs with State-owned power utility Eskom and is accredited under ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001.

Clean Energy Transition
Actom Power Transformers has the largest installed base of renewables transformers of any local original-equipment manufacturer in South Africa.

Its footprint spans over 60 renewables projects and includes landmark projects such as Redstone, Loeriesfontein, Khobab and Kangnas, in the Northern Cape, Jeffrey’s Bay in the Eastern Cape, and Perdekraal in the Western Cape.

Actom supplies transformers for facilities housing solar PV, wind, concentrated solar power, hydro, biomass and battery energy storage systems.

“Our transformers are a critical enabler of independent power producer projects,” says Muller.

She adds that Actom supports local procurement, meets Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme job creation criteria, and helps engineering, procurement and construction companies deliver reliable, bankable energy infrastructure.

The company’s diversification from a single utility customer into renewables, municipalities and data centres has reduced business risk while increasing its relevance in high-growth markets.

Moreover, Actom Power Transformers delivers comprehensive lifecycle support, ranging from logistics and abnormal road routing to onsite erection and final site acceptance testing.

It also offers its own in-house-developed online condition monitoring through real-time dashboards, including dissolved gas analysis, power analysis and load trend tracking to ensure customers can monitor transformer health remotely and proactively.

This integrated approach supports clients from project design to long-term maintenance, enabling 40-year transformer lifespans and lowering total cost of ownership.

Looking Ahead
With strong foundations and increased capacity, the company is now focusing on scaling transformer size and complexity through alternative supply partnerships, as well as the expansion of online condition monitoring services, all of which are geared to support the continent’s growing demand for grid resilience and renewable energy.

“We are proudly South African, but globally benchmarked. As power needs evolve, Actom Power Transformers remains ready to meet them,” concludes Jordaan.