Through an open day, ACTOM Power Transformers, a division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd, is celebrating its 60+ year legacy, along with its recent recommendation for accreditation of the only SANAS-certified power transformer test lab in South Africa and the completion of a major factory expansion.
ACTOM Power Transformers designs and manufactures Class 1 and Class 2 transformers from 2.5 MVA to 315 MVA and up to 275 kV.
Although its 60th anniversary fell in 2023, celebrations were delayed to coincide with the finalisation of key infrastructure upgrades to increase production capacity by 35%. These include new winding machines, assembly stations and a second vapour phase drying oven, which is essential for manufacturing large-scale, high-voltage transformers. These improvements enable ACTOM to meet growing demand from the utility, municipal and renewable energy sectors both locally and across Southern Africa.
“We don’t just supply products; we build long-term partnerships with our customers,” says Steve Jordaan, Divisional CEO at ACTOM Power Transformers. “Our transformers are designed to last 40 years. With our in-house design team, end-to-end manufacturing capabilities, and cradle-to-grave support, we deliver reliability our clients can depend on.”
A legacy built on local expertise and 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 renewable projects.
Key to its success is its local intellectual property and 30+ years of design experience, backed by advanced engineering tools and global technical partners. The company holds over 50 approved designs with Eskom and is accredited under ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001.
SA’s first SANAS-accredited transformer testing lab
A standout achievement that will be celebrated at the Open Day is the company’s SANAS ISO/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 exhaustive IEC 60076 test protocols, which include impulse testing with a 2.4-million volts impulse generator, chopped wave and switching impulse analysis, PD diagnostics and full factory acceptance tests (FAT).
“With SANAS accreditation, our customers can now trust that our testing is independently certified to international standards,” adds Wilma Muller, Sales and Marketing Manager. “This sets a new benchmark for transformer quality and testing on the continent.”
Supporting Africa’s clean energy transition
ACTOM Power Transformers has the largest installed base of renewable transformers of any local OEM in South Africa. Its footprint spans over 60 renewable projects and includes landmark projects such as Redstone, Jeffrey’s Bay, Loeriesfontein, Khobab, Perdekraal, and Kangnas, supplying transformers for solar PV, wind, CSP, hydro, biomass and battery energy storage systems (BESS) facilities. “Our transformers are a critical enabler of IPP projects,” says Muller. “We support local procurement, meet REIPPPP job creation criteria, and help EPCs 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.
Cradle-to-grave service and digital innovation
From logistics and abnormal road routing to onsite erection and final site acceptance testing, ACTOM Power Transformers delivers comprehensive lifecycle support. It also offers its own in-house developed online condition monitoring through real-time dashboards including dissolved gas analysis (DGA), 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: smarter, stronger, and more sustainable
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,” concludes Jordaan. “As power needs evolve, ACTOM Power Transformers remains ready to meet them, through innovation, integrity and decades of trusted service.”
