Quality Technologies (QT) has been in the electronics manufacturing business for quite a long time, since March 1985 to be correct, when it was founded by AFW Steyn, the father of present managing director, Johann Steyn. The mid-eighties was the time when we still had a large electronics manufacturing base, a lot of which has since 'gone to the wall'. Quality Technologies has survived and grown largely through a strategic revision of its production portfolio as market conditions changed. While still mainly a supplier to the local electronics and electrical industry, QT recently initiated exports to South Korea.
The original business focused on the complete local manufacture of PABX systems using components supplied by the German company DFG and the company's own power supplies. During the eighties intelligent monitors were also produced for the then Department of Education and QT later designed and built its own PC monitors that were sold to the Altech Group. In the early '90s, of course, the telecommunications market changed dramatically with less emphasis being placed on local content and QT appropriately changed direction.
A core proficiency right from the beginning was the design and manufacture of transformers which were produced to satisfy QT's own in house requirements. Over time, more and more customers asked the company if they could not produce their transformers as well, and production grew to focus on this business. With a permanent staff today of 34 people (contract workers are hired when required) some 12 000 transformers can be produced in a single shift but normal production is between 7000 and 10 000 transformers and coils per day. The transformers can be produced to the customer's own design or QT can develop the design and draw up the specification for the client, ensuring that all transformers delivered adhere to this specification.
Thorough test and control
While QT is not ISO-certified its in-house quality procedure follows the guidelines of the international standard. This includes records of incoming goods inspection and through line test results. The company has established its own laboratory and there is a 100% test of all transformers produced. The laboratory is also used to test the imported copper wire, this being critical for the transformer manufacturing business. QT believes it is one of the few if not the only manufacturer in South Africa to test such wire, the ideal product having been very difficult to source in the first place.
In terms of transformers QT manufactures both the power and telecommunications varieties. Of course power transformers are used throughout the electronic and electrical industries and QT covers the full range from 1 VA to 250 VA. The transformers are available in various housings including resin-encapsulated, bracket mounting and pin-mounting (for PCB applications). A range of transformers for telecommunications applications are also produced using ferrite cores and nickel laminations. The telecommunications range includes adjustable filter transformers, inductors, chokes and coin handling transformers.
Additional products
Two other product ranges offered by QT are switch mode power supply transformers and circuit breaker coils. The switch mode power supply transformers can be customised to meet the requirements of the customer and characteristics include compact size and low heat dissipation together with high efficiency. The range of standard circuit breaker coils includes voltage and current coils as well as relay and shunt trip coils.
In addition to the above, the company manufactures a standard range of small power supplies and AC adaptors such as can be used with laptops, radios, alarm systems and other electronic devices that require a low voltage AC input.
Telephony devices
Quality Technologies also began importing telephone devices in the late eighties but this distribution business was spun off into another company owned by the Steyn family, namely Qualitel Transmission (Qualitel). Qualitel provides a full range of analog phones such as basic telephones, speaker phones, feature phones, caller identification phones, ISDN telephones as well as answering machines. The supplier and manufacturer of the systems is Kingtel of Taiwan, a company renowned for both the quality of the product itself and the audio output of the devices. While operating as separate companies the link between QT and Qualitel is close. A complete new range of telephony devices from Kingtel is being launched in South Africa during July.
Quality Technologies has spent almost 20 years establishing an international network of manufacturers for its components that are directly imported. All of these suppliers have been physically inspected by the local company and have established their credibility over a long time period. In addition to selling its manufactured systems QT has now started selling smaller volumes of components which could be advantageous to other local companies that do not want to hold expensive levels of stock. All of the imported components are inspected by QT and this includes copper wire, laminations and plastic components. Quality Technologies itself has moulds for plastic bobbins and transformer housings and these parts can also be supplied if required.
Quality Technologies continues to thrive in its core business of designing and manufacturing transformers and coils. While larger power transformers are imported QT remains very competitive in the supply of its customer specific designs in quantities that match the lower volume needs of local companies. Although it has many customers throughout South Africa some of the more important ones are CBI, Landis+Gyr as well as Marconi. The company remains privately-owned and is controlled by the Steyn family.
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