Namibia: Kraatz Builds Scrum Machine for Western Suburbs

29 March 2023
The Namibian (Windhoek)

KRAATZ Engineering (Kraatz), a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group, that specialises in engineering services in the marine and offshore, mining, fabrication, heavy machine equipment, solar and welding sector recently handed over a scrum machine to the value of N$25 000 to Western Suburbs Rugby Club.

Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in Africa with Namibia being the current African champions and the country with the most Africa Gold Cup wins (nine in total). This is by no means a small feat with many Namibian players hailing from local clubs such as Western Suburbs, situated in the heart of the Khomasdal community of Windhoek.

The scrum machine, aptly named 'Kraatzie' was custom-designed by the Kraatz team to avoid accidental injury by broadening the base plates and other modifications and fabricated using steel that weighs approximately 230kg, has an overall length of 3,07m and width of 1,51m. It took the Kraatz team 81 hours to complete and was not only a fun challenge but also a feel-good one as it is a project that gives back to the community.

Said Jacques de Langen, project manager of Kraatz: "Rugby is part of our community - it is a sports activity that even some of our employees engage in. Being able to deliver this quality scrum machine is not just a feather in our cap, but a testimony to the quality engineering Kraatz commits itself to. It speaks to our group purpose of creating a future and enhancing life for all and how the little we did here can go a long way for the club and the players."

Keith Allies, president of Western Suburbs Rugby Club expressed his appreciation for the sponsorship.

"I want to thank O&L and Kraatz for this sponsorship and the team who started working on this project during the holidays when everything was closed. That shows your commitment not only to Kraatz and O&L, but to the community. This scrum machine is not just a scrum machine, it is a work of art. The previous machine carried us for almost 20 years, but techniques have changed, and so must we. This new machine will help us with that. This sponsorship means a lot to the club, and we are grateful and happy to receive Kraatzie as our new scrumming partner," he said.

Read the original article on Namibian.

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