The local subsidiary of Huntsman Tioxide, one of the world`s largest producers of titanium dioxide pigments used primarily in paint, plastics and paper industries, has embarked on a major upgrade of its computer network.
The Durban (KwaZulu-Natal) based company has increased its investment in its local plant in a bid to optimise its world-class technology in South Africa. Currently the local plant in Umbogentwini delivers more than 40 000 tonnes of product annually to markets in this country and overseas.
The upgrade was undertaken by Dimension Data Network Services in a bid to improve access times across the network to accommodate on-going expansion and the addition of users accessing the company`s information, production and administration systems.
"The upgrade also addresses our need for additional bandwidth to accommodate new-generation graphics-based applications and our impending installation of a new application," says IT manager, Wolfgang Schobel.
From a technical perspective the network upgrade was undertaken in two phases.
The first phase consisted of the installation of a DEC Multiswitch 900 backplate together with the addition of a DEC VN network switch on a Fast Ethernet platform facilitating high speed (10/100Mbps) links to the desktop throughout the organisation.
The second phase will be the installation of a gigabit Ethernet uplink from the DEC switch to the network`s file servers. "This will also facilitate future expansion," explains Schobel.
He emphasised that existing DEC equipment, installed more than four years ago, was re-sited within the LAN by Dimension Data Network Services specialists and that no equipment was made obsolete.
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