Metallurgy and process engineering company Multotec recently completed construction of its new R100-million screening media factory to consolidate its South African injection-moulded polyurethane screening media factory sites into a single, larger facility, to enhance capacity and increase efficiency.

The new factory is situated on a 7 068 m² property with 4 360 m² under roof, in close proximity to Multotec’s current Forge road main campus in Spartan, Kempton Park, Gauteng.

It houses the tool room, production facility, offices and warehousing facilities, providing a comprehensive and efficient workspace.

During a launch event and media visit on November 28, Multotec senior VP product management Rhodes Nelson said he anticipated that the new screening media factory would achieve a 15% reduction in unnecessary activity, owing to a footprint that was designed for ease of material flow and improvements such as the consolidation of raw materials storage facilities.

The injection-moulded polyurethane screening media factory supplies screening media products to mining operations across Southern and West Africa, including Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, as well as to international markets such as Australia, North America and South America.

Additionally, Nelson noted that the factory has increased its workplace capacity by 10%.

The facility has been built in accordance with the National Building Regulations Environmental Sustainability and Energy Usage in Buildings standards – this includes a solar installation capable of delivering 730 kW including a 1.3 MWh battery.

WORKFLOW DIGITISATION

In a media release, Multotec noted that the addition of two new machines to its current range of polyurethane injection moulding machines would boost production capacity by 25%.

The company said the new facility was designed with a view to digitising a large part of the workflow in future, necessitating measures such as allowing for additional space around machinery to be able to install additional equipment.

It noted that the expansion was set to benefit Multotec, and also potentially the local community and economy by creating additional employment opportunities and increasing the demand for inputs.

As a make-to-order company, Multotec expressed that it was essential for it to have a toolroom close to the production facility, which allowed for a quick response to any breakdowns.

Additionally, a localised cross-functional team that includes tool- and diemakers enables fast response times to solve tool malfunctions and efficient support for commissioning new tools.

Although integrated with the new facility, Multotec said the tool room must be enclosed to ensure a controlled environment needed for the very tight tolerances that must be maintained for tooling.

Like the production facility, the design of the toolroom was optimised for workflow efficiency, with Nelson describing the new tool room as an “essential part of the process”.

It includes a variety of specialised equipment typically found in a jobbing environment such as manual and computerised numerical control, or CNC, milling machines, surface grinders and electrical discharge machines.

Additionally, advanced scanning equipment, paired with visualisation software, provides accurate measurements of both new and used tooling that is difficult to measure using traditional means.

This ensures that the manufacturing facility continues to produce screening media to a high level of quality.

The move to the new facility will also free up space, allowing Multotec to reconsider its existing campus layout to increase overall efficiencies by improving workflows.

During the media presentation, Multotec CEO Thomas Holtz discussed the company’s plans for growth both in Africa and in mining jurisdictions outside of Africa.

Despite having faced a challenging year in the resources sector, Holtz expressed optimism for a positive outlook next year.

“Our business is growing internationally, but the core of it still sits here, and we are not moving out of Africa. We see ourselves as invested here and making a difference on the continent and that is a statement that this building stands for despite the noise,” he said.