Mining and quarrying equipment specialist Astec Industries has completed a significant export order for a new aggregate crushing plant in Harare, Zimbabwe – through its regional office in Johannesburg, in Gauteng.

The company was founded in 1972 to apply creative thinking and state-of-the-art technology to traditionally low-tech industries, bolstered by a corporate culture renowned for putting customer service first.

Based in Tennessee, in the US, Astec Industries’ brands have become the leading manufacturers of equipment for asphalt road building, mining and aggregate processing in the US.

The company’s new customer – Zimbabwe’s largest brick and concrete roof tile supplier, Beta Holdings – has installed and commissioned six of the Osborn range of machines at the plant.

“This order was secured through our Zimbabwean dealer, Jacob Bethel Corporation,” explains Astec Africa and Middle East regional sales manager Kevin Mgiba.

Beta Holdings is well established, with its origins going back to 1953, when it was established as Alpha Bricks.

“Astec values its having secured this order from Beta Holdings based on the technical solution presented and our reputation for great product quality and aftermarket support,” Mgiba comments.

He says the number of Astec-manufactured machines operating successfully in the aggregate and mining space in Zimbabwe is also building customer confidence, together with the equipment being supported by Jacob Bethel Corporation.

The Astec equipment supplied for Beta Holdings’ 250 t/h aggregate crushing plant includes an Osborn 30 × 42 jaw crusher, an Osborn 44SBS cone crusher, a modular VSI2500 KPI-JCI crusher, an Osborn 6 × 16 double-deck vibrating screen, an Osborn 6 × 20 triple-deck vibrating screen and an Osborn 42 × 16 vibrating grizzly feeder.

Additionally, the scope of Astec’s contract for Beta Holdings included the manufacture and supply of the equipment.

Further, Jacob Bethel Corporation played a key role in the undertaking, from securing the order to ensuring the optimal placement of the plant, Mgiba states.

“Our agent worked closely with the cosultant assigned by Beta Holdings on the initial assessments of the site for the aggregate processing plant and on the recommendations for the machines,” he says.

Astec’s experience and expertise encompasses the full manufacturing process, from concept and installation to commissioning. The company’s machines are operating successfully in the most arduous conditions worldwide, concludes Mgiba.