Monthly Archives: May 2026

Client Focus

AFRISAM BUILDS RESILIENCE WHILE AWAITING STRONGER INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

South Africa’s construction materials sector continues to face significant pressure, but early indicators suggest conditions may gradually improve. In response, AfriSam is focusing on operational resilience, continued investment in its production facilities and strong customer partnerships as the market navigates a slow and uneven recovery.

AfriSam Executive Chairman and CEO Eric Diack says the sector’s outlook remains closely linked to the pace of infrastructure investment across the country. In recent years, constrained public spending, rising input costs and shifting demand patterns have created a challenging environment for construction materials producers.

“The most important issue for our industry remains the level of infrastructure investment,” Diack says. “There are some encouraging developments, particularly in road infrastructure, which show what can happen when investment begins to gain momentum.”

While the market remains subdued, several road infrastructure projects are supporting demand for aggregates and readymix concrete. Work on key routes such as the N3 and N2 in KwaZulu-Natal and the N7 in the Western Cape is contributing to construction activity.

AfriSam’s national footprint of quarries and production plants positions the company well to supply these projects. Although current developments represent only a small portion of South Africa’s substantial infrastructure backlog, they highlight the opportunities that could emerge if infrastructure investment accelerates.

Diack notes that AfriSam has continued to prioritise upkeep on its production facilities to ensure plants remain in strong operating condition.

“Our board has been clear that we cannot compromise on maintaining our plants,” he says. “By continuing to invest, we ensure consistent product quality and remain ready to support customers as construction activity grows.”

Regional variations in construction activity are also evident, with the Western Cape showing stronger momentum than other parts of the country.

“There is clearly more confidence in the Western Cape at present,” Diack says. “Major developments under way in areas such as the Cape Town city bowl and Granger Bay will ultimately translate into increased cement demand.”

Despite these pockets of activity, overall cement volumes remain largely stagnant, notes AfriSam Sales and Marketing Executive Richard Tomes. At the same time, rising input costs continue to place pressure on the sector.

Energy costs remain a key concern for cement producers, with electricity representing one of the largest cost pressures for energy-intensive manufacturing processes.

“Even when national increases appear moderate, the structure of tariffs often results in higher effective increases for large industrial users,” Diack says.

Maintaining strict quality standards remains a non-negotiable priority for AfriSam, Tomes adds, noting that durable infrastructure depends on materials that consistently meet required specifications.

Logistics has also become more complex as the deterioration of South Africa’s rail network forces greater reliance on road transport, increasing both costs and supply chain challenges.

Drawing on more than 90 years of industry experience, AfriSam continues to build on its technical expertise and operational capabilities.

“Our cement business remains at the core of our operations,” says Diack. “When market conditions improve, we will be well positioned to respond.”

Client Focus

ENGINEERED TRANSFER POINTS PLAY GROWING ROLE IN PLANT PERFORMANCE OPTIMISATION

As mining operations place increasing pressure on plant throughput, equipment longevity and environmental control, transfer point design is becoming a far more strategic component of materials handling systems.

According to Dewald Tintinger, Technical Director at Weba Chute Systems, poorly engineered chute systems can have a disproportionate impact on plant performance, influencing everything from material flow consistency and belt loading to dust generation, spillage and accelerated wear on downstream equipment.

“A transfer point should never be treated as a static piece of infrastructure,” Tintinger says. “It is an engineered flow control solution that plays a direct role in throughput stability, maintenance intervals and overall plant reliability.”

He notes that, in modern processing plants, transfer points are increasingly recognised as critical control points within the broader materials handling circuit. When material is not managed correctly between conveyors, screens, crushers or stockpile systems, the consequences can quickly extend beyond the chute itself.

“Inconsistent flow patterns can lead to uneven belt loading, mistracking, excessive dust and spillage, and accelerated wear on liners, idlers and conveyor belts,” he explains. “These issues inevitably translate into increased maintenance requirements and, in many cases, costly production interruptions.”

Tintinger emphasises that effective chute design begins with a detailed understanding of the material characteristics and the operational environment in which the system will function. Factors such as particle size distribution, moisture content, bulk density, abrasiveness and material cohesiveness all play a significant role in determining how ore behaves through a transfer point.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” he says. “Every application must be engineered around the specific flow behaviour of the material as well as the plant’s throughput requirements and space constraints.”

A key aspect of engineered transfer point design is ensuring that material is loaded centrally and consistently onto the receiving conveyor. Incorrect material trajectory or uncontrolled discharge velocities can cause off-centre loading, resulting in belt edge damage, excessive idler wear and compromised conveyor performance.

“Correct belt loading is fundamental to conveyor health,” Tintinger says. “By controlling the flow path and discharge velocity of the material, we can significantly reduce wear and improve the overall reliability of the conveying system.”

He adds that chute design also has an increasingly important role to play in helping mines meet environmental and safety objectives. Effective control of dust and spillage at source contributes to improved housekeeping, safer working conditions and reduced environmental risk.

“Dust and spillage are not simply housekeeping issues; they are often symptoms of poor flow management,” he says. “By engineering the transfer point correctly, these risks can be mitigated at source rather than managed downstream.”

As mines continue to pursue higher levels of operational efficiency and plant uptime, transfer point design is moving from a maintenance concern to a strategic engineering priority.

“Ultimately, every transfer point must support predictable, controlled and efficient material flow,” Tintinger concludes. “When this is achieved, the benefits are seen across the plant in reduced downtime, lower maintenance costs and improved throughput performance.”

Client Focus

WEIR LEADS AFRICA’S MINING SECTOR WITH TRUSTED, RISK-MITIGATING PUMP SOLUTIONS

Weir has established the largest installed base of dewatering and slurry pumps in Africa’s mining sector by helping customers de-risk their pumping operations – combining technical excellence and equipment optimisation with a service network founded on a fully compliant social licence to operate.

Marnus Koorts, General Manager – Original Equipment at Weir, explains that the company’s dominance rests not only on the quality of its pumping solutions but on a full value chain approach that mitigates risk for mine operators at every stage.

“Mining is continuous and extremely capital intensive, so equipment must perform reliably and optimally,” Koorts says. “It is no surprise, therefore, that mines are risk averse when partnering with solution providers – they need to deal with partners they can trust.”

Achieving the performance levels and uptime demanded by modern mining operations requires a depth of process and engineering expertise, he explains, supported by a continent-wide service network.

“Our customers’ first question is often about our references in a specific country or commodity,” he says. “Thanks to our extensive footprint and vast experience, we’re almost always familiar with their operating environments – from the minerals being mined and processing conditions to the local regulatory landscape.”

Koorts highlights that the large installed base gives Weir a considerable advantage: real-world data across multiple commodities, climatic zones and operating conditions, all feeding directly into ongoing product optimisation. 

“We are continuously releasing new variants of components based on feedback from the field,” he says. “We are also digitally monitoring a large portion of our installed base, so it is not just physical site visits, but smart monitoring that allows us to improve performance, longevity and total cost of ownership.”

This knowledge translates into valuable operational insights, such as the benefits of standardisation of equipment across separate sites with one mining company. In a recent project for a West African gold miner, Weir was able to recommend a slight design alteration which allowed two sites to standardise on the same mill-pump configuration. 

By having the knowledge and experience of the first site, Weir could suggest to the engineering house how commonality among motors and gearboxes would save the customer millions in parts inventory while ensuring a low downtime risk.

“We have this capability due to our institutional knowledge of hundreds of projects and product applications,” he says. “This is a crucial part of the value that we bring as an OEM where we can collaborate with customers in applying the best solutions possible.”

As every country has its own procurement regulations for the mining sector, a reliable partner must also ensure its sustainability through legal compliance. There are regulations in procurement which supply partners must understand and comply with to ensure a robust and high quality value chain that always delivers to world class standards. 

“Weir’s service network in Africa is staffed by local engineers, account managers and process specialists,” Koorts says. “We employ and empower local people, and we invest heavily in skills development.”

Weir’s graduate programmes, for instance, recruit from regional universities and develop young engineers into full time employees. 

“This is all part of being a good corporate citizen and it ensures that our customers are supported by experts who understand the terrain, the language and the mining culture,” he says. 

Weir’s success across Africa comes from understanding that its leading pump offering is just the start of the journey with customers and needs to be supported by a depth of engineering expertise, a strong and compliant local presence, a stream of performance data and all the relevant governance systems to ensure a social licence to operate.

“Working with Weir gives customers access to our knowledge, our compliance and our ability to mitigate their operational risk. Our market leading products are just the visible part of a complex value chain,” Koorts concludes.