Admixture specialist CHRYSO Southern Africa says it is investing significantly in its local production facilities. The company says it reinvests 3% to 5% of its annual turnover and that investment into its local polymer plant has doubled in the past three years.

The company explains that having the facility based in South Africa has reduced logistical costs, allowed for more flexibility in the manufacturing process and increased the potential for expansion into Africa.

The polymer production facility produces four polymers for the manufacture of plasticisers and superplasticisers that are used in concrete mixes, and has the capacity to produce four additonal polymers, says CHRYSO Southern Africa operations director Andries Marais. The polymers can be combined in any ratio to suit specific site conditions, addressing factors such as workability and water demand.

“We were the first southern hemisphere company in the CHRYSO group to manufacture these specific polymers,” says Marais. “We used to import them from the group’s facility in France, when we would bring in around 38 containers every month; now we are able to import the raw materials and require only one container of specialised product each month.”

 CHRYSO Southern Africa says the local facilities give it the ability to make immediate changes to its admixture ingredients by varying the proportion of the different polymers – which are readily available in the plants.

The company highlights that the mixer at its Jet Park plant is being upgraded at significant cost to support the needs of the mining sector and in response to approaching 100% of the current capacity for a specific mining product.

“As we expand into Africa, we see considerable opportunity for growth in the mining industry – and so we need extra capacity to meet this expected demand,” says Marais. CHYRSO Southern Africa has been moving into various new countries since 2010. Markets in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia are already being serviced, and an office and toll manufacturing facility have been opened in Kenya.