Manufacturer doubles plant’s output, improves safety measures

17th May 2013

By: Anine Kilian

Contributing Editor Online

  

Font size: - +

Chemicals company a.b.e Construction Chemicals’ upgraded manufacturing plant, in Boksburg, is better equipped to undertake cementitious blending, owing to its dustless technology.

The upgrade is expected to double the plant’s production capacity without having to increase staff numbers, owing to increased automation and the installation of new equipment.

The company was acquired by cement and construction materials manufacturer Chryso in 2010 and opened the upgraded dustless manufacturing plant in February as part of its sustainable development programme.

The powder plant is almost fully automated and replaces the 30-year-old Boksburg production facility, which required modernisation.

“Other than increasing capacity, the new plant has better efficiencies regarding output and energy levels. The dustless component will reduce costs in various energy saving areas, such as dust extractors,” says a.b.e Construction Chemicals concrete repair and general construction product manager Ivor Boddington, adding that the frequency of cleaning and the amount of energy used by the dust extractors have been extensively reduced.

Dust levels are a major concern at powder plants; so, as a safety precaution, extractor fans were installed in the new factory and, as an additional precaution, all a.b.e. employees working in the plant have to wear respiratory masks, says a.b.e. Construction Chemicals operations GM Mario Marais.

“As the dust levels were [significant] in the previous plant, additional safety measures were required. A new dust-free ribbon blade blender was installed and dust-free modifications were made to the plant’s existing ribbon blade blender and two plough blenders.

“To prevent the escape of dust, the plant’s conveyor belts had to be enclosed and the plough blenders had to be sealed. The new bagging unit is also enclosed,” he explains.

As a further commitment to staff safety and producing dust-free products for customers, the plant’s plough blenders have been fitted with atomisers that convert liquid into a vapourlike fine spray.

Marais adds that, to reduce manual input, the new plant’s nine silos are fitted with programmable logic controllers. The silos, three of which are new, release the exact required amount of raw materials onto the enclosed conveyor belts that are linked to the hoppers where the products are batched.

“There is only a minimum degree of manual labour involved, as certain compounds and pigments have to be added manually because they are not stored in silos. The company has also substantially reduced the need for staff to manually lift heavy bags of product, thereby reducing occupational health and safety hazards,” he notes.


Future plans for the plant include the conversion of the old powder plant area into a liquid production facility to phase out the solvent programme, which is high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to reduce a.b.e. Construction Chemicals’ carbon footprint.

Marais says the investment in the new powder plant, coupled with the upgrading of the company’s Isipingo plant, where a.b.e. Construction Chemicals’ bitumen-based products are manufactured, forms part of the Chryso Southern Africa group’s continuing commitment to investing in future growth and sustainable development.

“The plant is another example of the group’s emphasis on supplying dustless products and a.b.e. is now the only company in its sector to supply dustless mortars, grouts, plaster and self-levelling products in Africa.

“We have exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute dustless products in Africa and see it as a major advantage over competitors in the industrial sector, where people are taking a more environment-friendly approach to business,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Boddington states that the industry outlook is positive, as government is starting various new infrastructure projects that will be beneficial.

“There are a few major challenges in the industry, such as the availability of projects and the skills shortage,” he says, adding that succession planning is lacking.

There is a gap between experienced people and newcomers in the industry and, to deal with this, a.b.e. Construction Chemicals implemented a training programme.

“We have a training programme where we train 60 people a year, internally and externally. We also train contractors and give lectures at different facilities,” Boddington notes.

He states that potential for growth in the industry lies in housing, schools, hospitals, power generation, road upgrades, purification of raw water, reticulation, energy and water infrastructure refurbishment projects.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION