South Africa has cemented its position as a global centre for the production of Weir’s cutting edge ENDURON® Elite banana screens. Backed by major infrastructure investment at Weir’s Alrode facility in Gauteng, this site is now the first in the world dedicated solely to manufacturing this advanced new range.
The Alrode expansion adds a further 1,600 m² of dedicated production space under roof, equipped with two 63-ton gantry cranes operating at a clearance height of 18.5 metres, according to Alandré van Vuuren, Integrated Supply Chain Director at Weir. This strategic upgrade was driven by a landmark £53 million contract awarded to Weir by Barrick’s Reko Diq copper-gold project in Pakistan, which includes the supply of fine grinding, separation, and tailings solutions.
“The advanced technological capability and rigorous quality assurance at our Alrode plant – together with our robust local and regional supply chain – enabled us to manufacture the first two ENDURON® Elite screens even before completion of the expansion,” says Van Vuuren.
“We already had the specialised expertise and equipment in place, including a laser facility capable of cutting the massive 12 m by 5 m side plates. In parallel, we ran a targeted supplier development programme to further strengthen and empower our local supply partners.”