MechChem Africa March-April 2021

Sustainability vision for Africa and the Middle East Grant Ramsden, regional managing director of Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East, talks about how the company’s successful 150-year evolution is continuing, with a strong forward looking sustainability vision.

A ccording to Grant Ramsden, Weir Minerals Africa is focused on partnering with customers to drive efficiencies using its proven technology-driven solutions, with a strong sustainability vision for the modern mining, minerals processing and cement industries. “As our mining sector customers look to reduce their carbon footprint, we are engi- neering solutions for a future that prioritises energy efficiency and raises productivity,” says Ramsden, who stepped into his new role during theeconomic lockdown in2020. “With leading brands all the way from ground- engaging tools to processing equipment across the mill circuit, we have an exciting year ahead with our continuously expanding equipment range. Among the solutions that will raise most interest, he says, are the company’s highpres- sure grinding rolls (HPGRs), which are more energy efficient than traditional ball mills and utilisedry processing.Withmost of the global mining sector having readily embraced this technology, there is still plenty of scope for its adoption in Africa. “Another exciting area of opportunity

for us remains our high-pressure GEHO positive displacement pump range, wherewe continue to see substantial interest,” he says. “These pumps represent the latest advances in hydro-transport, and will also add to the efficiencies we can bring to mining across Africa.” GEHO pumps can handle slurry con- centrations of up to 85% and temperatures exceeding 200 °C, making them ideal for transporting thick, hot and very abrasive slurries. In the context of the COVID-19 pan- demic, Ramsden says that Weir’s Synertrex ® condition monitoring and smart analytics platformwill attract more attention in 2021. Developed byWeir Minerals to complement its portfolio of mining equipment, Synertrex ® monitors product operation and feeds data automatically to the cloud and control sys- tems. This also allows for remotemonitoring where employees or management may not have regular physical access to plant opera- tions. “With our service-focused approach, we are able to become directly integrated into thecustomer’soperation, throughhaving one of our own experts in the mine’s control roomhelping tomonitor equipment and pos-

sibly even procuring the necessary spares,” he says. “Synertrex has already proved itself in South Africa’s minerals sands segment, and similar interest has been expressed from other commodity miners in our region. This systemcan also streamline procurement by alerting customers when new spares may be needed.” Ramsden emphasises the value in Weir Minerals’ wear resistant technology (WRT), which has demonstrated increases in the life of impellers and throat bushes of Warman ® slurry pumps by up to 30%. These improve- ments significantly extend pump life and reduce total cost of ownership for the com- pany’s customers. As an established original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in South Africa, Weir Minerals Africa is planning further invest- ment in upgrades and process improvements at its Isando foundry. It will also be directing resources for a technology upgrade at its Isando rubber plant, one of two local facili- ties contributing to the company’s range of IP-protected rubber products. “After a difficult 2020 for everyone, it will be exciting to be investing and expand-

The foundry at Weir Minerals Africa’s Isando facility where further upgrades and process improvements are planned.

14 ¦ MechChem Africa • March-April 2021