The company stated that it will provide a cost-effective base from which to grow its sub-Saharan markets.
Stephan Kruger, FLSmidth director for manufacturing and warehousing in the region, said: "The targeted efficiency improvements for the production lines at the facility will allow us to better serve our extensive installed base of FLSmidth equipment in the sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East region."
This follows the 2017 decision by FLSmidth to proceed with a significant investment at the 120,000m2 premises in Delmas.
In line with this strategy, FLSmidth has opted to focus on the in-house manufacture of three core product lines - polyurethane, wedge wire and ceramic wear solutions.
FLSmidth concluded the sale of its non-core screen media product lines, including woven wire screens, perforated plate and wire conveyor belts, to Crusher Support Services. During this process, FLSmidth secured a preferential supply agreement to support local industry customers with the continued supply of these products.
The transaction has also preserved 79 jobs in the manufacturing sector, retaining a considerable production capacity within the country. 30 of the employees have been relocated to the FLSmidth Delmas operation.
Kruger explained: "We have invested in state-of-the-art equipment, including full computer numerical control (CNC) machining capability. The new facilities include five-axis and six-axis machining centres, introducing a high level of technology to support the product lines in our business while optimising production costs."
The investment in production capacity will allow FLSmidth to manufacture a broader range of components for its spare parts portfolio in-house, and to do this more cost effectively.
Design and construction activities began in 2018 and the infrastructure development is nearing completion. A formal launch is planned for April, when the facility will be fully functional and production will have commenced.
Kruger said: "This Supercenter is strategically positioned close to customers and has the capabilities for warehousing, production of FLSmidth equipment and spare parts, refurbishments, rebuilds and retrofits. Current manufacturing activities produce over 150 strategically selected parts for the FLSmidth product range."
The wedge wire screens to be produced at the facility are commonly used in carbon recovery in carbon-in-pulp (CIP) and carbon-in-leach (CIL) plants in the gold sector. They are also used for dewatering and magnetite recovery in the coal sector and in other applications such as water filtration and sugar production.
The polyurethane products include screen panels and larger spares such as rotors and stators used in the flotation process. Ceramic wear solutions to be produced and distributed from the Delmas facility include the Wear Max ceramic wear compound and FerroCer impact wear panels, which combine steel and ceramic parts and are commonly used in feed chutes to address impact and abrasion.
The Delmas operation includes a 10,500m2 workshop with 120t lifting capacity and 11.5m under crane hook. More than 100 staff members are currently employed at the facility. It hosts modern offices, warehouse facilities and a dedicated training centre that can accommodate up to 65 people for technical training purposes.
