With all of its business divisions - mining, recycling and food - under one roof, Tomra said its new premises would offer "better technical support, service and training, and ... ensure prompt availability of spare parts" for its southern African customers.

The 1,800-square-metre facility includes offices, a warehouse, an area for spare parts, two training rooms and three meeting rooms. There is also space available to demonstrate Tomra's sensor-based sorting technologies.

The most senior executive at the new headquarters is Albert du Preez, senior vice-president and head of Tomra Mining.

"The 26-strong team operating out of our new headquarters will support customers in South Africa and all other countries in sub-Saharan Africa," he said.

Tomra, which manufactures sensor-based sorting solutions for almost every mineral application, sees the region as a growing market for it technologies.

The African continent can produce up to 500 tonnes of gold per year and accounts for a large share of the world's diamonds.

In April 2019, a 1,758-carat diamond was recovered in Botswana through Tomra X-Ray Transmission (XRT) sorting technology.

South Africa is also a crucial global supplier of chrome ore and ferrochrome, exporting 8.5 million tonnes of ferrochrome annually, mostly to China.

Speaking from the new South African headquarters, Helga van Lochem, sales manager of Tomra Sorting Mining, said: "Opening new premises confirms Tomra's belief in southern Africa as a big player in the global market, and our commitment to supporting mining businesses here in the long term."