Posted by Paul Moore on 2nd December 2024
Multotec has consolidated its South African injection moulded polyurethane screening media manufacturing facility websites right into a single, bigger facility value ZAR100 million (over US$5.5 million), to reinforce capability and improve effectivity. The brand new manufacturing facility is located on a 7,068 m² property with 4,360m² underneath roof, shut by to Multotec’s present Forge Street major campus in Spartan, Kempton Park. It homes the software room, manufacturing facility, places of work and warehousing amenities, offering a complete and environment friendly workspace.
Rhodes Nelson, Senior Vice President – Product Administration at Multotec, predicts that conservatively the brand new screening media manufacturing facility will obtain a 15% discount in pointless exercise attributable to a footprint that was designed for ease of fabric circulation and enhancements such because the consolidation of uncooked supplies storage amenities.
The injection moulded polyurethane screening media manufacturing facility provides screening media merchandise to mining operations throughout Southern Africa and West Africa, together with Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, in addition to to worldwide markets comparable to Australia, North America and South America – which covers most mining locations across the globe.
Nelson: “Multotec’s funding underscores its long-term dedication and dedication to the South African native manufacturing sector. We even have manufacturing amenities in varied international locations, strategically positioned in shut proximity to our clients to raised serve them.”
He provides: “Over the previous 50 years, our enterprise has grown organically, characterised by including machines to the manufacturing facility as they have been wanted. Nevertheless, the restrictions on accessible area within the manufacturing facility led to a structure that didn’t help an environment friendly workflow. This new facility subsequently permits us to create a ample baseload capability to set ourselves up extra effectively and lengthen our manufacturing capability.”
Nelson explains that improved lead instances are essential to Multotec, because the manufacturing facility operates largely as a ‘make to order’ atmosphere. This consolidation is essential to supplying clients with the shortest lead instances doable.
The addition of two new machines to Multotec’s present vary of PU injection moulding machines it says will increase manufacturing capability by a major 25%. The brand new facility is designed with a view to digitising a big a part of the workflow in future. This necessitated measures comparable to permitting for extra area round equipment to have the ability to set up further tools.
The growth will not be solely set to learn Multotec, but additionally probably the local people and economic system by creating further employment alternatives and growing the demand for inputs.
As a make-to-order firm, it’s important for Multotec to have a toolroom near the manufacturing facility which permits for a fast response to any breakdowns. As well as, a localised cross-functional workforce that features software and diemakers permits quick response instances to unravel software malfunctions and environment friendly help for commissioning new instruments. Though built-in with the brand new facility, the toolroom should be enclosed to make sure a managed atmosphere wanted for the very tight tolerances that should be maintained for tooling.
Just like the manufacturing facility, the design of the toolroom was optimised for workflow effectivity. It consists of a wide range of specialised tools usually present in a jobbing atmosphere comparable to handbook and CNC milling machines, floor grinders, in addition to electrical discharge machines. Moreover, superior scanning tools paired with visualisation software program gives correct measurements of each new and used tooling that’s troublesome to measure through conventional means. This ensures that the manufacturing facility continues to supply screening media to a excessive stage of high quality.
The transfer to the brand new facility will even liberate area, permitting Multotec to relook its current campus structure to extend total efficiencies by bettering workflows. “Finally, we need to improve digitalisation inside all our factories. It will present a greater understanding of our processes, extra correct reporting, and faster reporting on the place issues are inside the entire workflow throughout the enterprise,” says Ian Chapman, Engineering Supervisor at Multotec.
