Ready-mix from NPC Concrete is contributing to the growth phase now underway at the company’s Simuma operation which is being expanded into a full cement production facility.

The development, which consists of two main elements, will also see Simuma’s current production of clinker, an important cement ingredient, substantially increased with the addition of a second clinker manufacturing line and kiln.

NPC Concrete’s ready-mix, which is always guaranteed to meet or exceed its specified strength, is being used to construct a massive concrete slab, which will act as a storage area for materials used in cement making. Dave McFarland of the sub-contracting firm Kantey Templer Consultants says, “You call this paving quality concrete which is very strong. It’s similar to a concrete road and must handle the weight of trucks loading and unloading. With ready-mix the standard and the control of consistency can be very high.”

The developments at Simuma have been much in the news recently because of the gigantic shell for the new cement mill, which is 4.2 metres in diameter, 15 metres long and weighs 89 tons. It took three days to transport the shell from Durban to Simuma via Richmond, Ixopo, Umzimkulu and Harding in order to not hold up traffic on the main N2 highway south.

The upgrading of the Simuma plant is designed to augment cement supplies to the province.

The expansion at the NPC Simuma plant, just 15 minutes from Port Shepstone, will have significant implications for growth and development in KwaZulu-Natal. At a cost of some R800 million, NPC is upgrading their Simuma operation which currently only produces clinker (an important ingredient in the manufacture of cement).

The upgrade, which NPC Project Manager Mark Ponting says will bolster cement supplies to the province, is welcome news for the buoyant construction industry. “This huge investment is being made in order to enhance the amount of cement being manufactured in KZN. The expansion has been subdivided into two main projects. A cement milling, storage and packaging circuit planned for completion in December 2006 and the construction of a second kiln and clinker manufacturing line, which is planned to be completed in August 2007,” states Ponting.

The cement milling circuit is designed for 80 ton per hour cement output. The new kiln, which will include new technology features such as a five stage pre-heater, vertical mills and a pre-calciner clinker will have a capacity of 1500 tons clinker per day. It has been designed in such a way that output can be doubled if necessary.

The shell of the new cement mill, which grinds the clinker into Portland Cement, arrived at Simuma on the 4th of November. The unit, which is 4.2 metres in diameter, 15 metres long and weighs 89 tons took three days to get to Simuma after being transported from Durban via Richmond, Ixopo, Umzimkulu and Harding in order to not hold up traffic on the main N2 highway south.

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