Valve manufacturer Dynamic Fluid Control (DFC) mining MD Tony Roberts says that improved lead times on valves across its range, which is the result of an extensive factory upgrade and improved machinery layout, will place it in a strong position to meet future Anglo Platinum (Angloplat) requirements.

"The company has met most of the instrumentation, or actuated, valve requirements at Angloplat's milling and concentrating plants since the Maandagshoek project," he says.

Maandagshoek was the first significant project for Angloplat where DFC was the main valve supplier, Roberts states. Subsequently renamed Madikwe, the milling and primary recovery plants at Maandagshoek absorbed 1 400 valves supplied by DFC.

He adds that DFC has been awarded Angloplat contracts worth some R20-million in the past year.

He explains that, prior to the Maandagshoek project, DFC supplied Saunders diaphragm valves and valves from the old Dorbyl Water era into various sections of the Angloplat plants, but at Maandagshoek the company was awarded the contract for all the actuated valves.

These valves comprised slurry knife-gate (SKG) valves, Saunders diaphragm valves, Monarch butterfly valves, and locally purchased ball valves, which have all been fitted with DFC's Biman actuators.

Madikwe was the first project in Angloplat's development of the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex, and marked DFC's first significant greenfields contract from this mining house.

Since then, DFC has met the instrumentation requirements of almost every Angloplat plant, including upgrades of existing mines in the western limb of the Bushveld Complex.

"The Waterval retrofit, in particular, stands out among the western Bushveld projects," Roberts says.

"Consulting engineers working on Waterval awarded the bulk of the instrumentation contracts to DFC, but the company has also been extensively involved in the concentrator and tailings plants at Amandebult and Tolbay Two."

Roberts is of the opinion that DFC's service, technical back-up, and product quality is the reason for the repeat orders for valves, which vary from 25-mm ball valves to 600-mm slurry knife-gate designs.

"DFC's SKG valve has been on the market for three years, and has proven to be superior to any other type of valve in the particular slurry applications where it is used," Roberts claims.

"This is not an empty claim. I think it is fair to say that the SKG has become the valve of choice in primary milling plants," he adds.

Angloplat's demand for valves is set to continue as development of the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex accelerates in an effort to meet worldwide demand for platinum.

At Potgietersrust Platinum, DFC has already secured contracts for the manual valves as well as the instrumentation valves.

Together, these contracts are worth some R7-million.

"With the current price of platinum, we anticipate ongoing development of as much of the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex as possible.

"Whereas lead times on DFC valves, and Saunders diaphragm valves in particular, were often longer that we were happy with in the past, I am confident that our recently recommissioned Saunders factory will allow us to reduce these lead times to levels that will be very attractive to Angloplat.

"This, together with increased stocks of the faster-moving valve models, should help us maintain our edge over our competitors," he concludes.