The 2,500m² factory and 1,000m² warehouse that came on stream in February are equipped with approximately R20m worth of cutting edge equipment that was brought in from China last year. Based on sophisticated American technology, it is the first of its kind in South Africa.
“It has the capacity to manufacture two tons of truck tyres per hour and up to 24 tons per day. At present, we are feeding in a truck tyre every 1½ minutes,” said Vusumuzi Mathe, the entrepreneur who set up Mathe Group in 2010.
Mathe Group began reprocessing used and legacy truck tyres into rubber crumb (or granulate) in very limited quantities in late 2011. In 2013, the company obtained a licence to manufacture rubber crumb without restriction on quantities and set up a small 850m² factory in New Germany.
Construction of the new Hammarsdale facility began in early 2015 as a means of relocating and updating the very constrained operation in New Germany.
“The new operation is four times larger than its predecessor. It is a completely different plant and far more advanced,” Mathe said. The new Hammarsdale plant also includes improved dust extraction equipment that ensures the health and safety of workers.
The Hammarsdale expansion has been constructed alongside sister company PFE Extrusion which is a leading producer of polyolefin staple fibres. PFE International is the shareholder in South African carpet giant Van Dyck Carpets which uses large amounts of rubber crumb to manufacture acoustic underlays used under soft and resilient flooring and acoustic cradles used in the built environment to eliminate variations in the structural floor surface and to accommodate services.
Mathe Group processed approximately 40,000 tyres during 2015. Over the next two years, this is expected to dramatically increase to approximately 150,000 tyres. These 150,000 tyres will produce approximately 7,000 tons of rubber crumb per annum.
The Hammarsdale plant currently processes radial truck tyres. The tyres are sorted and then undergo a three phase crushing process. Separators produce different sized particles suitable for different end uses and according to customer requirements.
Magnets remove the metal components from the reprocessed tyres. The new plant is expected to produce around 350 tons of high tensile steel per month. This will be passed on for recycling.
The number of uses for rubber crumb has grown exponentially within a very short space of time. In addition to the acoustic underlays and cradles produced by Van Dyck, it is also used as a foundation or infill for sports fields, public spaces and playgrounds utilising artificial turf or grass. Other uses include rubber flooring and paving, inclusion into asphalt, rubber landscaping and kerbing. Uses that are yet to come to South Africa include noise barriers placed between highways and residential areas, traffic bollards and flexible decking.
At present, 50% of the rubber crumb produced at Hammarsdale is exported. The remainder is sold locally with a large portion going into downstream exports through the manufacture of products that are sold globally.
