Exploration and development firm Premier African Minerals plans to start low-cost production of tungsten mine at its flagship RHA project located along the Kamativi tin belt in Matabeleland North by the end of 2014.This follows a successful technical assessment of the viability of the site, envisaged to produce 192 000 tonnes of tungsten per annum over the six-year life of the mine.

Premier African Minerals has mineral projects located in Western and Southern Africa.Tungsten and its alloys are used to make filaments for electric lamps and television tubes, as electrical contacts, heating elements among other industrial applications.

Tungsten is a metallic chemical element classified among the transition metals of the periodic table of elements and is well known for its strength and durability.

Premier African Minerals said underground tungsten mine development would start once open-cast production had started.

"In line with this we are in discussions with potential funders for the project and possible off-take partners as one route to fast track RHA towards production in the near term with a target production of late 2014," it said.

"The company aims to commence open-pit production development in late 2014, with underground mining development to commence thereafter to fulfils the project's projected six-year life of mine."

Meanwhile, Premier chief executive Mr George Roach said the resource endowment at the project was enough to enable them to recoup their investment. Mr Roach said the latest assessment had further highlighted the attractiveness of the project.

"With a revised net present value of US$120 million (up from US$118 million previously estimated) and a significantly increased internal rate of return before tax of 378 percent now projected, coupled with the low-capex nature of the project with estimated costs of US$13,5 million, excellent infrastructure, low-strip ratio and a relatively simple processing route expected, we approach the next stages of development with confidence," he said.



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Hughes Pumps has recently supplied a custom designed, automatic high- pressure tank cleaning system to Sandvik Hard Materials for use at their Coventry Cemented Carbide production facility.

Rigorous control is necessary throughout the Cemented Carbide manufacturing process since the quality of the final product can be greatly affected by seemingly insignificant factors. During manufacture the carbide slurry is dried by spray drying to a powder form. Afterwards the spray dryer vessel must be thoroughly cleaned to remove any remaining deposits and prevent contamination between batches of different material grades. Initially production personnel carried out this function, being lowering into the vessel to use hand held cleaning lances, which proved to be both time consuming and potentially unsafe.

The Hughes turnkey system solution comprises a high pressure pumpset, high pressure stainless steel ring main, with an automatic three dimensional cleaning head that is raised and lowered into the vessel via a high pressure hose and pneumatic hose reel. The tank cleaning head rotates in two planes by the reaction of the water jets to bring about total cleaning coverage of the complete vessel in 30-60 minutes depending on the degree of deposits present.

The cleaning process, which is now totally automated, has proved to be very cost-effective. The complete surface of the vessel is cleaned during the cycle, which has eliminated the possibility of contamination between batches, greatly improving product quality.

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Kennametal Inc., a specialty metals manufacturing firm headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Allegheny Technology Inc.’s (ATI) Tungsten Materials Business for $605 million. ATI’s Tungsten Materials Business is a producer of tungsten metallurgical powders, as well as tooling technologies and components. The business has approximately 1,175 employees across 14 operating facilities globally and consists of two divisions: ATI Firth Sterling and ATI Stellram. The transaction has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors and is expected to close before the end of the calendar year, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. ATI is based in Pittsburgh.

“ATI’s Tungsten Materials Business brings vital strategic assets that are an excellent complement to Kennametal, especially given our common focus on operational excellence and industry-leading material science,” says Carolos Cardoso, Kennametal’s chairman, president and CEO. “The addition of the expanded material and tooling technologies of ATI’s Tungsten Materials Business will enable us to offer more to our customers around the world.  We look forward to building on our respective strengths to accelerate growth while generating even greater value for our business and ultimately our shareholders.”

This acquisition is aligned with Kennametal’s growth strategy and positions the company to further diversify its portfolio. The company expects to capitalize on the material technology capabilities, engineered components and world-class tooling products of ATI’s Tungsten Materials Business to expand its presence in the aerospace and energy markets.  

According to a Kennametal press release, the acquisition will advance the company’s core strategy of diversifying the company’s tungsten sourcing to balance supplies, costs and access to raw materials, including those produced from recycled products. The ability of ATI’s Tungsten Materials Business to produce critical materials from recovered tooling and scrap will enhance Kennametal's material sourcing and development capabilities to support its growth initiatives.

The company also notes that the acquisition will accelerate its previously announced plans to expand capacity and develop an advanced tungsten carbide recycling facility in the United States to serve global markets. The company also estimates that this will reduce planned capital expenditures by $30 million to 35 million and expects to achieve economy of scale six to eight years earlier than prior projections.


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BHI had in the meantime added a number of other leading cemented carbide producers to the IMC stable: notably Ingersoll (USA), Metaldur (Switzerland), Microtools (Israel), Outiltec (France), UOP Spa (Italy), TaeguTec (Korea) and Tungaloy (Japan). Today the IMC group has over 10,000 employees in 140 subsidiaries in 61 countries.
In May 2013 Berkshire Hathaway purchased the remaining 20% shareholding in Iscar for a quoted $2.05 billion giving the Israeli company a total valuation of around $10 billion. "Since the time IMC entered our lives, my partner Charlie Munger and I have enjoyed Berkshire's association with the company, the Wertheimer family and the company's management team," stated Buffett at BHI headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.
"As you can surmise from the price we're paying for the remaining interest, IMC has enjoyed very significant growth over the last seven years, and we are delighted to acquire the portion of the company that was retained by the Wertheimer family when IMC first became a member of the Berkshire group of companies.

We look forward to continuing our stewardship of this unique company founded by the Wertheimer family in Israel 60 years ago and nurtured into a truly global enterprise," Buffett said in the statement.

Eitan Wertheimer stated, "We are very pleased that IMC has found a permanent home in Berkshire Hathaway, which fully appreciates the unique nature of the global Israeli enterprise that we have created and that is committed to remaining true to that heritage in every way, building on and continuing our historic success and special culture. The growth experienced by IMC since the 2006 Berkshire transaction validates the faith that Warren [Buffett] and Charlie [Munger] showed in our business and the special people in Tefen, Israel and around the world who have made our success possible."

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