WA Kaolin says it has signed a contract with Haver & Boecker Australia for the supply of equipment that will form the basis of a bagging solution for the company’s kaolin powder product.
WA Kaolin holds the Wickepin kaolin project, 220 km southeast of Perth, Western Australia, which has a 644.5 Mt mineral resource, inclusive of a 30.5 Mt ore reserve estimate of kaolinised granite. Wickepin plans to produces kaolin products for tier one customers and the company aims to expand its production to 400,000 t/y in a two-stage strategy.
Haver & Boecker, meanwhile, is the supplier of choice for many of Australia’s largest companies for their high-volume powder packing equipment, WA Kaolin says.
Following the successful completion of kaolin packing trials at Haver & Boecker’s technical centre, WA Kaolin has signed a contract for the supply of a valve bag filling machine with auto bag placement. The equipment is designed to fill 700 valve bags per hour, each bag will be filled to 20 kg, meaning the company will have the capacity to pack more than half of the first stage design production capacity into 20 kg bags.
WA Kaolin’s order will see Haver supply a kaolin bagging solution including the Haver M-Series 4W (pictured), a valve bag filling machine, the Haver valve bag placer for four spouts and a flat belt conveyor. Haver is due to deliver in nine months and will train WA Kaolin personnel in use of the machinery, the company says.
WA Kaolin CEO, Andrew Sorensen, said: “The signing of this contract represents another exciting step forward in the development of our Wickepin project, which is expected to deliver 200,000 t of kaolin per annum from the March quarter of 2022. The acquisition of high-quality bagging equipment from a world leading company such as Haver & Boecker will ensure that we have the appropriate facilities in place as we are moving towards production.
“As the market for kaolin packed into 20 kg is very strong in Australia and the Asia Pacific, it was imperative we chose the right group to supply our valve bag filling machine requirements.
“When the bagging machine comes online at Wickepin, WA Kaolin will be able to service the market for kaolin that is packed in the smaller 20 kg bags, which attract a higher market price than kaolin packed in bulk bags.”
Haver & Boecker Australia General Manager, Clelio Tonelli, said: “We are delighted WA Kaolin have recognised Haver & Boecker Australia as the best solution provider for its new bagging line to be installed at WA Kaolin’s production facility currently under development in Wickepin. The resulting contract is a testament to the excellent work performed by our specialist operatives. Furthermore, the collaboration between both companies ensures the final solution will not only meet WA Kaolin’s immediate production requirements but has the capacity to cater for demands associated with long-term continuous growth.
“Our solution will deliver a significant increase in efficiency when it comes to producing a high-quality bagged product from not only an economic standpoint but occupational health and safety considerations as well. We are committed to working with WA Kaolin to ensure the absolute success of their new production facility and look forward to this project being an exemplar to the industry.”