South Africa-based foundry and engineering company Thos Begbie has been awarded two significant projects, with the completion dates for both expected in the third quarter. 

The first project entails the complete rebuild of a copper smelting furnace for the foundry of global commodities producer BHP’s Olympic Dam, in Australia, which is situated in one of the most significant copper, gold and uranium deposits globally.

The second project calls for the production of a new electric arc platinum group metal (PGM) smelter furnace for diversified resource company Glencore’s Sudbury integrated nickel operation in Sudbury, Canada.

“The contracts were awarded to Thos Begbie, as it is the preferred supplier for both clients, and we have completed numerous projects for them in the past,” says Thos Begbie sales manager Scott Paterson.

He adds that Thos Begbie’s specific processes and expertise – and the manner in which its existing processes and workflows are maintained to ensure the best quality product – were integral to the awarding of the projects.

Positive PGMs

Paterson points out that, if the PGM market – especially platinum and key producers within it such as mining company Valterra Platinum – continues its upward trajectory, the foundry sector should maintain and/or increase investment and embark on capital projects to keep pace with resultant upticks in PGM-based demand.

He cites, for example, Thos Begbie’s response to the positive PGM outlook, noting that it has, over the past few months, reinvested capital in improving the operational capacity of its Middelburg-based manufacturing facility.

“By adding a couple of new advanced computer-numerical control machines, we have been able to increase capacity and improve output quality.”

Additionally, the opening of a new workshop, specifically to support the existing foundry works at the Middleburg facility, has increased steel manufacturing capacity to 20 t a month and supplemented its capabilities as a workshop supplier.

Paterson says these improvements will, in all likelihood, contribute to an increase in its 2026 order book.

Meanwhile, owing to its stringent non-destructive examination and metallurgical test protocols, the quality and acceptance criteria of Thos Begbie products have been elevated.

Paterson attributes this improvement to a change in the design of the company’s cast cooling elements. The change has helped to improve the operation and campaign life of cast copper coolers when in service in the furnaces.

Thos Begbie’s in-house quality management system has also been enhanced to cater for the additional specification requirements from clients.