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The incorporation of solid and liquid separation company Delkor Global into Bateman Engineered Technologies (BET), the specialised equipment supply and bulk materials handling division of the Bateman Engineering Group, has enhanced the quality of products and knowledge base available to clients both internationally and within South Africa.

Delkor was acquired early in 2008 not only to globalise the footprint of BET, but also to build on the synergies between the two parties, says Delkor Global group holding company Delkor Technik MD David Minson.

The Delkor brand has, since the early 1970s, been well established as a recognised leader in the supply of solid and liquid separation equipment for mineral and chemical processing applications. Delkor’s range of equipment, which it supplies around the world, includes horizontal vacuum belt filters, thickeners, screens and associated mineral processing equipment.

“Within BET, there are products that fit very neatly into the Delkor range, such as the Bateman UltraSep, PBC Clarifier and BQR flotation cells. It is therefore logical for BET to use Delkor’s global footprint and product knowledge strength, merging these products with the traditional Delkor product offering and building critical mass within the group,” says Minson.

“The international exposure that Delkor contributes to the group, combined with BET’s considerable infrastructure, offers our clients in southern Africa a strong service and support presence, and depth and quality of knowledge. Similarly in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Bateman Engineering’s CIS business unit will provide an invaluable platform in that region,” explains Minson.

By building on the synergies within the group, Delkor products can be offered in the major centres of our business, with offices located in South Africa, Chile, India, Australia, Canada, China and the UK.

“Delkor already has a presence in China, and by sharing infrastructure with Bateman Engineering’s association with Chinese business solutions company The Beijing Axis, we look forward to providing greater technical and after- market support to our existing and new clients in this very large market,” he says.

Being part of the larger Bateman Engineering Group has also provided Delkor with additional critical mass that has allowed it to restructure some of its organisation to create centres of excellence with an international footprint. In this way, Delkor’s extensive experience around the world in one product, for instance thickeners, can be consolidated into one centralised information, research and support centre and then be disseminated to all our offices. This significant source of know-how, experience and technology can therefore be focused to support a particular client need no matter where that client is located.

He continued, “In short, the use of the centres of excellence concept will give the end-user the benefits of dealing with a truly global company. They have the security of knowing that experience gained, perhaps in an Australian or Chilean installation, can be drawn on to optimise the quality of response provided on a new project in South Africa.”

Another advantage of incorporation into the Bateman Engineering Group is the critical mass this organisation provides in terms of services and systems.

“Although we are ultimately part of the same holding as (BEP) we operate with strict protocols and are treated on an equal basis as any other potential supplier by BEP,” says Minson.

Delkor has continued to experience good demand with recent orders including, in South Africa, an order for a 60m diameter thickener mechanism for the Foskor Extension 8 debottlenecking project, in Phalaborwa. Other contracts include nine thickeners (80m and 55m in diameter) for the Ambatovy Nickel project, in Madagascar, two 65m gold CIP thickeners for Osisko, in Canada, ten high-temperature copper leach thickeners for the Sepon expansion project, in Laos, and twelve 110m² belt filters for the Uranium Corporation of India’s uranium project, in India.