The growing demand, over the recent 18 months, for our Zeolite and Perlite products has pushed our present plant capacity to its limit. This has meant operating longer shifts and across weekends. The projected demand also shows a progressive increase in sales across most of our product lines over the next 24 months.
With this in mind, the BPM board have given the green light to increase the North Site capacity by approx 75% with the installation of a larger kiln and associated air system.
This new capacity will be fully commissioned by early November, with the kiln itself being installed in September. As well as delivering much needed production numbers, the new system will also deliver improved production costs, reduced emissions, and better accessibility.
This investment in capacity will offset the requirement for a completely new plant-build in the near term. A revised timeline for this next capex will likely be in ~ 2014 – watch this space.