DURBAN, South Africa, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- In South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province, a cement plant that has operated for more than four decades is taking on a new look.
At the Simuma cement plant, acquired by Huaxin Building Materials Group Co., Ltd. in December 2023, aging equipment is being upgraded, waste heat is being turned into electricity, and electric mining trucks are replacing diesel ones. At the same time, local employees are gaining technical skills through training and hands-on exchanges with Chinese colleagues.
TARGETED UPGRADES
Simuma was previously a major production base of Natal Portland Cement (NPC), one of South Africa's established cement producers. While the plant had an established production system and distribution network, some equipment had been operating for decades, pushing up production costs and limiting efficiency and capacity.
After acquiring NPC, Huaxin made Simuma a key site for technological upgrading and capacity expansion.
"The operations here started in 1984, which is quite a while back. And so it was in dire need to be upgraded, modernized and made efficient," said Simuma Plant Manager Rory Govender. "When Huaxin took over the plant and started the expansion and upgrading, we were very excited. It is something that we wanted for a long time."
Rather than replacing the entire equipment of the plant, Huaxin has focused on targeted upgrades, making use of existing infrastructure while addressing key production bottlenecks.
"We are not simply taking a solution from China and applying it here. We are looking at the existing equipment and the actual conditions in South Africa and carrying out targeted upgrades," said Wang Dongdong, the plant's maintenance manager.
Key facilities, including the preheater tower and clinker cooler, have been upgraded, alongside improvements to the limestone quarry and other parts of the production line, Wang added.
According to Govender, daily clinker output from Kiln 2 has risen from about 1,500 tons to 4,000 tons, while Kiln 1, which has been operating for more than four decades, has increased from about 1,500 tons to 2,200 tons a day.
"The plant now has an annual clinker production capacity of about 1.8 million tons and annual cement production capacity of around 2.5 million tons," said Govender, adding that this gives the plant a much stronger ability to supply the cement market not only in KwaZulu-Natal, but across South Africa.
GREEN TRANSFORMATION
The production-line upgrades have been accompanied by changes in how the plant uses energy.
Cement production is an energy-intensive industrial process that generates substantial amounts of heat. At Simuma, waste heat that would otherwise be lost is now recovered and converted into electricity.
The waste heat recovery system, introduced as part of Huaxin's efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has allowed the plant to generate part of its own power, Govender said.
"At the moment, around 30 percent of our power is generated internally," Govender said, adding that the system reduces the plant's dependence on the national electricity grid while improving energy efficiency and helping cut emissions.
The green transition has also reached the limestone quarry. Huaxin has introduced electric mining dump trucks using new-energy equipment technologies from China, gradually replacing conventional diesel-powered vehicles.
NPC is the first cement company in South Africa to use electric mining trucks at its quarry, said Govender. "Compared with traditional diesel trucks, the electric trucks reduce operating costs, noise and carbon emissions."
BUILDING SKILLS
The transformation is not only visible in machinery and production figures. It is also changing the skills and career paths of local employees.
Following the acquisition, Huaxin retained the plant's local management structure while sending Chinese technical specialists to work alongside local teams on the plant's expansion and upgrade. On-site guidance, job-specific training and day-to-day technical exchanges have become part of the process.
Eugene Bray, the plant's expansion project manager, said the training had strengthened local employees' technical capabilities and confidence.
The company's mentor-apprentice approach, introduced in 2024, pairs Chinese technical specialists with South African employees and provides opportunities for employees with potential to advance into technical and management positions, he added.
"Chinese experts are paired with local employees according to their different positions," said Lungelo Mthalane, who was paired with Wang as mentor. He has risen from frontline worker to deputy maintenance manager after six years at the plant.
Some local employees have also had opportunities to travel to China and to Huaxin's operations in Tanzania and Zambia for further training and exposure to different production and management practices, he added.
"Through continuous learning, our technical skills and our ability to solve problems ourselves have improved," Mthalane said.
GROWING TOGETHER
Huaxin's investment also offers the opportunity for the surrounding communities to grow together along with the company.
Bray said the expansion and upgrade project created about 800 temporary jobs, benefiting communities within five to 50 kilometers of the plant.
Local contractors and small businesses have also gained new opportunities through their involvement in the project, Bray said. "Local contractors are also able to work very hands-on with the Chinese skills and experience, and they gained from that."
The transformation of Simuma offers a glimpse of how existing industrial assets can be upgraded through new investment and technology rather than replaced entirely.
By combining existing infrastructure and local expertise with Chinese technology, management experience and green solutions, the project is improving productivity while creating opportunities for skills development and local businesses.
For South Africa, which is seeking to revitalize manufacturing and strengthen industrial competitiveness, the experience shows how technological upgrading can help renew traditional industries. ■
