w&p Zement invests in sustainable mining technology

In the spirit of responsible use of natural resources, w&p Zement has invested in a modern raw stone processing plant at the Peggau site. This will make it possible in the future to process a larger proportion of the raw material extracted and then further process it into high-quality limestone products. “With the new raw stone processing plant, we have implemented an important future project for responsible and careful use of our natural raw material sources. At the same time, by extending the service life of the deposit, the supply of production and thus the Peggau site will be secured for the long term,” explains Lutz Weber, Managing Director for technology at w&p Zement, on the occasion of the opening ceremony in the quarry. W&p Zement invested more than 2.5 million euros in the construction of the plant by regional partner companies.

Efforts to conserve resources welcomed

“Regional added value and jobs largely depend on the innovation of local companies. With its investment in new, resource-saving processes, w&p Zement has set an important course in the direction of sustainable and future-oriented production at the site,” stated Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Minister for Economic Affairs, in her address. When Eibinger-Miedl pressed the start button for the first time, the new rough stone processing plant was officially opened.

Value creation in the region

For the construction of the new processing facility, w&p Zement relied exclusively on the competence and experience of its local partner companies. The construction of the system was carried out by the Gleisdorf-based company Binder + Co in cooperation with the Wernstein-based company CAB. Graz-based SteKa was also responsible for the electrical installation, while Porr was responsible for all the necessary construction work. “When implementing our projects, we build on trusting partnerships with companies that we know and that are located in the vicinity of our locations. On the basis of this, we not only guarantee professional processing, but also ensure added value in the region,” stated Robert Schmied, site manager at Peggau.

Investment focus on mining

“Due to the high clay content in the deposit, a significant part of the raw material mined had to be sifted out and dumped. With modern washing and sieving units as well as an additional sludge buffer, we are now able to separate clayey material from the pure raw stone, which is valuable to us," explains Jürgen Kolp, Project Manager and Mining Manager at w&p Zement and the Peggau site. This immediately followed the purchase of two new CAT dump trucks in May 2021 for a total of 900 000 euros. These investments are part of a whole series of strategic development steps that ultimately aim to improve the quality of the manufactured products for customers in the lime, building materials and concrete industries.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/16112021/wp-zement-invests-in-sustainable-mining-technology/