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Organisational overview and activities

Location of operations

DESCRIPTION
Fe Mn FeMn Cr FeCr Cr Wonderstone
Iron ore is mined in the Northern Cape open-cast operations at the Khumani Iron Ore Mine which is located near Kathu in the Northern Cape and at the Beeshoek Mine which is located outside Postmasburg. The bulk of the ore is exported. Manganese ore is mined in the Black Rock area of the Northern Cape province and manganese alloys are produced at the Cato Ridge Works in KwaZulu-Natal and at the Machadodorp Works in Mpumalanga. Cato Ridge Alloys, a joint venture with Japanese partners, produces refined ferromanganese at the Cato Ridge Works. Feed for the Cato Ridge Works is derived from Assmang’s manganese mines and the bulk of both ore and alloy production is exported. Chrome ore is mined at the Dwarsrivier Mine near Lydenburg in Mpumalanga province and production is used mainly to supply Assmang’s Machadodorp Ferrochrome Works.

Chrome ore is mined near Rustenburg in the North West province, in open-cast operations and production is supplied mainly to the local market. The company expects the bulk of its required chrome ore supply to be satisfied from its two underground shafts during calendar 2013, until which time, the opencast operations will supply the necessary ore quantities. Chrome ore tailings are processed at Zeerust Chrome Mines.
The company mines a type of pyrophyllite, which, for trade purposes, is referred to as Wonderstone. The bulk of the material mined is beneficiated to produce high-precision components manufactured to customers’ specification. The company also produces a range of wear and acidresistant tiles and ceramic products for the local market, and other installation solutions and services for these tiles.