The Arxo Business consists of three separate unts, all critical in the pit to port strategy that sees Tharisa maximise the output from its resource.
Arxo Resources is the trading division of the Company, responsible for linking global buyers to our products, Arxo Logistics not only ensures that our product is delivered to the client but is critical in assisting movement of goods to the mine. Arxo Metals is the research division, taking projects such as the Challenger Plant and Vulcan fine chrome recovery plant from laboratory scale to commercial production.
Arxo Metals is the beneficiation, research and development arm of the Group. Arxo Metals conducts extensive research into technologies and downstream beneficiation opportunities that can potentially improve yields and recoveries at the Tharisa Mine. Its core focus is creating increased value PGM and chrome products through expanding and optimising the Group’s processing operations.
Arxo Metals operates a comprehensive beneficiation site near Brits, 40 km from the Tharisa Mine. Incorporated at the beneficiation sites is the Company’s 1 MW DC furnace, owned by Tharisa Minerals, which produces PGM alloy, and is continuing its research work into refining processes. The beneficiation site also houses other metal production facilities, in line with the Company’s stated strategy of maximising value for the raw materials it produces and research facilities for energy production and storage.
Having grown from a complement of two people, Arxo Metals at its Brits facility employs 161 people, of which 31% are female, with three students on site undergoing vocational training. The site moved to a 24/7 roster as of April 2023.
'We've done intensive skills training for the various individuals in the team, it is a technical heavy team which we are now starting to train up in the more softer skills, once you get into management roles, you get to realise the impact of the operation, we work very closely with the community… others have studied and we are able to run them through our internship program and you see how it makes a definite impact in their livelihoods.'
Arxo Metals owns the Challenger Plant, which is integrated into Tharisa Minerals’ Genesis Plant. The Challenger Plant is dedicated to producing chemical-grade and foundry grade concentrates. Specialty grade concentrates carry more stringent specifications and, therefore, fetch a higher selling price. Arxo Metals has an offtake agreement to sell its concentrates to customers globally in the chemical and foundry industries. Arxo Metals accounted for producing 72.6 kt of chemical-grade chrome concentrate (2022: 80.8 kt) and 11.8 kt of foundry grade chrome concentrate (2022: 21.6 kt) in FY2023.
In August 2017, Arxo Metals entered into an agreement with Sibanye-Stillwater on the operation of its K3 UG2 chrome plant and for the sales and marketing of the UG2 chrome concentrate produced. The chrome production for FY2023 from the K3 UG2 chrome plant improved to 201.9 kt versus 188.2 kt in FY2022.
In the year under review, Arxo Metals made great strides in furthering its objectives of finding opportunities in the energy space. As such, the Arxo Metals Renewable Energy Centre (AMREC) was established as an independent unit of Arxo Metals, focusing on energy storage solutions using our commodities, including long-duration scalable storage solutions.
Arxo Resources, with a robust, established platform of global customers, including stainless steel and ferrochrome producers and commodity traders, has the exclusive right to sell the metallurgical grade chrome concentrate produced by Tharisa Minerals to customers in China and other international markets.
The scale of Arxo Resources’ operations allows for direct access to market and price discovery. Its established contact with customers also creates an excellent platform for additional sales of third-party products.
In FY2023, Arxo Resources sold 1.5 Mt (FY2022: 1.4 Mt) of metallurgical grade chrome concentrates, of which 1.3 Mt was produced by Tharisa Minerals.
Arxo Logistics provides an integrated logistics platform that reduces the risk and costs of transporting concentrates. It manages the road transportation of Tharisa Minerals’ PGM concentrates to Impala Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater and the long-haul transportation of chrome concentrates from the Tharisa Mine and K3 UG2 chrome plant to international customers through bulk and container shipping. Due to inland logistical constraints on the rail network, Arxo Logistics has, over the past year and beyond, expanded its footprint and operating ports to ensure greater flexibility and supply certainty for global customers. Arxo Logistics now ships via Richards Bay Dry Bulk Terminal and, the Durban ports and Maputo Harbour.
All material was delivered on time by Arxo Logistics.
The logistics arm of the Group has the necessary road and rail transport capacity, warehousing facilities, and port facilities at the Richards Bay Dry Bulk Terminal and the Durban port to manage Tharisa Minerals’ full production capacity. It also serves as a platform from which the Group can provide services to additional third-party customers.
Arxo Logistics provided third-party logistics services during the year under review.
Arxo Logistics shipped a total of 1.5 Mt (FY2022: 1.4 Mt) of chrome concentrate in FY2023, primarily to main ports in China, including third-party materials.
