SCREENING
introduction of the Grande Series screens in December 2025. Metso says it now offers fit-for-purpose solutions ranging from coarse, high-capacity applications to demanding fine dry screening.“ Combined with Metso’ s screening media, lifecycle services, HRC™e HPGRs, grinding mills and digital tools, the GFF Series positions Metso as a full flowsheet partner for customers seeking higher productivity, lower energy consumption and reduced water dependency.”
The Grande Series covered three new stationary screen types – GLH, GMF and GFF. The GLH Series horizontal screens are engineered for, among other things, heavy-duty slurry and water handling in demanding mining environments while the GMF Series multi-slope banana screens offer high-capacity screening of both fine- and near-size particles.
Weir’ s Alrode ENDURON ® Elite expansion plus optimised screen media
South Africa has cemented its position as a global centre for the production of Weir’ s cutting edge ENDURON ® Elite banana screens, with the Alrode facility in Gauteng now the first in the world dedicated solely to manufacturing this advanced new range.
The Alrode expansion adds a further 1,600 m 2 of dedicated production space under roof, equipped with two 63 t gantry cranes operating at a clearance height of 18.5 m, according to Alandré van Vuuren, Integrated Supply Chain Director at Weir. This strategic upgrade was driven by a landmark US $ 72 million contract awarded to Weir by the Barrick-operated Reko Diq copper-gold project in Pakistan, which includes the supply of fine grinding, separation and tailings solutions.
“ The advanced technological capability and rigorous quality assurance at our Alrode plant – together with our robust local and regional supply chain – enabled us to manufacture the first two ENDURON
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In April 2026, Metso launched the Metso GFF Series™ flip-flow screens
Elite screens even before completion of the expansion,” van Vuuren says.“ We already had the specialised expertise and equipment in place, including a laser facility capable of cutting the massive 12 m by 5 m side plates. In parallel, we ran a targeted supplier development program to further strengthen and empower our local supply partners.” The outcomes of this process were rigorously assessed and audited by both an independent third party and Weir’ s own technical team, clearing the way for the expansion, which commenced in early 2025.
Construction has required substantial earthworks and piling, with excavations reaching two storeys below ground to accommodate the concrete and steel structure of a 1,000 ton plinth. This specialised plinth is engineered to absorb the intense vibration forces generated by the exciters during product testing.
The expansion has created two dedicated assembly stations for the high capacity double deck ENDURON Elite screens – each weighing nearly 50 t, with deck dimensions of up to 4.3 m wide by 8.5 m long.
“ This expansion marks a significant boost to South Africa’ s manufacturing capacity,” van Vuuren says.“ Facilities with heavy engineering capability and crane clearance at these heights are rare in the country, yet they are essential to support the ambitious manufacturing plans we are rolling out at Alrode.”
The upgraded facility enables the safe and efficient assembly of large screen components such as the subframe, screen body, screen deck and exciters, with completed units reaching heights of over 15 m, van Vuuren notes.
The new production bays will have the capacity to manufacture at least two ENDURON Elite screens per month – without disrupting Alrode’ s ongoing output of small, medium and large screens across the broader ENDURON range, the company says.
Alrode’ s production for the first half of 2026 has largely been dedicated to fulfilling the Reko Diq contract, but market interest in its larger ENDURON Elite screens is already strong and Weir has deliberately designed the facility to accommodate future capacity upgrades as demand grows.
Weir says it is also advancing the development of its Alrode plant in line with its strong sustainability commitments, with the expanded facility serving as one of the company’ s pilot sites for water-based paint application. This shift helps lower carbon emissions across both the production process and supply chain, he notes, supporting Weir’ s global target of reducing carbon emissions by 50 % by 2030.
IM also caught up with Collin Beaurain, Weir, Global Product Manager, Screen Media. He stated:“ As mining operations face declining ore grades, increasing energy costs and growing pressure to maximise plant availability, screening has become
The Weir ENDURON ® screen media range addresses differing operational demands through a combination of materials, aperture designs and panel configurations tailored to individual applications
International Mining | OCTOBER 2026