When two leading abrasives companies in Cape Town started making a brand-new product from their waste, they had no idea how successful their venture would be.
So successful in fact, they don’t have enough waste to keep up with the demand.
In a world-first, IWT Abrasives and Drycoat, known globally for manufacturing abrasive reinforcements and backing plates, can also lay claim to being the top producers of fibreglass phenolic droppers.
These droppers are mainly used by the agricultural and wildlife industries to fence off farms or wildlife camps.
They substitute droppers traditionally made of wood, metal or other materials.
“We’re blown away by the success,” says Marius Claassen, founder and MD of IWT Abrasives. “It’s exceeded all our expectations.”
The droppers are made from off-cut impregnated woven material and have a host of advantages. They’re incredibly strong, heat-resistant and come at competitive prices.
Game farms
Countless farmers and landowners need to replace their droppers on a regular basis due to theft, damage and veld fires, destroying wooden poles in an instant.
“It may take a farmer some time to get to the fire and in that time the droppers are burnt down, making fencing a costly exercise,” Claassen explains.
This is only set to worsen with climate change.
Other poles, made of materials like steel, are by nature expensive.
Claassen says they’ve received glowing feedback from game farms currently using their droppers. Certain animals, like kudus, are known to jump over fences, cracking the wood.
The fibreglass droppers, on the other hand, remain intact. The droppers don’t shrink over time and can bend and deflect upon impact. They can also easily be made into any length needed.
IWT Abrasives and Drycoat’s commitment to the environment isn’t a new thing.
IWT will be celebrating its 30th birthday next year and Claassen says one of their first objectives was keeping waste from landfills. This is also very important for their overseas customers. As one of their clients indicated: “We constantly need to rethink our approach towards the environment. This project from a supplier such as Drycoat makes us very excited going forward with many possibilities.”
Covid-19
As the HM Group, which owns IWT Abrasives and Drycoat, expanded, their commitment to the environment grew, leading to many new recycled products.
They’re not at their ultimate goal of zero waste yet, but with innovative ideas like these, they’ll soon get there.
This is necessary, especially since Covid-19, which led to a global downturn in business.
“We haven’t emerged in unison from covid,” Claassen says.
The group was hit particularly hard. For many months last year, the orders were still dripping in, forcing employees to work fewer hours. “I’m very proud of our employees,” says Claassen, referring to the 120 workers, mainly from the surrounding area of Bellville-South. Every one of them supplies money, and food to numerous others and they’ve come through this (Covid).”
Covid has also opened up a range of opportunities, and they’re continuously looking at new ways to stay ahead of the curve.
Johan Nieuwoudt, general manager of Drycoat, says some of the ideas include fibreglass bollards and fire-resistant panels for various applications, for instance electrical insulation etc.
They remain committed to their approach of giving a good quality product at a good price. Over almost 30 years, this approach has given them a reputation of being a reliable supplier, one focusing on clients, personnel, quality and the environment.
