Bitcon Industries, a South African fire, security and transformer door producer, has secured two new export orders to sub-Saharan Africa.
Bob Vollmer, director of Bitcon, says the company recently received orders for Rubidor fire doors for the Bulyanhulu Gold Mine at Bubuda, Tanzania; as well as a new Heineken Brewery in Maputo, Mozambique.
Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is an underground gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, about 55kms south of Lake Victoria. When it opened in 2001, Acacia Mining’s Bulyanhulu made Tanzania the third largest producer of gold in Africa, behind South Africa and Mali. Bitcon supplied Class B Rubidor fire doors to the mine. In terms of national standards, Class B fire doors in a fire must be able to provide two-hour stability, and an hour’s integrity and insulation.
Bitcon is also supplying Rubidor sliding fire doors to International brewer Heineken Holdings which in December last year laid the foundation stone of its first brewery in Mozambique – a US $100m investment located near Marracuene, 35kms from Maputo. The brewery will have a production capacity of 0.8 million hectolitres with the first bottle expected to come off the production line in the first half of 2019.
The brewery’s Class D sliding fire doors have a fire-resistant core with strong impact resistance and the capacity to provide stability, integrity and insulation for at least two hours during a fire. Vollmer says the Heineken order called for the supply of three exceptionally large 6m wide and 4m high bi-parting Class D fire doors. “The contract, awarded to Bitcon by Impact Engineering, specified these massive bi-parting fire doors for specific brewery access openings,” Vollmer stated.
Bitcon, a subsidiary of Vitrex, operates from a high-tech plant in Jet Park from where its Rubidor fire doors; Anti-Bandit, Polar and Hippo security doors; transformer and lead-lined doors are produced.
Rubidor Class A, B and D hinged fire doors meet the requirements of SANS 1253:2016. The doors’ cores are constructed from a magnesium-oxychloride monolithic-reinforced insulating material with exceptional fire resistance and mechanical strength. Compliance with the national standard is based on successful tests for stability, integrity, insulation and impact resistance. The doors are clad with a variety of finishes including masonite, timber veneers, galvanised sheeting, Formica laminate, and edged with hardwood lipping. Double doors are fitted with rebated meeting stiles.
Bitcon’s Class D sliding fire doors are available in single, bi-parting, or double direction format.