Operations

Three streams. One supply chain.

From the pit at Mooinoi to the wash plant to a fleet of side-tippers — we operate every link between resource and buyer.

Stream 01

Open Cast Mining — Phase-In (12-Month Horizon)

Today we run as a dedicated wash-plant operation, beneficiating ROM sourced from established producers in the Mooinoi belt. Within the next 12 months we are scheduled to phase in our own open cast operation on prospected ground, moving Vel from a pure beneficiator into a fully integrated miner-to-port chrome business.

▸Current model: wash plant treating third-party ROM
▸12-month plan: own open cast extraction online
▸Target ROM grade: 22%+ Cr₂O₃ from UG2 / LG6 seams
▸Mine planning sized to feed Phase 2 (100 tph) wash plant

Stream 02

Wash Plant Beneficiation

Our wet wash plant upgrades ROM into a metallurgical-grade 40–42% Cr₂O₃ concentrate. Phase 1 is commissioned at 50–60 tph, with Phase 2 scaling to 100 tph within the next 3–4 months.

▸Phase 1: 50–60 tons per hour
▸Phase 2: 100 tons per hour (Q3 commissioning)
▸Product: 40–42% Cr₂O₃ concentrate
▸Independent SGS assay per shipment

Stream 03

Tailings Re-Treatment

Tailings aren't waste — they're an under-recovered orebody. We wash and re-process our own historical and current tailings through the spirals circuit, recovering an additional 12–14% Cr₂O₃ units that would otherwise sit in the dam. Every ton of tailings re-treated is a ton less footprint and a ton more revenue.

▸12–14% recovery on tailings re-wash
▸Second pass through the spirals circuit
▸Reduces tailings dam load and rehabilitation cost
▸Incremental revenue with no new mining

Stream 04

Side-Tipper Haulage & Logistics

A sister company within the group operates a dedicated side-tipper haulage fleet. This vertical integration removes a recurring failure point in chrome supply — competing third-party haulers — and lets us hold haul rates for committed buyers.

▸Owned side-tipper fleet
▸Pit-to-rail and pit-to-port routes
▸Locked-in haul rates for offtakers

Stream 05

AI-Driven Plant Intelligence

Vel is one of the first chrome wash plants in South Africa piloting machine learning directly into the beneficiation circuit. The model learns how the plant behaves shift-to-shift and recommends live adjustments to feed ratios, water, and spiral splits to lift recovery and grade. A live operations dashboard streams plant health to management around the clock.

▸Live dashboard: pump vibration, feed ratios, %R, yield & recovery
▸ML model trained on our own plant data
▸Recommended setpoint changes to lift grade and recovery
▸Predictive alerts on pump and spiral health before failure
▸Step-by-step efficiency actions surfaced to the control room

Inside the Plant

Spirals, structure, and stockpile.

Spiral concentrator tower with banked spirals

ROM stockpile beside mobile crushing unit

Vel Logistics side-tipper truck ready for haulage