Mining and Minerals Today Issue 103 July 2024 | Page 36

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industry , but my personal experience had always suggested that this reputation was overstated .
“ Having weighed up our options , it was decided in 2007 that we would acquire various properties across Zimbabwe and its surrounding countries . The next step was to identify interesting materials that were prevalent across the region and start building a portfolio . From there , the company steadily built up its property network . In 2012 , we launched the Zulu project , which boosted our visibility and accelerated growth throughout the 2010s and beyond .
“ At the time , Zulu was viewed primarily as an industrial minerals project . We were looking to produce high-grade spodumene for industrial mineral purposes , specifically for applications in the specialized glass production industry . However , we also discovered lithium deposits that turned out to have greater profit potential .
“ We ’ ve had a number of successful projects since then . The RHA tungsten extraction operation in Zimbabwe , for instance , helped broaden the variety found in our mineral portfolio . Currently , we ’ re in the final stages of launching our latest operation , which is always an exciting point to be at . Overall , it ’ s been a really interesting journey spanning a number of years , and there ’ s still much more to discover .”
▲ George Roach on site
Strategic support
Maintaining success in the mining world requires a robust and reliable support network . As George discusses : “ Our supplier relationships are vital to the operation remaining successful . Over time , we ’ ve tailored our supplier network to our specific needs and built longstanding , positive relationships
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