A study on the capacity of the foundry subsector to support the mining industry in Tanzania

This study investigated the status of the local foundry industry in supplying adequate spare parts to the mining industry sector. The main objective of this study was to determine the technological capacity of the local foundry subsector to manufacture spare parts for the local mining sector. The methodology involved to the determination of production capacity of local foundry industry in terms of physical facilities and technical manpower so as to manufacture spare parts for the mining sector as well as determination of the demand of the mining industry in terms of volume and type of spare parts. The study was carried out through questionnaires and interviews in the selected 10 foundries and 8 major mining companies. The analysis was done by using Microsoft excel and ANOVA program. The study revealed that about 70% of the surveyed foundries used hand moulding techniques as well as fuel fired furnaces such as cupola. Only 30% of the foundry industries were found to have induction furnace facilities. It was also revealed that all foundries use locally available sand which are neither graded nor sieved and most of the foundries were operating at 23% capacity utilization. Also, about 80% of these foundries lack necessary facilities such as heat treatment, charge composition and metallurgical testing. In addition, about 50% of the local foundries had no foundry engineers while 80% had no technicians specialized in the foundry technology. Furthermore, only 50% had enough artisans to cope up with the available facilities for full capacity utilization. An average of 3,552 tonnes of cast spare parts for mining machinery was being imported as a result of having low technology capacity in the local foundry.