Fenner Conveyors opens K‍-‍MIX Materials Innovation Hub

Fenner Conveyors officially opened its K-MIX Materials Innovation Hub at Kwinana, Western Australia, last week, and launched the company’s first recycled content conveyor belt as part of the partnership between Fenner and Tyrecycle.

Central to the official proceedings was the launch of Fenner’s Infinity Series, the company’s first conveyor belt made from recycled content. The strategic partnership with Tyrecycle is focused on transforming end-of-life conveyor belts into new solutions — helping to decarbonise mining operations and support long-term sustainability of operations. This enables full lifecycle management of belting onshore — from production to in-field use, recycling and remanufacturing.

The INFINITY SERIES contains locally recycled materials from Tyrecycle and the Kwinana Belt Plant. INFINITY SERIES compounds have been developed by Fenner’s in-house industrial compounding experts and processed at the K-MIX site.

The $40 million K-MIX project was announced in 2023 to house a new rubber mixing plant at the same site as Fenner’s steel cord conveyor belt manufacturing facility. The investment has created local jobs, boosted manufacturing capability, streamlined supply chains, and supported Fenner’s goal of decarbonising manufacturing.

The rubber mixing plant is aligned to Fenner Conveyors’ all-sustainable vision as part of the Michelin Group, which aims to reduce environmental impact and enhance social responsibility.

“We’re proud to officially open our K-MIX facility, marking our latest investment in Australian conveyor belt manufacturing,” said Fenner Conveyors Managing Director Jen Green. “The capabilities of K-MIX will provide long-term value to our customers and our people, driving product innovation, manufacturing excellence and performance-driven quality.

“Our strategic partnership with Tyrecycle has established the first‑of‑its‑kind closed‑loop recycling ecosystem for conveyor belt in Australia,” she added. “We’re proud to now launch the first of our INFINITY SERIES range of recycled content conveyor belts, demonstrating circular innovation in action. We look forward to expanding this series in partnership with our customers.”

Image: Supplied