JOHANNESBURG (1 June 2021) Acrux Sorting Technology (Pty) Ltd (“AST”), a wholly owned subsidiary of commodity resource and technology specialists, Acrux Resources (Pty) Ltd, and Ata Fund I (RF) (Pty) Ltd (“Ata Fund I”), a subsidiary of a private equity fund managed by Ata Capital (Pty) Ltd, are pleased to announce the signing of a shareholder’s agreement whereby Ata Fund I now owns 33.3% of AST.
Sensor-based sorting is an umbrella term covering all applications where defined physical characteristics are detected by sensors and used to differentiate particles. These physical characteristics could include atomic density, colour and spectrometry. Particles that fall outside of defined characteristic parameters are rejected by a focused jet of air, thereby protecting the value of the retained commodity. AST’s solutions reduce the extractive industry’s environmental footprint and liability, while simultaneously improving yield and reducing costs for resource owners.
In partnership with IMS Engineering (“IMS”), AST provides this innovative technology to the industry on a fully funded, turnkey basis, enabling the extraction of full value from mineral ore and more environmentally friendly extractive operations.
By unlocking additional value from marginal or uneconomical ore in an environmentally sound way, resource owners can reposition themselves on the cost curve while simultaneously enhancing their ESG impact. The overall environmental footprint of an operation is reduced – from water usage (the technology requires no water) to carbon footprint and improved waste management thanks to reduced production of tailings stockpiles.
Ata Fund I seeks to drive superior long-term returns for investors by identifying deep-value investment opportunities. Its flexible mandate allows it to partner with companies at various stages of their growth and to take a long-term investment view on themes that will shape our future world.
Karel Potgieter, AST Managing Director, commented, “This investment from Ata Fund I will strengthen our ability to deliver on our sustainability agenda, and make a positive, enduring contribution through ESG and sustainability impacts in the mining sector.”
“We are excited to partner with Acrux Resources again. This investment reflects our confidence in the value-adding potential of AST’s ground-breaking sensor-based sorting solutions and is entirely aligned with our goal of adding investment value through enabling transformational use of capital,” commented Lelo Rantloane of Ata Capital.