Largest structure in the Southern Hemisphere
During Senwes Scenario's visit, owner Pieter Burger and his wife Marietjie, who does the marketing, told us that the structure is the end result of a process which took three years. Planning started in 2014 and the building process started in all earnest in November 2015. It is expected to be completed by April 2017.
Westfert Dome in figures
The dome is 174 metres in length and 116 metres wide, which officially makes it the largest, stand-alone structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It is 24 metres in height or approximately 9 floors high. To put this into perspective for the producer - the total extent of the Westfert Dome would cover 2 hectares, roofed, and with a capacity of at least 180 000 tons the producer is really put first.
Huge benefits for producers
The Westfert Dome offers a number of benefits for producers. Individual producers can now have fertiliser blended to suit their own requirements. Fertilisers and a number of raw materials can be purchased at different times at better prices. Producers will also save on labour costs, storage space and bagging costs. In addition fertiliser can also be blended in bulk and delivered on the farm. In short, the dome will shorten the chain between the producer and supplier even further.
Westfert indicates that it will be able to do advance purchases at the right times of the year in future. A further benefit is more controlled delivery due to the fact that it will no longer be directly dependent upon shipping as in the past. This means that the shelf life of fertiliser will also be increased. All the above aspects will enable Westfert to render the best possible service to producers and to supply the best quality fertiliser to producers.
What makes the dome so special?
The dome is perfectly situated to support producers in particularly the western maize producing area. The warm Free State climate is also ideal, contrary to the moist and humid conditions at harbours - the biggest danger to fertiliser is water. The excellent ventilation system in the building keeps the temperature at 6 to 9 degrees cooler than the exterior, which also improves the shelf life of the fertiliser. The building was specifically constructed with the Free State winds in mind. It was designed to be similar to the wing of an aeroplane and can handle winds of up to 150km/h.
Proud supplier to Senwes
Westfert fertiliser is manufactured by Vetrivier Boeredienste and its products have been available in the fertiliser industry for 25 years. Its relationship with Senwes was established more than 22 years ago. Service delivery will now improve even further and the objective is to make the standard blends available at all Hinterland branches in South Africa. A large number of producers are existing Senwes customers and purchase their fertiliser from Westfert via Senwes.
More facts about the Westfert Koepel
This multi-million rand project has 22 very long arches stretching over the length of the building. The corrugated iron used for the roof and structure span a distance of almost 28 kilometres and the pipe a distance of 8 kilometres.
I am sure you will agree that this structure is exceptional and an asset for the agri-sector. For more information please contact the Westfert website at www.westfert.com.