RADIAL truck tyre recycler, Mathe Group, processed its millionth radial truck tyre, bringing the total amount of rubber crumb produced for re-use in key industrial and construction applications to around 38 500 tons, according to CEO Dr Mehran Zarrebini.
Based on an infill of 100 tons of rubber crumb per full size artificial football field, this equates to 385 full size football fields or 700 full size hockey fields.
The amount of rubber crumb produced would have provided the asphalt and seal needed to pave at least 8 000 km of roads.
Dr Zarrebini, a British investor who initially acquired iconic KwaZulu-Natal based carpet manufacturer, Van Dyck, discovered Mathe Group as a small operation with just 20 employees operating in New Germany in 2016.
He was looking for rubber crumb to manufacture acoustic underlays and acoustic cradles for flooring in high rise buildings – products that he has since improved and continues to export.
Having acquired a 49% shareholding in Mathe Group, he relocated the company to its present site in Hammarsdale, significantly boosting production through ongoing re-investment in the plant over the past eight years.
Through its own research and development or through working with key partners, Mathe Group’s repertoire of products has grown to include non-slip paving and flooring for agricultural use, ballistics products and gym mats, rubber pavers and the infill for sports fields.
Zarrebini says that a number of challenges have stood in the way of Mathe Group not achieving its important millionth tyre milestone far sooner. These include the pandemic which shut down the plant for 18 months, loadshedding, water shortages and ongoing legal battles and delayed implementation of the Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan (IWTMP).
