ME Elecmetal, a global supplier of wear solutions for the mining, construction and industrial sectors, headquartered in Santiago, Chile, plans to build a grinding ball manufacturing plant in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Industry and Construction announced.
The $85 million facility will be built in Taldykorgan and is expected to begin operations in 2028. Once fully operational, the plant will have an annual capacity of 150,000 tons and create more than 100 jobs.
KAZ Minerals, one of Kazakhstan’s largest copper producers, is the biggest consumer of grinding balls — essential components in ore processing. The company, owned by Vladimir Kim and Oleg Novachuk, purchases 70,000 tons of grinding balls annually from ME Elecmetal, spending approximately $100 million per year. This accounts for about 10% of its budget, which led to the decision to localize production in Kazakhstan.
An official signing ceremony for a 15-year off-take agreement between KAZ Minerals and ME Elecmetal was held in Astana. ME Elecmetal will carry out the project in partnership with Longteng Special Steel Co., a leading steel producer in China. Earlier this week, Kursiv.media reported that ESTA Construction plans to invest $1.35 billion in a fertilizer manufacturing plant in the Mangystau region.
