Quality control starts with the care brought in the deposit’s selection and then in the mining production follow up. Specific precautions are taken on the spot when handling, transporting and storing the ore to avoid any external contaminations.

During mining, the talc deposits are regularly assessed on the spot by NW geologists to detect geological and mineralogical major and/or minor changes in the local context. Monitoring includes detailed observations of the ore in situs, geological mapping and sampling. Samples are tested internally for basic specs and in external labs for asbestos control and chemical composition.

Selectively mined in open pits, the run of mine talc is first roughly hand-picked in mine depot to remove wastes (such as carbonate and country rocks pieces) and split into granulometric classes.  Conditioned in jumbo bags, this raw ore material is sent to Peshawar NW facility to be further processed and classified in different grades by screening and hand-sorting.

The material entering Peshawar warehouse is systematically controlled for whiteness and LOI, by NW Quality Control team. Northwest lab includes equipment for basic talc quality control (chromatographic and Loss on Ignition measurements). Other analyses (Asbestos detection and Chemical analysis) are subcontracted to external companies.

Northwest is the only amongst local counterparts to have created a strong technical and well-coordinated quality system starting right from quarry to Karachi seaport. Extensive batch by batch sampling is carried out at Peshawar followed by pile codding. Testing is supported by indoor lab equipped for whiteness measurements and Loss on Ignition tests. Asbestos analyses are carried out through SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy)) in international labs. Any batch of material that doesn’t comply with quality standards is discarded from the supply chain.