Company Announcement - Focusing on finding cost effective solutions that do not compromise on quality will be the differentiating factor for cement suppliers in the future. Working collaboratively with customers to devise customised solutions that consider specific application needs is critical to future sustainability. Mike McDonald, manager at AfriSam’s Centre of Product Excellence, says that the Centre has a number of key drivers that all work towards increasing customer satisfaction and productivity. An ongoing hot topic is environmental stewardship and a number of AfriSam initiatives underpin the company’s intent.

“Cement and aggregates are scarce resources and AfriSam believes that their use should be optimised. By gaining a thorough understanding of the material properties and how to apply them as well as an understanding of concrete technology, we can ensure viable solutions,” McDonald points out. The Centre of Product Excellence is therefore actively involved in day-to-day customer interactions in terms of technical queries and support needs. This support function is undertaken by a team of skilled and experienced individuals who fully understand the application of product.

Leveraging its intimate knowledge of its own products, AfriSam works closely with commercial admixture companies to develop activators that will ensure normal concrete performance even when high levels of supplementary cementitious materials are added. A further function of the Centre of Product Excellence is ongoing product development. “We invest in finding fit for purpose concrete solutions, a journey that begins with a detailed site visit by one of our experienced technical consultants,” says McDonald. The consultant collects samples of material and ascertains specific information on curing temperatures, mixing temperatures, as well as any additives and accelerators being used. The gathered data and samples are subjected to analysis at the AfriSam’s material laboratory at the Centre of Product Excellence and the consultant is then able to draw up possible solutions.

Aligned to producing customer centric solutions is the Centre of Product Excellence’s emphasis on knowledge sharing to maximise product implementation. “By familiarising our customers with our products and solutions we can together uplift the standard of concrete solutions in the industry,” says McDonald. Courses facilitated by the Centre of Product Excellence range from a high level course for engineers who already have a working knowledge of all the material, right down to a beginner level.

This focus on training extends to a number of external initiatives which include support of final year civil engineering students through access to the Centre of Product Excellence’s laboratories and providing mentoring or participating as an external examiner for their projects. “We also sponsor fully fledged memberships for final year, postgraduate and tertiary education personnel at the Concrete Society of South Africa. They are the future of the built environment so we encourage their participation,” says McDonald.