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Concrete Footprint In Growth Nodes

3rd May 2016

  

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AfriSam  (0.06 MB)

South Africa’s leading concrete solutions provider, AfriSam has strengthened its readymix production and supply capacities in the northern areas of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Since September 2015, its new batching plant in Phoenix has been supplying concrete for the construction of the massive Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital, and it will also be the source of material for a large low cost housing project in the area. According to AfriSam’s Marietjie Thompson, the building materials supplier is positioning itself to seize a share of the promised massive spending on infrastructure by eThekwini Municipality in the Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) areas. The local government has already made known its plans of investing billions of Rands into housing projects to help uplift these areas over the next five years.

While the company has bolstered its production and supply capacities in the area its strong Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment credentials places it in a very strategic position when tendering for public sector contracts.

This was one of the biggest reasons for AfriSam clinching the concrete supply for Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital. More than providing members of the INK community with important health care services, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Health wants the build to uplift INK communities during the construction programme. For example, one of the key objectives of the construction programme is that 30% of all sub-contracts are let out to 100% black-owned companies.

This is over and above its strict requirements to maximise employment opportunities and skills transfer during the build. By the end of the year, it is anticipated that there will be about 2 000 people from the INK communities employed on the site when fittings and finishing works start. AfriSam is supplying 40 000 m3 of concrete to Aveng Grinaker-LTA Building and its joint venture partner, Enza Construction, who arrived on site in January 2015 to start tackling the four year contract.

Strong supply
The Phoenix batching plant is a mere 1,5 km from the site and has a production capacity of 40 m3 an hour. This plant services what is referred to as the P.I.N.K. area which encompasses Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu. Six readymix trucks deliver 600 m3 of concrete to the construction site per day, while three more ferry concrete from AfriSam’s Ottawa operation. This strategy mitigates any risk to customers should there be an unforeseen interruption at one of the plants.

In addition to supplementing production and supply capacities at Phoenix for the hospital project the Ottawa plant, located just more than 12 km away from the construction site, is supplying major developments well under way in Cornubia and Umhlanga.

Both plants receive a steady supply of quality cement from AfriSam’s grinding station in Roodepoort and aggregates from its Verulam quarry.

Thompson says the company did four mix designs for the Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital. These were for the slabs, suspended slabs and columns. About 80% of the concrete for the structure has a compressive strength of 30 MPa, while 35 MPa concrete is being used for the columns and suspended slabs. The materials producer also helped the JV to co-ordinate the use of the different mixes on site, once the batches had been delivered. Thompson says that one of the highlights of the supply contract has been ensuring timely delivery of quality concrete to site considering the very strict construction schedule. 

Aveng Grinaker-LTA Building and Enza Construction intend completing the bulk of the structure this year, giving them a long enough timeframe in which to handle the extensive and intricate finishings and fittings component of the project ahead of practical completion in the first week of October 2018. Up to 18 decks are prepared a day, with between five and seven completed in a week. The concrete supplied by AfriSam has been designed to cure over 28 days. Thompson says orders are placed at least a week in advance, with deliveries starting at 07h00 in the morning and ending by 17h00 when the construction shifts end. In line with AfriSam’s policy, trucks are turned around within 45 minutes.

The outlook for construction activity in INK areas of Durban remain strong, with the construction of Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital a positive signal of more to come from both provincial and local government. And, AfriSam is in a very strategic position to play a meaningful role in many of these builds.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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