Company Announcement - Bitcon Industries, leading producer of fire doors in South Africa, has secured one of the biggest export orders to sub-Saharan Africa the company has landed in its 48 year history. Bob Vollmer, director of Boksburg-based Bitcon Industries, says the company is providing all the fire doors, security doors as well as transformer room doors for Nigeria’s new prime retail destination, Jabi Lake Mall, in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Abuja - located in the centre of Nigeria - was built in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital in December 1991, replacing Lagos, although Lagos remains the country's most populous city.

Comprising 25 000 square metres of A-grade retail space, Jabi Lake Mall is set to become Nigeria’s prime retail destination with a wide selection of national and international tenants including South Africa’s Shoprite and Game. Scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2015, the new mall is the first leg in what will be a 35 hectares mixed-use development drawing on a target market of almost 2,5 million people.

The Bitcon order was placed by the main contractor for the Jabi Lake Mall project, Bouygues Construction, part of the large French global corporation, Bouygues Batiment International. Bouygues Construction operates world-wide and designs, builds and operates public and private buildings, transport infrastructures and energy and communications networks. The French group employs over 52 000 people and is active in over 80 countries. “Bitcon is supplying Bouygues Construction with our Rubidor Class A and B single and double fire doors, as well as Anti-Bandit security doors and single and double door transformer doors for the upmarket shopping mall,” Vollmer stated. “Bitcon has already shipped sample doors to Abuja and will now complete the order in six containers for which Mega Freight Services is handling the consignment,” Vollmer stated.

He says the company is experiencing constantly increasing demand for its fire, security, transformer room and anti-radiation doors from neighbouring states and also the Northern African market. Among the African orders for Bitcon doors recently secured are for the African Barrack Gold mine in Tanzania, Church of Latter Day Saints in Uganda, Gateway Mall in Malawi, Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek, Maru-a-Pala School in Botswana, and the Lesotho Communal Authority in Lesotho.

“Bitcon’s pricing has the edge on competitors in Europe, so the number of Northern African countries where our Rubidor fire doors and other doors have been installed is growing at an unprecedented rate,” Vollmer explained. Bitcon produces its Rubidor fire doors; Anti-Bandit, Polar and Hippo security doors; transformer room and lead-lined doors for x-ray areas from a production plant in Jet Park, Boksburg. Design and drawing facilities in the offices on the same premises provide the relevant technical assistance. Rubidor Class A, B & D hinged fire doors meet the requirements of SANS 1253:2003. The doors’ cores are constructed from a magnesium-oxychloride monolithic-reinforced insulating material with exceptional fire resistance and mechanical strength. Compliance with the national standard is based on successful tests for stability, integrity, insulation and impact resistance. The doors are clad with a variety of finishes including masonite, timber veneers, galvanised sheeting, Formica laminate, and edged with hardwood lipping.

Double doors are fitted with rebated meeting stiles. Bitcon also produces sliding fire doors in the Class A, B and D categories which fulfill the South African national test standard. The doors are available in single, bi-parting, or double direction formats. The company’s Anti-Bandit Security Doors are manufactured to fulfil the requirements of SABS Test Standard 1658-1996 for “Ballistic resistance of body armour” with regards to weapons and ammunition (small armed attack).

Bitcon operates from a high-technology production plant in Jet Park, Boksburg. It was established in 1967 and initially specialised in the manufacture of door and window frames, entering the fire door manufacturing market in 1975 and subsequently expanded its product range to include security doors, lead lined doors for x-ray areas and transformer room doors. In 1998, Bitcon Industries was purchased by the current owners and became a division of Vitrex (Pty) Ltd.