AfriSam’s offering to concrete precast manufacturers operating in today’s highly competitive marketplace incorporates several value-adds designed to improve the performance of their products and help to contain costs. Underpinning the primary products supplied to this market, Rapid Hard Cement in the 52.5R strength class and High Strength Cement in the 42.5R strength class in the northern market and a 52.5N product in the southern market, AfriSam’s value-adds include on-site technical services to determine the ideal mix designs for customers’ specific applications and propose aggregates that meet these requirements. SANS-accredited laboratory services are also available to verify and test the efficiency of mixes, and product deliveries can be specifically scheduled around customers’ individual activities.

“In the CPM market we focus on assisting our customers to operate as efficiently as possible,” Mike McDonald, manager of AfriSam’s Centre of Product Excellence, says. “This involves evaluating their existing mix designs and helping them to reduce unnecessarily costly components without compromising the quality of the end product. For example, certain customers have successfully switched to our SlagCem 42.5N product available from our Vanderbijlpark plant, a cost effective alternative to High Strength Cement in this market.

“There is not a one-size-fits-all approach in the CPM market, so we draw from all the alternatives available to provide the most cost effective solution for each customer. We value our CPMs and we’re committed to building relationships that will give them a competitive edge. Our success to date reflects the quality, consistency and high performance of our products.”

The “R” early strength factor in AfriSam’s 52.5R CEM I Rapid Hard Cement and 42.5R CEM II High Strength Cement is proving to be a real differentiator in the CPM market. Top of the range 52.5R Rapid Hard Cement, developed for specialist concrete product manufacturers, is performing particularly well, achieving in excess of the SANS 50197 minimum of 30 MPa mortar strength at the two-day mark. This is enabling CPMs to develop a variety of new high specification products, such as highway barriers, roof tiles, retaining wall systems, culverts and concrete pipes. AfriSam is the only company to manufacture 52.5R Rapid Hard Cement as a standard product.

Its 42.5R High Strength Cement has been specially formulated and activated to allow for further extension with additional mineral components in the production of structural concrete. The “R” rating of the HSC is supported by AfriSam’s strict quality control plan and this product is achieving in excess of the SANS 50197 minimum of 20 MPa mortar strength at the two-day mark. High Strength Cement is commonly used to achieve concrete strengths of between 10 and 50 MPa, but it is also suitable for high strength concrete, with strengths of 80 MPa and higher.

“We’re proud to be able to offer an ‘R’ rating with the two products supplied to the CPMs, while retaining an extremely low carbon footprint. In effect, we’ve introduced technological advances that have boosted performance in terms of the strength, performance, durability and workability, without sacrificing sustainability.

“These market-leading products, together with our value-adds, are part of AfriSam’s in-house Customer Value Management initiative that seeks to unlock value for our customers across the board in new and innovative ways,” McDonald says. “Our CPM customers are experiencing tangible benefits and this has led to measurable growth in this market for us. Our innovative approach allows us to make a genuine contribution to optimising their operations.