Engineering News | Construction | Materials & Equipment

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Materials & Equipment News

John Deere names new dealers in Africa

By: Irma Venter 4th May 2021 Following an announcement to expand its construction lineup into new markets, John Deere has made public the first three construction and forestry dealers responsible for the Southern African region. These are AFGRI Equipment, Mascor and Senwes Equipment. →

PPC Lime to be sold to a local company for R515m

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd May 2021 JSE-listed PPC’s subsidiary PPC South Africa has entered into transaction agreements with Kgatelopele Lime on the disposal of PPC Lime for R515-million. Kgatelopele is a private company that was formed for the purposes of the PPC Lime acquisition. →

Limestone quarry

Bell posts R57m full-year loss, but says order books healthy in most regions

By: Schalk Burger 15th April 2021 A 14% year-on-year decrease in sales for the financial year ended December 31, 2020, has led to JSE-listed materials handing equipment company Bell Equipment reporting a loss after tax of R57.2-million. Additionally, following several years of large expansions in Europe and the US, Bell finds... →

John Deere expands African construction equipment line-up

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2021 John Deere has announced the expansion of its construction equipment line-up to 18 countries across Southern and West Africa, where Deere-branded construction products were previously not available. This expansion, which will include backhoe loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, motor graders and... →

Managing green-building strategies during construction crucial for ratings

By: Schalk Burger 9th April 2021 Constantly managing, monitoring and aligning construction costs against budget when implementing Green Star sustainable building-rating initiatives helps developers to achieve the objective ratings, says infrastructure and engineering consulting firm Aecom cost management, buildings and places... →

The building achieved an As-Built 6-Star Green Star-rating, which is the highest GBCSA sustainability accreditation

New sealant enhances passive fire protection

By: Halima Frost 2nd April 2021 Sealant technology provider Den Braven’s Fire Protect hybrid sealant is a “one-for-all” sealant that encapsulates the concept of passive fire protection, which is integral when designing a building or structure. The hybrid sealant prevents fire from spreading through a building by creating... →

MICHAEL BERG The hybrid sealant prevents fire from spreading through a building by creating well-sealed compartments

PPC reports better financial, debt position

By: Schalk Burger 31st March 2021 Cement, aggregates and building materials company PPC has reduced its South African debt to R1.64-billion from R1.92-billion for the eleven months to the end of February. It has also achieved 90% higher free cash flow compared with a year ago and says its restructuring will be completed by... →

Increases in civil tender awards, hardware sales despite Covid pandemic

By: Irma Venter 26th March 2021 There are some positives to be found in the South African construction market, despite the Covid pandemic, says Industry Insight senior economist David Metelerkamp. This first positive lies in the resilience of the civil engineering sector, where there was a 12.7% increase in civil tenders... →

John Deere expands its construction equipment line-up to 18 African countries

By: Irma Venter 24th March 2021 John Deere has announced the expansion of its construction equipment line-up to 18 countries across Southern and Western Africa, where Deere-branded construction products were previously not available. This expansion, which will include backhoe loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, motor graders... →

WBHO sees a tripling of civils and road project pipelines

By: Irma Venter 19th March 2021 The pipeline of civil engineering projects in which Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) hopes to participate has “recently nearly tripled” to R27-billion, up from R10.5-billion in June last year, says CEO Wolfgang Neff. This pipeline only includes contracts that WBHO believes will be awarded in the... →

TATA International Africa sets up finance offering, uptime strategy supports growth

By: Schalk Burger 12th March 2021 Trading and distribution company TATA International Africa's uptime strategy has allowed it to improve turnover and profitability over the past year. It also supports the pursuit of its growth and expansion objectives, says TATA International Africa CEO Len Brand. →

Petrochemicals plant demolition under way

By: Darren Parker 12th March 2021 Demolition contractor Jet Demolition is wrapping up a petrochemical demolition project valued at about R20-million. Jet Demolition project manager André Botes tells Engineering News that the project, which started in September last year, was a welcome relief from an extremely challenging 2020. →

COLD CUTS Jet Demolition holds a number of highly specialised cold-cutting demolition tools and attachments for its fleet of demolition machines.

Pandemic stresses need for conservation

By: Cameron Mackay 12th March 2021 With Covid-19 further emphasising the importance of water and water conservation in South Africa, water tank storage solutions provider Abeco Tanks has supplied water tanks to several hospitals and facilities in the country to ease the impact of the pandemic. “The best defence against the... →

MANNIE RAMOS JNR As we brand ourselves as a water bank, businesses to store water for when water supply is unavailable in order to have continuity of service

Civil tenders awarded, hardware sales positives in the construction industry – Metelerkamp

By: Irma Venter 5th March 2021 There are some positives to be found in the South African construction market, despite the Covid-pandemic, says Industry Insight senior economist David Metelerkamp. This first positive lies in the resilience of the civil engineering sector, where there was a 12.7% increase in civil tenders... →

Battery packs changing the market

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 5th March 2021 Lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery packs are “revolutionising” the market for electric industrial equipment, such as forklift trucks and cherry pickers in construction, says industrial lithium-ion battery distributor CHASE Technologies GM Brent Frazer. Although the LiFePO4 batteries may... →

ENERGIZED The energy density of LiFePO4 batteries is about 140 Wh/kg, or three times that of lead-acid batteries

Company launches HX Series excavators for various applications

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 5th March 2021 Construction equipment supplier HPE Africa has launched its HX Series excavators, which will be available in April nationwide. HPE Africa believes that the series will be well suited to most medium-to large sized construction, civil engineering and demolition projects carried out by municipalities. →

THE RIGHT FIT HPE Africa believes that the series will be well suited to most small- to medium-size construction, repair and demolition projects carried out by municipalities

WBHO sees marked improvement in civils, road sectors

By: Irma Venter 3rd March 2021 The pipeline of civil engineering projects in which Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) hopes to participate has “recently nearly tripled” to R27-billion, up from R10.5-billion in June last year, says CEO Wolfgang Neff. This pipeline only includes contracts that WBHO believes will be awarded in the... →

Wolfgang Neff

Brikor acquires 40% stake in Zingaro

By: Creamer Media Reporter 3rd March 2021 Brick manufacturer and supplier Brikor has acquired a 40% shareholding in multiproduct road transportation services provider Zingaro Holdings for R50-million. Zingaro primarily operates in South Africa and mainly services short to medium distance routes in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and... →

New cement and concrete industry body aims for growth, value, sustainability

By: Schalk Burger 1st March 2021 A new industry organisation Cement and Concrete South Africa (CCSA) was launched on March 1 to create long-term shared value and industry growth in South Africa through collaboration, skills development, innovation and the highest standards in sustainable cement and concrete materials and... →

CCSA CEO Bryan Perrie

JCB appoints Bell to distribute its equipment in South Africa

By: Schalk Burger 26th February 2021 Construction equipment manufacturer JCB has appointed materials handling subsidiary and distributor Bell Equipment South Africa as the distributor for the full range of JCB construction equipment from May 1. Bell Equipment Sales South Africa (Bessa) will be JCB's distributor in the key South... →

M&E sector output to recover this year after 15% decrease recorded for 2020

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th February 2021 The Metals and Engineering (M&E) sector was no doubt under pressure in 2020 owing to lower steel production and general trading restrictions, Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) says in its latest 'State of the M&E Sector' report. Seifsa chief economist and... →

Correct concrete vital for industrial flooring

By: Theresa Bhowan 26th February 2021 With the construction of industrial floors requiring concrete with characteristics entirely different from that of concrete for vertical structures, it is important to use the correct material in the correct proportions, says technical service provider The Concrete Institute (TCI) MD Bryan... →

BRYAN PERRIE Keeping the floor clean, maintaining the joint sealant and filler and timeous repair of any damage will ensure a long life span of concrete floors

Flooring contributes to Covid-19 safety measures

By: Theresa Bhowan 26th February 2021 The increasingly important role of flooring and floor coverings in mitigating the spread of Covid-19 has resulted in factories and commercial companies’ rethinking their floor covering designs, says floor covering distributor and installer KBAC Flooring. “Many factories have started to add... →

GUIDED STEPS Safe flooring goes beyond demarcations and markings; it should also be environmentally safe and also contribute to the fight against Covid-19

Improved formulation, developments maintain low VOC emissions

By: Theresa Bhowan 26th February 2021 Vinyl flooring specialist and South African Vinyl Association (SAVA) member Polyflor SA continually develops and improves formulations for all flooring ranges to ensure that volatile organic compound (VOC) emission levels are kept to the lowest possible levels, with no significant negative... →

PPC making positive progress with restructuring, refinancing

By: Donna Slater 25th February 2021 JSE-listed building materials company PPC reports it is making positive progress against key milestones of its restructuring and refinancing project, which is centred on implementing a sustainable capital structure and improving the investment prospects of the group. In South Africa, to date,... →

Seifsa calls for finalisation, implementation of Steel Master Plan

By: Schalk Burger 12th February 2021 Industry body the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has called for the finalisation and speedy implementation of the Steel Master Plan, which it believes will benefit primary and downstream players in the local steel industry. It is also considered to be key... →

Partnership ensures basket of training opportunities

12th February 2021 Manufacturer Gabion Baskets has partnered construction training specialist Tjeka Training Matters to provide practical instruction in the installation of its products. Under this new arrangement, customers will receive a certificate of competency from the training provider once they have... →

ROCK SOLID TRAINING The partnership between Gabion Baskets and Tjeka Training Matters aims to raise the standards of gabion structure installations in South Africa

Food warehouse expansion under way

By: Darren Parker 12th February 2021 Construction connection technology supplier Peikko South Africa has embarked on the second phase expansion of a production and warehousing facility for a food manufacturer in Johannesburg. The first phase was successfully completed last year and the second phase is under way, Peikko South Africa... →

DANIEL PETROV Installations on site are expected to start this month

Heritage building facelift under way

By: Darren Parker 12th February 2021 Construction contractor Icon Group is conducting bulk earthworks and demolitions in the Johannesburg central business district as part of a construction project aimed at developing a new Title Deeds Office for the City of Johannesburg. The project, a partnership between the city and the... →

ICONIC BUILDING REFURBISHMENT The project is centred around a 120-year-old heritage building, which needs to be preserved

Improved trading environment lifts ARB earnings

By: Natasha Odendaal 11th February 2021 A much improved trading environment has enabled investment and property holding company ARB Holdings to achieve increases across the board during the six months ended December 31, 2020. Following a year of lockdowns and restrictions amid a global pandemic which dragged the company’s 2020 full... →

SAISC urges stakeholders to raise steel shortage concerns amid Itac import rebate investigation

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th February 2021 The International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) has reportedly received a policy directive from Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel to investigate the creation of a rebate facility of customs and safeguard duties to cover imported flat steel products used by the... →

Green hydrogen and powerfuels could revive ailing PetroSA, unlock green steel and create €160bn export platform

By: Terence Creamer 9th February 2021 The combination of South Africa’s world-class wind, solar and land resources, its platinum group metals reserves, as well as its historical experience in industrial-scale synthetic-fuel manufacture, position the country strongly for the production of green hydrogen and tradeable synthetic... →

Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande on South Africa's comparative advantage when it came to the production of renewable hydrogen and green powerfuels.

AfriSam notes readiness to bring more capacity on stream for roadworks

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 5th February 2021 With some important road contracts already secured for this year, building materials company AfriSam notes that it is well placed to bring more capacity on stream as and when there is an upswing in South Africa’s roadbuilding sector. “The construction materials market is now only about a third of... →

Avi Bhoora

29 construction-sector bodies unite under one umbrella

By: Irma Venter 5th February 2021 South Africa’s construction industry has united to form a single umbrella body, Construction Alliance South Africa (CASA), which is made up of 29 professional, contractor, supplier and other bodies within the industry. Industry stalwart John Matthews has been appointed as CASA chairperson. →

PPC MD shares thoughts on sustainability

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd February 2021 PPC Southern Africa MD Njombo Lekula says it is largely owing to strong relationships with its people that the company has managed to not only pull through Covid-19, but also been able to continue with its restructuring and refinancing project. Lekula says the company’s social impact has always... →

PPC Cement

Afrimat disposes of restructured UCP, but retains ownership of Nkomati

By: Simone Liedtke 27th January 2021 Industrial minerals and construction materials company Afrimat will sell the restructured Unicorn Capital Parents (UCP), which no longer holds a direct interest in the Nkomati anthracite mine. Afrimat last year acquired embattled UCP in order to take full ownership of the Nkomati mine, in which... →

Construction bodies unite into single alliance

By: Irma Venter 21st January 2021 Twenty-nine of South Africa's professional, contractor, supplier and other bodies within the construction industry have united to form a single umbrella organisation, called the Construction Alliance South Africa (CASA). Industry stalwart John Matthews has been appointed as CASA chairperson. →

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe