Engineering News | Construction | Materials & Equipment

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Materials & Equipment News

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. →

AfriSam helps build solid foundation for Cape Town mixed-use development

By: Simone Liedtke 19th January 2021 Variable ground conditions at an upmarket mixed-use development in Cape Town has demanded some innovative solutions from contractor GVK-Siya Zama Construction and readymix specialist AfriSam. At the Old Cape Quarter project in De Waterkant, four floors of luxury apartments are being added to... →

A particular challenge was the lack of space in the basement for the use of normal Class 3 formwork.

After baptism of fire, empowered valves manufacturer on road to recovery

By: Terence Creamer 19th January 2021 After fulfilling, in November 2019, all the conditions precedent to finally consummate the R165-million acquisition of valve manufacturer Dynamic Fluid Control (DFC) from Aveng the new black owners faced a true baptism of fire. CEO and co-shareholder Tumi Tsehlo, who previously headed the South... →

Tumi Tsehlo

JPMorgan Chase & Co now holds 25% shareholding in Aveng

By: Simone Liedtke 14th January 2021 Investment banking company JPMorgan Chase & Co now owns 25.52% of the total issued ordinary shares of international infrastructure and resources company Aveng. This includes the 19.07%, 3.87% and 2.58% holdings by various JPMorgan Chase & Co subsidiaries. →

Wearne appoints new FD

By: Donna Slater 14th January 2021 Building materials company Wearne has appointed Norman Janse van Rensburg FD, with effect from January 14. He is a chartered accountant who completed his articles at professional services firm PwC and has been working for industrial company Barloworld in various divisions for the past 20 years. →

Forklift-centric children's book launched to spark imagination, acceptance of others 

By: Donna Slater 11th January 2021 A new children’s book Forklift trucks and their Secret Superpowers was launched late last year in a partnership between forklift manufacturer Combilift and award-winning author Emer Conlon. The CombiKids book highlights overcoming difficulties, the importance of friendship and that bullying is... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Forklift trucks and their Secret Superpowers

AMSA says steel shortage will be ‘quickly’ resolved after early restart of blast furnace

By: Terence Creamer 8th January 2021 Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) says the earlier-than-planned restart of its second blast furnace at the Vanderbijlpark Works will position the company to “quickly resolve” the current shortage of steel, which has been negatively affecting downstream fabricators and manufacturers... →

Photo by Creamer Media
The Vanderbijlpark Works

LafargeHolcim to buy Firestone Building Products in $3.4bn deal

By: Reuters 7th January 2021 LafargeHolcim, the world's biggest cement maker, on Thursday announced a $3.4-billion deal to buy Firestone Building Products from Japan's Bridgestone Corporation in its biggest acquisition in more than a decade. The purchase of the roofing products business is the biggest under CEO Jan Jenisch,... →

Planet-warming emissions from buildings put climate goals at risk

By: Reuters 17th December 2020 Planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from buildings and construction are jeopardising global goals to keep devastating climate change at bay, a UN-backed coalition warned on Wednesday, after data showed they hit an all-time high in 2019. The use of coal, oil and natural gas for heating,... →

Afrimat Construction Index shows recovery in Q3

By: Irma Venter 10th December 2020 Following a sharp decline in construction activity during the second quarter of the year, induced by Covid-19 lockdown regulations, the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) has staged a strong comeback in the third quarter, moving back to above the 100-mark level of the base period (the first quarter... →

Roelof Botha

SA to introduce Web-based Covid-19 screening system

By: Sane Dhlamini 10th December 2020 The Department of Health on Thursday announced the launch of a pilot programme for a new Web-based travel health questionnaire to increase efforts to strengthen active screening and surveillance at ports of entry into South Africa. The department says with the full resumption of international... →

PPC’s cost containment bears fruit, contributes to R610m interim profit

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th December 2020 After what had been a difficult start to the financial year, JSE-listed cement manufacturer PPC managed to turn a profit of R610-million for the six months ended September 30, which was a 77% improvement year-on-year. The company posted a restated profit of R344-million for the six months ended... →

PPC executive team discusses the company's interim financial performance

Construction of jewellery manufacturing hub nears completion

By: Donna Slater 8th December 2020 Raubex Building is nearing completion of a high-security block in the Jewellery Manufacturing Precinct (JMP) close to OR Tambo International Airport, east of Johannesburg. The Covid-19 national lockdown brought the project to a halt for most of April, in line with regulations. Raubex Building,... →

The north west corner of the superblock where one of the logistics companies' security yard is located

Digitalisation will boost efficiency in construction sector

By: Schalk Burger 4th December 2020 The construction industry – one of the least digitalised industries globally – can improve its efficiency and productivity, and regain its competitiveness, if it digitalises, says construction and engineering software solutions firm RIB CCS CEO Andrew Skudder. “The Covid-19 crisis is leading to a... →

ANDREW SKUDDER Data is the key to improving the construction sector, better managing pain points, improve outcomes and enable companies to be more competitive without sacrificing profitability and sustainability

Building confidence index gains some traction after Covid-19 slippage

By: Donna Slater 2nd December 2020 The First National Bank/Bureau for Economic Research Building Confidence Index gained 20 points to 24 in the third quarter, with a further rise to 29 being registered thus far in the fourth quarter – both reaching their best levels since the end of 2018, respectively. However, despite the rise... →

PPC expects lower interim earnings of around 18c apiece

By: Marleny Arnoldi 2nd December 2020 JSE-listed cement manufacturer PPC expects to report basic earnings per share (EPS) of between 18c and 21c apiece for the six months ended September 30, which is between 35% and 45% lower than the restated EPS of 32c apiece reported for the six months ended September 30, 2019. The company’s... →

Barloworld to focus on industrial goods, food sector going forward

By: Irma Venter 30th November 2020 Barloworld will, in the medium to long term, focus on two verticals, namely industrial goods and related services, as well as food and food ingredients, says CEO Dominic Sewela. “As we manage the pivoting out of the automotive and logistics business . . . we are very clear that we don’t want to... →

Dominic Sewela

CSIR and asphalt industry construct test road using local fillers, recycled tyres

By: Irma Venter 27th November 2020 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and private company Much Asphalt have successfully constructed a section of road using locally available micro-fillers and recycled tyres. Following more than a year of combined laboratory development and evaluation efforts by CSIR Smart... →

WBHO sees plunge in profit as pandemic, lossmaking projects take toll

By: Irma Venter 27th November 2020 Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) last week reported a massive turnaround in fortunes from 12 months ago when it boasted R513-million in operating profit for the year ended June 30, to a position where it suffered an operating loss of R585-million. The group cited as the main reasons for the... →

Stefanutti Stocks stays in the red as it reports R101m loss

By: Irma Venter 26th November 2020 The impact of Covid-19, as well as an adverse market, saw Stefanutti Stocks report an operating loss of R101-million for the six months ended August 31, compared with a R865-million loss in the same period last year. Contract revenue from continuing operations declined from R2.9-billion to... →

IBT construction reduces cost, time

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 20th November 2020 Student accommodation group STAG African says it can reduce construction time and costs for student accommodation using innovative building technology (IBT) – a first for Africa. “By using such technologies, developers can reduce building time by 40%, which has the effect of reducing associated... →

BUILDING CONSENSUS When the industry becomes more satisfied with this approach to building, and realises the cost benefits of IBT, the uptake of IBT in construction will increase

Bridge takes top spot at Steel Awards

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 20th November 2020 The new V&A Swing Bridge took top honours at the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction’s (SAISC’s) inaugural virtual Steel Awards last month. “Ingenuity, creativity and excellence were showcased during the live stream event, with the coveted titles of Overall Winner and Bridge Category... →

FAR AND WIDE The new swing bridge spans 40 m and the deck is cable-stayed, with a single plane of four locked coil cables connecting to a central, upstand spine beam

Increased use of light steel frame

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 20th November 2020 There is a significant increase in the use of light steel frame (LSF) in construction – despite it still being a relatively new building material in the South African market. This increase is mostly owed to the multitude of benefits it offers over traditional building methods, says LSF... →

FAR AND WIDE Futurecon plans to keep expanding the use of LSF in the large-scale commercial sector

WBHO sees plunge in profit as Covid-19, loss-making projects take toll

By: Irma Venter 17th November 2020 Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) on Tuesday reported a massive turnaround in fortunes from 12 months ago when it boasted R513-million in operating profit for the year ended June 30, to a position where it suffered an operating loss of R585-million. Group CEO Wolfgang Neff cited the main reasons... →

Sector recovery lies in collaboration – says cement maker

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th November 2020 The construction sector remains under pressure, despite the easing of the national lockdown to Level 1, and contractors need to work with materials suppliers to remain cost competitive, says construction materials company AfriSam. →

AfriSam readymix GM Amit Dawneerangen shares his insight on the state of the construction industry

Hard-hit construction sector pins recovery hopes on infrastructure plan

By: Natasha Odendaal 13th November 2020 South Africa’s construction industry ground to a halt on March 27, as the nation entered a hard lockdown that would last weeks, in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic which spurred governments worldwide to impose emergency restrictions. Six months later, the industry is starting to get back... →

Topics In These Articles

RSS Feed

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