Modern Quarrying October-November 2016

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT POT IGHT ON BRICKMAKING REGULA UPDATE ASPASA

The man at the helm of Aspasa, Nico Pienaar (photo Dale Kelly).

scale, scope and complexity, what I consider to be the fourth industrial revolution is unlike anything humankind has experienced before. ‘Consider the unlimited possibilities of hav- ing billions of people connected by mobile devices, giving rise to unprecedented process- ing power, storage capabilities and knowledge access. Or think about the staggering confluence of emerging technology breakthroughs, covering wide-ranging fields such as artificial intelligence, robotic, the internet of things, autonomous vehi- cles, 3D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage and quantum computing, to name a few’. And this is echoed by Aspasa member Andries van Heerden, CEO of Afrimat: “Today business is different to what it was yesterday. Just look at how things have changed in our industry over the last five years. For example, the local construction industry was dominated by the Big Five; today, it is completely the opposite. Though many of the big construction contractors may talk tongue-in- cheek about the small players, they have just been blown out of the water with the exception of one or two.” Van Heerden continues: “The industry has changed a lot. Tomorrow, it is going to be different to what it is today. There are new factors driving the economy and new things that are becoming more important. It is all about strategic manage- ment; looking at the current environment and where we want to be; where the opportunities

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MODERN QUARRYING

October - November 2016