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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
OCTOBER
2015
nlocking value for its
customers is a primary focus
for AfriSam, especially in the
current economic situation
where contractors in the
construction and infrastruc-
ture sectors are hard pressed to reduce
costs wherever possible, while still ensuring
optimum productivity and final quality of
the project.
This is according to Richard Tomes, sales
and marketing executive at AfriSam, who
says that AfriSam has a legacy of more than
80 years and is today the largest concrete
materials producer in the country with the
capacity to produce in excess of 2 million
cubic metres of readymix concrete, 10 million
tons of aggregate and over 5 million tons of
cementitious products per annum.
“AfriSam is continuously looking to
expand its operating presence and in line with
this the company recently acquired an equity
stake in Port Elizabeth based, Concrete 4 U
thereby expanding its readymix footprint to
the Eastern Cape,” Tomes says.
“It is AfriSam’s size, scale and experience
as well as our innovative approach to partner-
ships and concrete technology that enables
AfriSam to create concrete possibilities for our
customers,” states Tomes.
Scale, size and experience
Tomes points out that there is a growing
trend where contractors, particularly those
on larger projects, seldom make their own
concrete leading to an increased demand
for readymix concrete. This is particularly
apparent in the burgeoning Sandton,
Midrand, Centurion corridor where numerous
buildings are being upgraded, refurbished
and a number of very modern facilities are
being constructed.
“The general upgrade of the Sandton
inner city area will not only dovetail with a
number of high profile projects such as the
Discovery Head Office, Alice Lane Phase III,
Mall of Africa and the new PWC headquarters
COVER STORY
in Waterfall, but will also effectively transform
the transportation systems within the area,”
Tomes explains.
Having product available where its
customers need it is exactly what AfriSam
specialises in. “Being close to the industry
has seen us strategically and systematically
increase our readymix capacity to ensure that
customers have access to consistent quality
concrete solutions for these major projects.
At the same time it was important for the
company to ensure that supply requirements
of smaller contractors are also catered for.
“We have a number of plants servicing
these areas and are able to provide a
combined capacity of 300 m
3
per hour. The
clustering of readymix plants provides a
valuable back-up service enabling contractors
to successfully complete large and continuous
pours,” Tomes adds.
While the individual plant operations are
different, the batching interface is identical
across all AfriSam’s readymix plants. Use
of the same interface ensures consistent
batching, minimises errors and provides the
ability to deliver supply backup from various
locations. Customers, therefore, have the
absolute assurance that potential disruption
to an individual operation will be minimised.
Given the reality of operating plants in
South Africa, Tomes says that all AfriSam
readymix operations are equipped with
generators to ensure that the supply of
readymix will not be interrupted, should there
be any power outages. This is an important
advantage for all contractors in these growth
nodes where the construction programmes
are tight and disruption in supply of the
concrete materials can result in bottom line
penalties and losses.
“We maintain close interactive relation-
ships with our customers and industry, and
this has facilitated an in-depth understanding
of the challenges faced by contractors and
developers,” Tomes continues.
He explains that the use by contrac-
tors of readymix concrete brings with it
numerous advantages as it removes the issue
of operating an on-site batching plant with
the associated aggregates and cement stock
requirements. It minimises the number of
deliveries reducing traffic to and from the
site, a major advantage on already congested
roads. This, with the reduced dust and water
consumption on site, is far kinder to the envi-
ronment as well.
Innovative partnerships
AfriSam is also unlocking value for its
customers by partnering with innovative
companies that specialise in the application
of its products and services. Through its
partnership with Concrete Laser Flooring
(CLF), AfriSam is pioneering some of the
latest trends and developments in concrete
technology in the South African construction
industry. These include a patented seamless
concrete flooring system and the introduction
of the ‘tilt-up’ construction method of using
the floor of a building as a casting bed for
the wall panels, then lifting these panels into
position using a crane.
In addition, the partnership has pro-
duced a more environmentally friendly floor
concrete by replacing cement in the mix
design with activated slag and admixtures.
This specialised concrete mix for floor appli-
cations sees a significant reduction in the
use of cement.
“Our partnership with both CLF and
Concrete 4 U is in line with our vertical inte-
gration and brand extension strategy.
It positions AfriSam as an integrated concrete
solutions company. We do not only supply
cement and concrete, but offer a total
solutions approach to our customers’ varied
needs. We are always on the lookout for new
solutions, innovations and opportunities to
bring to the attention of customers, as well as
advancing the knowledge and skills base of
the industry itself through our active partic-
ipation in The Concrete Institute,” says Tomes.
Concrete solutions technology
Another and equally important area where
AfriSam supports its customers is with
concrete solutions technology. With changes
in the market in recent years, few construc-
tion companies have in-house concrete
technologists and do not have the specialist
concrete technology skills to proportion
mixes, thus relying on suppliers like AfriSam
who have the in-house expert skills.
AfriSam believes it creates concrete possi-
VALUE-
ENHANCING
concrete solutions
As a leading supplier of concrete materials in
southern Africa, AfriSam has the capacity and scale
to deliver value-enhancing benefits to customers
through its bespoke concrete solutions offering.
AfriSam delivers