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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
MAY
2015
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
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Mariana Lamont, regional sales
manager for Ocon Brick said, “We
ended 2014 with a full order book that
in part, due to the end of year shut-down, was
carried over into 2015. We knew there was a
requirement by our customers to hit the ground
running in January; to have our bricks delivered
to site as soon as possible. Therefore we made
a strategic decision to re-open our manufac-
turing plant five days earlier, so that we were
ready and available for when our customer’s
returned to their projects and also to service
those who do not necessarily shut-down for
the entire festive season”.
“We are optimistic about our prospects for
this year. It is not without its challenges, such as
“The main reason for the latest refor-
mulation in 2014 was to boost the
green qualities of the products by
including the self-levelling screed and its primer
in the range of dustless cementitious products
now being produced at a.b.e.’s Boksburg plant
as part of the Chryso Group’s sustainable devel-
opment programme,” says a.b.e. national sales
manager: flooring, Peter Jones.
“Prior to that, a.b.e. also changed the
formulation of the self-leveller to increase
its performance and also to make the produc-
tion process as economical as possible to
offer the best price to our customers.”
abescreed SLC P is a single-pack, rapid hard-
ening cement-based screed for self-levelling
floors, ideal for situations where quick setting
is essential so that carpets, ceramic tiles, vinyl,
wood block or cork need to be applied quickly.
The product can be used on new floors or
for smoothing floors in office buildings,
private homes, shops, public buildings, schools,
hospitals, airports, prisons, factories, workshops
and warehouses.
The success of abescreed SLC P and its
primer has led to an exclusive large-scale
supply agreement being concluded last year
between a.b.e. and a leading South African
flooring company, FloorworX.
Jones says abescreed SLC P has many bene-
fits. “A few examples are: it can be pumped or
hand-laid; about 2 000 square metres can be
pumped per day; it can be walked on after only
two to four hours; and it won’t harbour bacteria
which is vital for premises such as hospital and
clinic floors,” he explains.
abescreed SLC primer, which is applied
prior to abescreed SLC P, improves the
self-levelling screed’s adhesion to the concrete
substrate, reduces surface absorbency, and
seals the substrate.
SOARING DEMAND FOR SELF-
LEVELLING SCREED
Demand for a.b.e. Construction
Chemicals’ abescreed SLC P fast-
track self-levelling screed and
abescreed SLC acrylic primer
has soared since the products
underwent three important
reformulations recently.
Peter Jones, a.b.e. Construction Chemicals
national sales manager: flooring (left); with Roy
Sinclair (centre), FloorworX technical advisor;
and Steve Montgomery, a.b.e’s GM: logistics; at
an abescreed SLC P application demonstration
for the Johannesburg flooring industry held at
the FloorworX premises in Steeledale.
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OVER 13 MILLION BRICKS A MONTH
Opening earlier than usual to ensure an average of 87 600 bricks per
day were being manufactured, Ocon Brick supplied over 13 million
clay stock and semi-face bricks in the first few weeks of January
to fill orders secured late in 2014 and early 2015, putting Ocon
Brick on track to meet customer requirements and forecasted
manufacturing targets.
the electricity supply, but that aside, the order
book is looking very healthy going forward. The
fact that we offer a superior quality product
backed up with reliable and professional tech-
nical and sales support, obviously makes us a
supplier of choice. There is substantial growth
anticipated for the infrastructure, housing and
commercial development sector this year and
our manufacturing capabilities and product
offering, already at nearly 30% over budget,
will, I believe, give us the edge,” said Lamont.
Ocon Brick is South Africa’s leading supplier
of clay stock and semi-face bricks suited to
general building work whether it is plastered
applications or unplastered designed finishes
offering many environmental, fire and safety,
thermal insulation and longevity benefits.
Semi face bricks.
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Clay stock bricks.