60
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JULY
2015
Freedom
Property Fund
Dr Nakedi Mathews Phosa,
independent non-executive
director.
Chris Jennings, MD of MBA North member,
Eight J Construction, who has been the
lecturer at the courses since inception,
says it is always gratifying to see the enthusiasm,
commitment and interaction between the students
from diverse backgrounds and companies, at
the lectures.
"We try to teach them all they need to run a
successful small building operation: from preparing
to visit their bank manager, how to equip and run
an office, how to do pricing and tenders, and how
to administer a contract," Jennings stated.
"It is wonderful that the drop-out rate at the
courses is always relatively small whichmust mean
that the students are finding the tuitionworthwhile."
He added that the constant challenge many
of the small builders have to overcome is a lack of
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DIARY AND APPOINTMENTS
APPOINTMENTS
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Johnson Tiles
Warrick Taag,
architectural specifier.
PASSION TO GROW
Master Builders Association North recently completed its fourth Small
Builders Development Course with 23 students ‘graduating’ after six
months' attendance of the fortnightly, after-hours course at the MBA
North premises in Midrand.
The students of the 2014/15 MBA North Small Builders Development Course, pictured after
'graduation' with MBA staff and course sponsors also in attendance.
This is one of the reasons why the
market in construction machinery
and building materials machinery
is in an upbeat mood in this ‘pre-bauma
year’, despite all the political uncertainties.
The next edition of bauma takes place from
11 to 17 April 2016 at the Messe München
exhibition center.
The industry associations are seeing good
prospects for the construction machinery
and buildingmachinerymarket in the current
global market. Things are going well for the
customers, the building industry is growing,
and demand is there – not only in Europe,
but above all worldwide.
The market in Europe is also picking
up again, and the European construction
industry is no longer hitting the head-
lines for the wrong reasons. According to
market researchers at Euroconstruct, all the
segments in the building industry in Europe
will recover in 2015.
According to the industry associations,
China – the world’s biggest market for
constructionmachinery – will stabilise in the
current year, although initially at a low level.
fleets, but some recovery is predicted. The
statistics company Statista is forecasting the
market for construction machinery in China
will reach a value of almost USD44-billion
in 2015.
Also picking up, alongside the traditional
markets, are the markets of the Near and
Middle East. The building sector in Saudi
Arabia, for example, is currently one of the
fastest growing sectors of the country’s
economy, according to Germany Trade and
Invest (GTAI). In the medium term, too, this
high level of state investment in expanding
the transport infrastructure will ensure
above-average growth for the sector.
The market in India, too, according to
sector insiders, should also move forward
again. The consultants at off-highway
research are expecting sales of construction
machinery by latest 2016, in this, the seventh-
largest country on earth, to regain the highest
level reached so far, in 2011.
PRE-BAUMA
OPTIMISM
Last year North America and
Europewere themost dynam-
ic construction machinery
markets in the world. And
according to market experts,
this trend could continue
in 2015.
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accounting, even plain arithmetic, skills. "This is
probably a legacy from the education they received
in the past. But their passion for growing their busi-
ness more than makes up for that," Jennings felt.
Five of the students who completed the course
travelled all the way from Mbombela (Nelspruit)
every second Saturday to attend the classes.
The primary sponsors for the 2014/15 course
were Federated Employers' Mutual (FEM) Assur-
ance, Bosch, the Construction Industry Develop-
ment Board (CIDB), as well as MBA North members
Archstone Construction, Giuricich Construction,
Robenco Construction, Fintrex and lecturer, Chris
Jennings' company, Eight J Construction.
For further information about future courses,
contact Sarah Mnyandu on tel 011 315 0300 or
IS Group
Guinevere Thomas, group
marketing and communi-
cations manager.
SMEC
Gerrit Lok, general
manager resources – Africa.