Modern Quarrying October-November 2016

SUPPLIER

SPOTLIGHT

POT IGHT ON

BRICKMAKING

REGULA UPDATE

ASPASA

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

The man at the helm of Aspasa, Nico

Pienaar (photo Dale Kelly).