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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
FEBRUARY
2017
34
CRANAGE AND HEAVY LIFTING
Active in the housing segment since day
one, Probuild has diversified into building,
civils and plant and currently employs
about 350 staff members across five
operational divisions.
“With the shareholders still working
in the business, we have a very flat
management structure, so we see
everything that happens on site, and that
keeps levels of accountability very high,”
says managing director Nicholas Buck. This
means a lean and mean business in which
there is ready access to management and
direct communication with clients at all
times. There are no cumbersome reporting
structures and no expensive head office
overheads, according to Buck.
Capital on the Park – a 240 unit
residential and hotel mix – is reportedly the
flagship of the Capital Hotel Group, and
is something of a pioneer in bringing this
international residential hotel concept to
South Africa. Apartment buyers can either
buy the properties to live in them, or lease
them back to the Capital Group and earn a
return from rental.
Probuild started work on the contract
in February 2016 and is scheduled to hand
over to its client in August 2017. The
40 000 m
2
structure will have three
basements and 11 floors above ground.
“We’ve developed substantial expertise
in residential buildings, and have recently
finished a contract for another high rise
building in Rosebank with 165 units,”
Buck says.
Quality focus
Perhaps Probuild’s biggest differentiator,
though, is its unique quality management
system. “Over the years we have developed
a proprietary database that we now use in
all our projects, to ensure that our quality
standards are linked to subcontractors’
performance,” says Buck.
The system is based on ‘electronic
tickets’ that are generated on a tablet
computer as each parcel of work is
completed. “When a bricklayer completes
a piece of work, a foreman will inspect with
an iPad and tick off the items against which
the quality of the job is measured,” he says.
“This puts in place a culture of self-
management and self-regulation; a sub-
contractor understands that if he doesn’t
build the unit correctly first time around,
and within the timeframe in which he
expects to get paid, he will have to wait
another payment cycle before payment can
be made.”
The system ensures that everyone is
very clear about what is required before
payments can be authorised.
“For projects to run smoothly and
on time, it is vital to eradicate the need
for ‘rework’, so we need to cascade this
awareness down through all the sub-
contractors,” Buck says. “This requires
careful alignment of work outcomes with
the payments agreed, so that everyone is
working to achieve a set level of quality
within the deadlines.”
It’s a simple system but very effective,
and ensures that site work can progress
on an organised, speedy and cost effective
basis without anyone needing to come
back after deadline to redo or fix a shoddy
job. The work is done well the first time,
and that keeps everything coordinated
and streamlined.
“Our quality system is also fully
auditable, providing a clear paper trail
for stakeholders to go back into the
system and check for any latent defects,
should there be a matter that requires
investigation,” says Buck. “This allows us
to present a transparent business model
to our clients, which makes for a very
open and authentic relationship for the full
duration of the project planning
and implementation.”
Working in close quarters
Residential developments in cities remain
an active segment of the market for
contractors, as urban growth continues
to bring demand for accommodation
close to the business hubs and strategic
transportation facilities such as the
Gautrain. Working in these relatively
confined spaces, however, poses particular
BUILDING
on a
FOUNDATION OF QUALITY
Currently tackling the upmarket
Capital on the Park development
in Sandton, Gauteng-based
contractor Probuild has built
its business on quality over
the past quarter-century and is
now applying its high standards
through proprietary quality
management software.
The counter jib being prepared for lifting onto the top of the tower crane. This
photograph shows the constrained space in which the contractor has to work.
The erection of the Potain flat top
MCT85F5 tower crane was achieved
in a most unique manner; the existing
Potain tower crane on site was used to
lift and position the various sections of
the smaller tower crane into position.
This was a deft and unique piece of
engineering undertaken by local Potain
distributor, SA French.
Most importantly the operation
did not require temporary closure of
lanes on the busy adjacent street,
Katherine Street.
The jib of a Potain flat-top crane
has the ability to be erected in 5 metre
and 10 metre sections, allowing the
45 metre jib to be delivered to site in
smaller segments and assembled in
the air using the taller Potain already
on site.