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THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE
ISSUE O E • 201
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Quality cast in concrete
• Durban Bluff project puts watertight jacking pipe to the test
• CMA’s new Executive Director
• Concrete masonry pitfalls and solutions
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PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
ON THE COVER
Two of five 100m (1 800mm
outer diameter) storm-
water drainage pipes dur-
ing the pipe jacking process
which is taking place under
the Transnet Freight Rail
Reserve near Wentworth
Station in The Bluff, Dur-
ban. The project is being
handled by Franki Africa,
one of the most difficult
below-the-water-table pro-
jects the company has undertaken in recent years.
The pipes were manufactured by CMA member,
Concrete Units, and are being installed below the
water table in ground which consists of running
sand and the consistency of soup. Butt-ended
joints, steel bands and O-rings ensure that the
pipes are watertight and have improved alignment
characteristics.
THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE
ISSUE O E • 201
CO
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M
ANUFACTURERS
AS
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CIA
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N
Quality cast in concrete
• Durban Bluff project puts watertight jacking pipe to the test
• CMA’s new Executive Director
• Concrete masonry pitfalls and solutions
30 Industry news from Kaytech, Rocla, Echo, Birkenmayer, Mapei and Sika
INDUSTRY FORUM
FEATURE STORIES
16 CONCRETE MASONRY PITFALLS AND SOLUTIONS
21 PRECAST PRODUCTS USED EXTENSIVELY IN WATERFRONT PROJECT
22 LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD IN US HOME PAVING MARKET
26 REMACON SCORES A HIT WITH MODULAR WALL UNITS
28 GREENLOCK EARTH BLOCK MAKES GAUTENG DEBUT
14 WATERTIGHT JACKING PIPE PASSES TOUGHEST TEST
PEOPLE & EVENTS
4 CMA FEEDBACK SESSION PUTS MEMBERS IN THE PICTURE
6 NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TAKES OFFICE
9 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2016 PREVIEW
12 LATEST CMA MEMBERS
COVER STORY
26
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35PRECAST is the official journal of the Concrete Manufacturers Association NPC (CMA)
Physical Address: 16 Horn Street, Chloorkop, Kempton Park, 1620
Postal Address: PostNet Suite 8612, Private Bag X32, Kempton Park, 1620
Tel: +27 11 805 6742
Fax: +27 86 524 9216
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cma.org.za
Publishers: Isikhova Publishing & Communications
Postal Address: PO Box 651793, Benmore, 2010, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 883 4627
Fax: +27 11 783 2677
Website: www.isikhova.co.za
Publisher: Andrew Meyer
Tel: +27 11 883 4627
Cell: 082 456 5175
E-mail: [email protected]
Journalist: Julian Kraft
Tel: +27 11 883 4627
Advertising: Wally ArmstrongCell: 083 701 3278E-mail: [email protected]
Design, layout and production: Joanne Brook
Tel: +27 11 883 4627 E-mail: [email protected]
The views and statements expressed in this
publication are not necessarily those of the
editor or the publishers and neither the
publishers nor the CMA accept responsibility for
them. No person connected with the publication
of this journal will be liable for any loss or damage
sustained as a result of action following any
statements or opinions expressed herein. The
same applies to all advertising. Precast© 2015.
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or any
information storage retrieval
system, without prior written
permission from the publishers.
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
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(Top): CMA technical committee Chairman Taco Voogt during his presentation to the Feedback Session.
CMA FEEDBACK SESSION FORThe Concrete Manufacturers Associa-
tion’s annual Feedback Session was held
at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park,
Gauteng, on February 18.
The purpose of the Feedback Session
was to supply CMA members with infor-
mation about the latest developments
relating to precast concrete, as well as
update them on the CMA’s activities and
initiatives in the past year and what it
plans to do in the current year.
The morning session opened with the
focus on upcoming changes in concrete
standards that are due to be introduced
in South Africa shortly, and a move by
the CMA on behalf of the industry to
provide the means of ensuring that
installers of precast retaining blocks and
paving are properly qualified to do so.
Bryan Perrie, Managing Director of
the Concrete Institute, who is Chairman
of some of the SA Bureau of Standards’
committees on concrete standards, gave
a presentation on the pending changes
to codes, specifications, standards and
test methods.
Installation certification
Last year the CMA commissioned Tjeka
Training Matters (TTM), a specialist
training company for the construction
industry with branches in Krugersdorp
and Henley-on-Klip in Gauteng, to inves-
tigate how installers of retaining blocks
and paving blocks could obtain certifica-
tion as a first step towards establishing
standards of proficiency for this work
and thereby discourage use of unquali-
fied installers.
The presentation by Frans Toua, TTM’s
CEO, was on a proposed model for instal-
lation certification.
For brick paving he suggested that,
among various training options that are
available, installers seeking certification
would be best advised to obtain training
via a skills programme registered under
the Construction Education & Training
Authority (CETA).
However, no training standard for
installers of concrete retaining block
structures currently exists, Toua pointed
out. The CMA could consider approaching
the QCTO to work with it in establishing
one and thereafter devise a training
programme leading to certification of
installers qualifying through it.
As part of the morning session Graham
Smith, General Sales Manager, Technical
Sales, of Sephaku Cement, set out the
latest advances that have been achieved
by Sephaku in growing its business.
Awards for Excellence
The Feedback Session also included a
presentation by Monique Eggebeen,
Managing Director of the Echo Group,
who chairs the CMA’s Awards for
Excellence committee, about the plans
that are being put into effect to stage this
prestigious competition, which will culmi-
nate in a gala evening in February 2016.
She pointed out that it is not yet cast
in concrete and members are welcome to
make suggestions about its content – the
Awards categories, for example – and any
2014 SHOWS THE WAY AHEAD
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other aspects relating to it.
Another major initiative undertaken
by the CMA on which a presentation was
given at the Feedback Session was on the
proposed creation of a dynamic digital site
called “World of Precast”, in which all CMA
members’ products and services will be
accessible to customers and users.
Justin Kretzmar and Jason Roberts
of Infrastructure Specialist Group (ISG),
who have researched the concept on
behalf of the CMA, presented a variety
of options as to how it may be struc-
tured and designed to be as user-friendly
as possible.
They displayed some typical features
it would contain. A user would be able to
navigate the site to get an overview of
the “World of Precast”, in which three-
dimensional “fields” and cross-sections
of structures where precast elements
are deployed could be seen. From there
they would be able to zoom in further
to the products and services and their
respective specifications, as required in
the various applications.
The “World of Precast” site would also
provide links into members’ websites.
The project is to be taken further in
the current year with the creation of a
committee to oversee its development,
including seeking funding for it.
Achievements
Taco Voogt, Chairman of the CMA’s
technical committee, opened the after-
noon session with a short presentation
in which he provided information about
pending changes to specific precast
concrete codes and standards, adding
to what Bryan Perrie of the Concrete
Institute covered earlier.
Following a presentation by Financial
Director John Simpson of the CMA’s
financial report for the past year, retiring
Executive Director Wally Armstrong
outlined what the association has done
and achieved in that period.
These included:
• Participation in the Totally
Concrete exhibition.
• Presentations to producers in
the Western Cape, Eastern Cape
and Botswana.
• Paving seminar by Larry Green,
head of home paving installers
System Pavers in the USA.
• Discussion meetings with cement
producers and other CMA member
companies.
• Development of a quality manage-
ment guidelines booklet due for
publication shortly.
• Production of a wetcast
concrete manual.
• Production of a manhole manual.
• Precast magazine, the CMA’s
official journal, and the CMA’s
website continued to gain in
readership and popularity.
• The CMA continued to grow its
membership throughout the year.
Members were formally introduced
to Frans Minnaar, who succeeds Wally
Armstrong as Executive Director. He
spoke about the initiatives the CMA
intends to pursue and introduce in the
current year. Armstrong will continue
to work closely with the association as
Marketing Consultant.
The CMA also bade farewell to Pam
Zukor, Office Manager and PA to the
Director, who has retired after 13 years
of service.
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
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PAM ZUKOR RETIRES FROM THE CMA
Pam Zukor has re-
tired after 13 years
at the CMA as Office
Manager and PA to
the Director.
She joined the CMA
in January 2002 and
retired at the end of
February this year.
Bidding farewell to her on behalf of
the association and its members at the
close of its Feedback Session in Febru-
ary, Financial Director John Simpson
paid tribute to her for her loyal and
dedicated service.
“Pam has been with us through thick
and thin. She has great rapport with
members and I recall many circumstances
in which she was cool and calm. She had
an unmistakable way of being able to
cope with difficult situations and we
appreciate what she has done for the
CMA,” he said.
Zukor recalls that she was called “The
Karate Kid” for a long time, following
an incident in which then Director John
Cairns and a colleague phoned her for
help as they had got themselves locked
inside the CMA’s offices. She found the
security staff unable – or unwilling – to
do anything, so she took charge of the
situation herself by kicking in a window
pane. This did the trick, as it enabled
the two men to clamber out to freedom.
CMA’S NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TAKES OFFICE
TRIBUTE TO ARMSTRONG
Frans Minnaar, who has many years of
experience in quality assurance for pre-
cast concrete products, has taken office
as Executive Director of the Concrete
Manufacturers Association (CMA).
His appointment took ef fect at
the beginning of March 2015. His
predecessor Wally Armstrong, who
has held the post for just over two
years, has left to pursue other business
interests, but continues to work for the
CMA as Marketing Consultant.
Minnaar, 60, spent over 10 years with
the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS).
He obtained a qualification as a civil
engineering technician while there and
worked as a standards inspector and ISO
auditor – one of the first ISO auditors in
the country after the international ISO
Quality System Certification Scheme
was adopted in South Africa. While at
the bureau he also served in several
senior management posts relating to
civil engineering.
He subsequently worked for several
precast concrete manufacturers in qual-
ity assurance and management posts.
On two separate occasions, spanning
a total of 16 years, he operated quality
assurance consultancies of his own, with
clients that included prominent precast
concrete product manufacturers, Eskom
and the mining industry.
One of his first tasks at the CMA
is completing the preparation of a
quality management systems guide-
lines booklet to assist members and
prospective members to establish
their own systems. Another will be to
establish and launch an accreditation
assessment scheme to help members
meet the quality, health and safety and
environmental regulations applicable to
their businesses.
A third envisaged goal on which
Minnaar has set his sights is to establish
an independent test laboratory to serve
the industry.
“Some of these are long-term pro-
jects that may take several years to get
off the ground. Broadly speaking, I am
looking to extend the range of services
offered to our members wherever pos-
sible. We are in constant communication
with members to establish what they
want,” he said.
At the CMA’s recent annual Feedback
Session to provide members with an
update on progress to date with the
association’s various programmes and
initiatives, Financial Director John Simp-
son paid tribute to Wally Armstrong for
what he has achieved during his term of
office over the past two years as Execu-
tive Director.
In particular, he deserved to be credited
for putting the CMA back onto a sound
financial footing after finding it in “a parlous
state” when he took office, he said.
He commended Armstrong for his
tireless energy and enthusiasm, com-
bined with a powerful drive
“to get the job done”. “He’s
an action man – a Duracell
Bunny on steroids!” Simp-
son quipped.
Armstrong was popular
in the industry and did a
great job recruiting new
members and winning back
the trust of previous mem-
bers who had left. He also
transformed many of the programmes
run by the CMA – Simpson cited the
fact that the website had
“grown in leaps and bounds”
under his directorship, for
example – and introduced a
number of new ones that
have proven highly success-
ful, such as the magazine
Precast and the CMA’s
participation during the
past two years in the Totally
Concrete trade exhibition.
(Above): Tumi Dlamini, MBSA Executive Director for the past three years, has en-rolled at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to study public administration.
TUMI DLAMINI LEAVES MBSA FOR HARVARD STUDIES Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) has
announced that Tumi Dlamini’s three-year
contractual term as its Executive Director
ended on 28 February 2015.
Dlamini will shortly be departing for
the USA, where she has enrolled at the
Harvard Kennedy School of Government to study for a Master
in Public Administration degree.
In a notice to stakeholders, MBSA President, Neil Cloete, said
that since taking over the reins on 1 March 2012, Dlamini had
played a significant role in raising the profile of MBSA and Women
in Construction, opening dialogues with government and other
public institutions, implementing transformation initiatives and
generally delivering on the strategy of MBSA to ensure that it
remained the “Leading Body in the Building Industry”.
Cloete advised MBSA stakeholders that until the appointment
of a new Executive Director, Operations Director Pierre Fourie
would manage the affairs of the organisation. “Mr Fourie has
25 years’ experience with MBSA and is well placed to manage
the affairs of the organisation during the transition period,”
he added.
MANUFACTURERS OFPrecast Bridge Beams, Road Barriers,
Light Mast Bases, Toll Gantry Elements
Tel: +27 12 804 4525 Fax: +27 12 804 9673 Mob:+27 83 354 6823E-mail: [email protected]
Precast concrete barriers, Lintels, channels, slabs
Silverton Precast (Pty) LtdEstablished 1998
AESTHETICS • STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY • OUTSTANDING SERVICE
CO
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Quality cast in concrete
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Preparations for the Concrete Manu-
facturers Association’s Awards for
Excellence competition, in which the
best products and other innovations and
developments relating to precast con-
crete are showcased and given worthy
recognition, are well underway.
At the CMA’s Feedback Session
to update members on progress with
the association’s various programmes
PREPARATIONS WELL UNDERWAY FOR AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2016
Monique Eggebeen
and initiatives, Monique Eggebeen, the
Echo Group’s Managing Director, who
chairs the CMA’s awards committee,
outlined the plans that have been put
in place for the competition, which will
culminate in the award presentations in
February 2016.
A list of award categories has been
drawn up by the committee. These are sub-
ject to possible change in response to re-
quests or suggestions by CMA members.
The six award categories are applica-
ble to both of the industry’s major sub-
sections, Building and Infrastructure,
resulting in a total of 12 awards – except
in the unlikely event of the panel of judges
deciding not to make an award in a par-
ticular instance.
The award categories as currently
envisaged are:
• Aesthetic Award
• Sustainability Award
• Community Upliftment Award
• Technical Excellence Award
• Innovation Award
• Precast for Life Award
The competition rules allow for more
than one entry per competitor – in the
same categories and/or in different ones.
Eggebeen urged CMA members to
come forward with entries and also in-
vited nominations for judges. The panel of
six to eight judges will comprise mostly
presidents of various industry-related
associations.
The awards gala event is set for
February 20 at a venue in Gauteng still
to be arranged.
Those serving on the awards com-
mittee with Eggebeen are John Cairns,
a Consultant and former Director of the
CMA, Kgomotso Modise, Operations
Director of the Echo Group, Vincent
Erasmus, Key Accounts Manager of PPC
and Gert van Wyk, Marketing Manager of
the Bosun Group.
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The Infrastructure Specialist (IS) Group,
comprising Technicrete, Rocla (both
CMA members) and Ocon Brick, recently
funded a Golf Day for customers and
colleagues to help raise funds for a
special school in Gauteng that caters
to learners who are mildly intellectually
disabled (MID).
The Roodepark School focuses on pro-
viding training in practical vocational skills,
including welding, brick-laying, woodwork,
panel-beating and spray-painting.
“The Roodepark School greatly
assists the technical development of
those learners with special needs,” said
Christo van Zyl, Sales and Marketing
Director for the IS Group.
“After visiting the school and seeing
the amazing products the learners were
creating, we decided that we should
assist in creating an awareness of their
activities, not only among our group, but
among suppliers and customers as well.
“The Golf Day was a token of our belief
in what the school is achieving for these
IS GROUP SUPPORTS LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Some of the IS Group’s personnel and customers at the Golf Day staged to raise funds for the Roodepark School.
workplace and is expensive.”
She added that the skills training
the school provides for learners with
special educational needs affords them
the opportunity to become economically
active and part of productive society.
Van Zyl said the IS Group will continue
to help raise funds for and create aware-
ness of the school’s training programmes
for MID learners.
special needs learners. Their enthusiasm
and dedication to learning new skills are
a remarkable reflection of their passion
to succeed.”
Renée van der Merwe of Roodepark
School said: “The national curriculum
is adapted to meet the needs of our
learners and our technical curriculum
is outcomes-driven. The equipment we
require is the same as that found in the
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
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Six companies have recently become
members of the Concrete Manufacturers
Association.
They are Enviro-Cast, a manufacturer
of a range of precast concrete products
that include kerb stones and building
bricks, Hydraform International and
Quadra, both manufacturers of concrete
block-making and other equipment, Taco
Voogt Consulting Engineers, Pegaso
Stampi, a manufacturer of moulds for dry-
cast concrete products and Quangong
Machinery, a leading Chinese concrete
block machine manufacturer.
Enviro-Cast
Established in early 2014, Enviro-Cast
initially focused on the manufacture of
precast concrete kerb stones for the civil
industry. It has subsequently extended
its range to include building bricks and
blocks, cobble stones, flagstones, pool
copings and interlocking and bevel paving.
Enviro-Cast’s main factory is in Mey-
erton, Gauteng, and it has a smaller plant
in Pretoria. It operates a laboratory to
ensure that its bricks and blocks meet
the applicable quality standard of the SA
Bureau of Standards, pending accept-
ance of its application for the SABS mark
of approval.
The company owns a fleet of trucks
for transporting aggregates and other
materials used in its manufacturing
processes and for delivery of product
to customers.
NEW CMA MEMBERSPegaso Stampi
Pegaso Stampi, based in Poggibonsi,
Italy, manufactures moulds for concrete
elements which it supplies to all parts
of the world through agents based in all
continents.
Operating since 2002, the company
specialises in the production of moulds
for a wide variety of dry-cast concrete
elements made in vibropresses.
Uganda, as well as sales agents in Nigeria,
Tanzania, Angola and New Zealand.
Hydraform has a well-established
reputation as an innovator in alterna-
tive building technologies. Through
continuous research and development
with leading institutions, it developed an
interlocking building system for produc-
tion of dry-stack interlocking building
blocks. This cost-saving system com-
pletely eliminates the need for concrete
or steel columns in building construction
and reduces the use of mortar in 70%
of the building structure.
Some of Enviro-Cast’s products at its Meyerton factory.
One of the Zenith block-making machines produced by Zenith Maschinenfabrik of Germany, which was acquired last year by Quangong Machinery of China.
A few samples of the numerous dry-cast products made using Pegaso Stampi moulds.
Quangong Machinery
Quangong Machinery (QGM), a leading
Chinese manufacturer of concrete block-
making machines, was established in
1979. The company, based in Quanzhou in
China’s Fujian province, has branch offices
in Brazil, Algeria, Libya, Zambia, Saudi
Arabia, Oman, India, Indonesia, Singapore
and Russia.
QGM’s product range encompasses
block-making machines, ready-mix con-
crete batching plant and AAC block plant.
In 2014 the company purchased
leading German concrete block making
and multi-layer machines manufacturer
Zenith Maschinenfabrik GmbH.
Hydraform International
Hydraform International, based in Boks-
burg, Gauteng, has been in operation
since 1988.
It is a leading manufacturer and
supplier of interlocking brick and block-
making machinery in southern Africa and
has a branch sales office in Kampala,
Hydraform’s best-selling block-making machine, the M7MI Super 3.
Quadra
Quadra, a manufacturer and supplier of
concrete block-making and block grinding
machines, handling systems and wet-
cast production lines, was established
in 1993 and is based in Contamine sur
Arve, France. It operates a sales branch
in Brazil.
Taco Voogt Consulting Engineers
Taco Voogt, head of civil engineering con-
sultancy Taco Voogt Consulting Engineers,
is already well known to most CMA mem-
bers as the Chairman of the association’s
technical committee.
The company, established in 2008,
offers expertise in the use of various
precast concrete products, including
hydraulic and pavement engineering, soil
and embankment stabilisation and ero-
sion control.
Voogt is a Civil Engineering Master’s
graduate from the Delft University of
Technology in the Netherlands and worked
mainly in dredging and port engineering
in West Africa and the Caribbean before
settling in South Africa. Prior to setting
up his consultancy, he worked for several
large construction and civil engineering
contractors and a precast concrete
product manufacturer.
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Franki’s requirement was for jacking
pipes with leak-proof joints. It required
them for use in pipejacking projects
where it was necessary to jack below
the water table. Concrete Units de-
signed the new pipe in consultation with
Pretoria-based pipe design specialist
company Pipes.
Franki has successfully deployed the
pipes in several jacking contracts in the
Western Cape since Concrete Units
started manufacturing them in 2012.
The latest contract is one of the most
difficult below-the-water-table jacking
contracts the company has undertaken in
recent years. Awarded by eThekwini Mu-
nicipality’s stormwater division in August
last year, it is an upgrade of the storm-
water drainage at the Transnet Freight
Rail Reserve near Wentworth Station.
This area, which is situated at the low-
est point of the Bluff area, has been sub-
ject to heavy flooding for many years due
to the inadequacy of the existing drainage
system. The railway lines that give access
across the reserve to the shunting yards
at Wentworth Station, as well as adjacent
buildings, are often flooded.
The new system being installed by
Franki consists of five 100 m-long pipe-
WATERTIGHT JACKING PIPE IN ACTION
(Left): Some of the watertight pipes specially designed and manufactured by Concrete Units for Franki Africa to use in jacking projects below the water table.
(Above): The start of two of five 100 m-long con-crete pipelines forming part of the new stormwater drainage system being established in the Transnet Freight Rail Reserve in Durban’s Bluff area.
A precast concrete jacking pipe with watertight joints developed by CMA member Concrete Units at the request of Franki Africa, the leading geotechnical engineering company in Africa, has demonstrated its effectiveness in a jacking contract Franki is currently engaged on at Durban’s Bluff area.
T that it would have
joints of ordinary
jacking pipes.”
lines installed side-by-side under the
railway lines, with two large in-situ cast
concrete chambers at each end to evenly
distribute the stormwater flow into and
out of the pipes. The construction of the
chambers and of a new culvert that ties
into the existing stormwater system
form part of Franki’s contract, which is
scheduled for completion in June this year.
“The challenge here is that the pipes
are to be installed 6 m below the ground
water level, where the ground consists
of running sand with the consistency of
soup,” commented Byron Field, Franki’s
Contracts Manager for pipe-jacking
projects.
Preparation prior to jacking has
consequently been a prolonged process,
involving the installation of a de-watering
system along the full length of the jacks
and sheet piling around all the new
chambers and culvert works.
Having pipes with watertight joints
was shown to be even more critical in
this case than in the previous contracts
in which they have been deployed. “The
sand is so fine that it would have flowed
through the joints of ordinary jacking
pipes,” Field said.
The pipes used in the Bluff contract
were manufactured and supplied by Con-
crete Units’ Meyerton plant, whereas the
pipes used in the earlier contracts in and
around Cape Town were manufactured
and supplied by the company’s Cape Town
facility, which initiated their development.
The joint design in the new pipe
represents a departure from the in-the-
wall joint design of most conventional
jacking pipes. The new pipe has a butt-
ended joint with a steel band cast into
it to provide a close fit for the receiving
pipe-end, which is equipped with an O-ring
to seal the joint. The tight tolerance of
the joint in the new pipe also improves
its alignment characteristics compared
with the conventional product.
For the Bluff contract, Concrete
Units’ Meyerton plant manufactured and
supplied Franki with a total of 500 m of
1 470 internal diameter pipes in individual
pipe lengths of 2,4 m.
14
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“Concrete masonry is prone to mois-
ture movement that is generally not
well understood,” stated Crofts, who is
Principal of the Pretoria-based company
FSC Consulting Engineers.
“Defects caused by moisture move-
ment in concrete masonry walls can add
Precast concrete masonry units have
come to the fore in building construction
today, mainly because of the cost-sav-
ings they offer and their greater variety
and flexibility compared with traditional
masonry materials. But the trend has
been accompanied by problems associ-
ated with the increased incidence of
water ingress into building structures.
In a paper entitled “Sustainable Con-
crete Masonry in South Africa” present-
ed at a national symposium on Concrete
for a Sustainable Environment, organised
by the Concrete Society of SA, masonry
consultant Fred Crofts set out most
of the errors in concrete masonry con-
struction that lead to damage resulting
from water ingress. He also presented
remedies for addressing these problems.
to the life-cycle and operating costs of
a building and can compromise durable
construction. By creating an awareness
of the behaviour of concrete masonry and
manufacturing specifications, the con-
struction of durable concrete masonry
building envelopes can be ensured by ap-
plying relevant details and specifications.
“Appropriate design, workmanship
and an understanding of the behaviour of
concrete masonry materials are the cor-
nerstones for sustainability and resource
conservation,” he emphasised.
Advantages
Concrete masonry has undoubled advan-
tages over other building materials and
also meets many of the requirements
for sustainable building. DPC detail of a collar-jointed foundation wall (Courtesy NHBRC)
15
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
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“The provision of affordable hous-
ing poses a major challenge in South
Africa. Concrete masonry is playing an
increasingly prominent role due to its
competitive price over other traditional
materials. Ease of site manufacturing,
availability of suitable aggregate and
the reduction of transportation costs
also contribute towards this trend,” he
commented.
Concrete masonry units can be
easily manufactured to the strengths
and dimensions required. They offer the
added advantages of material savings and
thermal and rain penetration benefits.
Quality assurance has also helped to
ensure that good-quality concrete
masonry units are produced.
Crofts said history has shown that
non-durable masonry wall construction
places great economic burdens on own-
ers, and wastes energy, materials and
resources.
Eaves, canopies and other forms
of overhangs have traditionally been
used to protect walls from rain, but
their use has declined. Flat roofs have
become more frequent and, where
pitched roofs still prevail, eave overhangs
have diminished. The absence of gutters
and downpipes results in roof drainage
being discharged onto wall surfaces. The
omission of weather-steps at thresholds
directs surface run-off onto unfinished
surfaces, causing ingress of water
into floor slabs and walls, while the
omission of drip ledges at slab and lintel
soffits allows rainwater to run back onto
wall surfaces. Furthermore, unfinished
horizontal surfaces of walls, including
parapet walls, are the origin of damp. The
application of render over the damp-proof
course (DPC) of foundation walls is the
source of rising damp in walls.
“Today it has become vogue to provide
rendered and painted foundation walls
using porous concrete masonry in direct
contact with the soil,” he pointed out.
“Poor-qual i ty porous concrete
or high water absorption masonry
units will be protected from moisture
movements and minimise maintenance if
the abutting backfill material under floors
can be isolated to prevent direct contact
with foundation walls with a vertical
waterproofing application.
“An exterior waterproofing appli-
cation may be sought to remedy the
problem, but this only addresses the
symptom and continuous maintenance
of the foundation wall will be required,”
Crofts stressed.
“Blistered paint on walls due to damp
has become the norm, rather than the
exception. Masonry plinths are being
built lower with hardly any ground
aimed at improving productivity in the
construction of houses.
Modular planning of large-format
concrete masonry units in walls, normally
referred to as blocks, further increases
productivity. “However, the importance
of suitably trained block masons cannot
be over-emphasised,” stated Crofts,
adding that the user of modular door and
window frames is also essential.
Life-cycle costing
“Life-cycle costing, as well as life-cycle
assessment of buildings, are other
terms that have become commonplace.
Where sustainability embraces con-
servation of energy and the use of
renewable, recycled, non-toxic and
abundant materials, it is necessary to
ensure that the masonry envelope also
be made durable,” he said.
In South Africa little attention has
been given to this essential requirement.
Frequently the waterproofing quality,
function and durability of masonry have
been sacrificed to save costs or for
aesthetic reasons.
Most of the problems still experienced
with concrete masonry relate to ingress
of moisture into walls. Other causes are
as a result of manufacturing defects,
such as insufficient curing and the use
of chemically unstable waste products.
”Poor workmanship also compounds
stress build-up in walls and results in
cracks. Incorrect mixing of masonry
mortar, re-tempering mortar past the
recommended setting times of cement,
using masonry units of dissimilar
materials in the same wall and failing to
cross-bond the stretcher-bonded leaves
in collar-jointed walls all exacerbate the
problem,” he added.
The attainment of successful masonry
depends on adequate design, sound
construction practice and specification
o f mater ia ls. The development of
bond between the masonry units and
the masonry mortar depends on the
masonry materials and texture of the
unit. Good workmanship is dependent in
turn, on access to accepted norms of
local detailing practice.
Concrete masonry shrinks upon
drying and curing after manufacture and
is also subject to reversible moisture
movement, for which allowance needs
to be made if defects are to be avoided.
“Defects caused by moisture movement in concrete masonry
walls can add tothe life-cycle and operating costs of a building and can
compromise durableconstruction.”
clearance, thus placing the DPC too
close to the ground. In coastal zones
rain penetration at the junction of
window frames with walls has been due
to inadequacies in the detailing of the
DPC at jambs or sills.”
To facilitate durable designs of the
masonry envelope and ensure a lower
life-cycle costs, a number of changes
need to be applied, including the use of
new manufacturing specifications that
are in line with sustainable building.
In recent years the sustainable use of
building materials has come into effect,
accompanied by reductions in costs of
building materials, as well as changes
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
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a high rate of initial water absorption
(IRA), as found with fired clay masonry,
and should not be wetted when laying. At
coastal zones the walls should be covered
with plastic during rain.
The use of control joints placed at
predetermined positions is essential.
SANS 1215 governs the manufacture
of precast solid and precast hollow
concrete masonry units in South Africa.
Requirements are laid down for shape,
appearance, colour, surface texture,
dimensions, shell and web thicknesses,
squareness, compressive strength,
drying shrinkage, expansion on rewetting
and soundness. Appendices contain
details of an efflorescence test and
materials recommended for use in the
manufacture of the units.
Non-compliance
Some manufacturers provide compres-
sive strength test results and market
their units as SANS-compliant without
fulfilling the other requirements, espe-
cially drying shrinkage and expansion on
rewetting. Concrete masonry conforming
to SANS 1215 has drying shrinkage limi-
tations which range from 0,06%-0,08%
for normal and high-shrinkage units re-
spectively, with wetting expansion limited
to not greater than 0,02%.
The consequence of non-compliance
with drying shrinkage and expansion on
rewetting limits, together with poor
detailing, can result in random cracks
in walls, thereby adversely affecting the
life-cycle costing of the masonry envelope.
Movement in walls due to moisture
is also covered in SANS 10145, the
Code of Practice for Concrete Masonry
Construction. The stresses in walls in
normal residential dwellings are small and
are of minor consequence if there are no
durability considerations.
South Africa is to adopt Eurocode 6
and supporting standards for the design
of masonry structures. This standard
covers reinforced, prestressed and
confined masonry. The four parts cover
the rules for reinforced and unreinforced
masonry, structural fire design and
detailed rules for lateral loading.
“The significance of the adoption of this
standard is that it is less descriptive than
the local standard and declares critical
design values for moisture movement and
compressive strengths, thus allowing the
consumer to select a unit in accordance
with his requirements,” Crofts stated.
Collar-jointed wall
An example of incorrect masonry con-
struction practice that leads to water
ingress and subsequent damage is in a
collar-jointed foundation wall where the
rendered application is continuous with
the DPC not protruding. Generally, this
detail is applied incorrectly, with the
render applied over the DPC; a horizontal
crack will delineate the location of the
DPC with rising damp present.
An acceptable alternative is to
provide a V-joint in the rendered surface
delineating the horizontal DPC’s location,
thus preventing damp from bridging over
the horizontal moisture barrier.
Other conditions where moisture in-
gress may occur, and the measures that
should be applied to prevent this, include:
• Provision of control joints. If control
joints are not contrived and neatly
detailed, random cracks will appear,
causing more points of entry for water.
Concrete masonry generally shrinks as
it cures – a process that occurs over an
extended period. Installed materials which
are too rigid to absorb this shrinkage
must be provided with movement joints
at regular intervals. They should also be
installed where differential movement
can arise between parts of the structure
differently affected by temperature or
moisture content, or parts constructed
in different materials.
• Damp often occurs through the
inner wall surface as a result of human
activities and condensation. Examples of
such sources of moisture are unvented
heaters and gas ovens, combined with
poor coating applications on the internal
surfaces of the walls.
• Hollow concrete blockwork. The
control of moisture-induced movement
in hollow concrete blockwork is more
critical, since the blocks are laid in shell
bedding to reduce rain penetration into
the internal block surface. Shell bedding
results in a reduction in the strength of
a wall. The use of block reinforcement
or reinforcement that aligns with the
mortar in the shell bedding is imperative,
together with the provision of vertical
control joints.
• Balustrade/parapet walls. Parapet
walls should be waterproofed on the
top horizontal surface, using a precast
concrete coping or waterproofing a
rendered surface. It is good detailing
practice to provide a slope inwards to
“I expect great strides to be made
in reducing life-cycle costs for masonry
envelopes.”
Fred Crofts
The lack of attention to architectural
and construction details during the
construction of the masonry envelope
is often the direct cause of moisture-
induced movement and rising damp in
concrete masonry.
The watertightness of the masonry
wall is dependent on the quality of
masonry used and the workmanship
applied to rule the bed and perpend
joints. A protective rendering and
coating is an important application
to facilitate watertightness where
poor-quality masonry units are used.
Excessive movement in a masonry
wall can also increase the r isk of
ingress of moisture. Vertical mortar
joints, in particular, are not adequately
compacted to prevent rain penetration.
The risk is increased if the mortar
is of poor qual ity. I f the perpend
joints of masonry are filled and ruled
inadequately, the rain penetration will
cause damp patches on the internal face
of the wall. Water-repellent solutions
are often applied to reduce the risk
of rain penetration in existing walls.
The effectiveness of these coatings is
compromised when cracks occur.
17
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wall surface.
• Free-standing boundary walls. These
are subject to moisture ingress due to
the omission of a DPC at foundation
level and the exposed surface at the
top – the omission of the DPC here
being a structural necessity to ensure
bond between masonry units and
mortar to facilitate lateral stability
of the wall. The use of masonry units
with low water absorption is better
suited to this application. The ingress
of water onto concrete masonry at
foundation level can be prevented by
applying a “chemical DPC” (ie mixing a
proprietary waterproofing agent into
the masonry mortar) or can be treated
with a water-repellent solution. The
same can be done to the top of the wall,
or a precast concrete coping can be
provided. Vertical control joints have to
be provided at regular intervals. In the
case of free-standing retaining walls,
the vertical surface in contact with the
soil has to be waterproofed, while the
provisions as applied to free-standing
boundary walls also apply.
Guidance for the spacing of vertical
control joints in horizontal lengths of
walls is given in SANS 10249 and the
Concrete Manufacturers Association’s
Masonry Manual. Guidance is also given
to modify control joint spacing with the
inclusion of masonry reinforcement.
Slip joints
The provision of slip joints and vertical
bond breakers between the suspended
reinforced concrete slab and the masonry
support allows the free movement of
the slab when subjected to concrete
shrinkage and creep. The failure of
this slip joint causes mechanical lock
between the masonry support and the
slab, resulting in a horizontal crack line
on the exterior rendered surface of the
wall. It is therefore prudent to pro-
vide a deeply recessed V-joint in the
external rendered surface to delineate
the soffit of the slab and to control this
crack formation.
SANS 10164: Part 2 gives guidelines
with respect to the type of masonry
accessories, such as wall ties and ma-
sonry reinforcement, and the minimum
level of protective coating to be used in
the various types of construction and
exposure conditions.
The protection of reinforcement from
corrosion provided with masonry work
is lower with higher water absorption
concrete masonry units and when
weaker masonry mortar is required. In
these cases, special attention should
be given to the galvanising requirements
of the steel.
Crofts concluded by saying that there
is a greater awareness today among
specifiers, developers and contractors
about the moisture behaviour of concrete
masonry materials.
“Together with good building practices
outlined in current SANS pertaining to
construction works of masonry walling
and cement plaster, I expect great
strides to be made not only in addressing
the pressing need for the provision of
affordable housing, but also in reducing
life-cycle costs for masonry envelopes,”
he said.
CLICK H
ERE
FOR WEBSIT
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PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
PR
OJE
CT
building, while No 6 Silo will be developed
as a mid-scale internationally branded
hotel with approximately 220 beds.
The historic grain silos are being con-
verted into the architecturally innovative
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Africa art.
The design by Heatherwick Studios will see
some of the silo tubes cut away and others
retained to form viewing galleries.
David de Villiers, Project Director for
Mace International, project managers for
the various developments in the district,
said precast concrete is to be used
wherever possible.
“In addition to the sheet piling and the
Fish Quay Road corridor elements, we are
Precast concrete products that have
been used so far include sheet piles
deployed in a new 2 750 m2 parking-
bay basement and culverts used to
construct a sea water service corridor
under Fish Quay Road.
The Silo district, situated at Cape
Town harbour’s old grain silos, is already
home to the 18 000 m² six star green-
rated No 1 Silo, which made extensive
use of aesthetically pleasing concrete
cladding, and No 2 Silo, a luxury residential
apartment complex.
The new development involves the con-
struction of Nos 3-5 Silos and will feature
environmentally sustainable building tech-
niques, as applied with Nos 1 and 2 Silos.
No 3 Silo will comprise a structure
with 78 one-to-four bedroom luxury
apartments, No 4 Silo will house a Virgin
Active Classic Health Club and No 5 Silo
will be a 13 500 m² AAA-grade office
PRECAST CONCRETE DEPLOYED EXTENSIVELY IN V&A WATERFRONT ‘SILO DISTRICT’ PROJECT Various examples of precast concrete
2 the V&A Waterfront’s Silo district, currently under construction and
201
looking at using precast concrete stairs
on Nos 3 and 5 Silos. They will speed up
construction and give us a better-quality
finish,” he explained.
”We are also investigating the
installation of precast concrete cladding
on some of the facades and we will be
using precast concrete stormwater
piping for the drainage of the precinct.”
One of the more challenging applica-
tions was in the design and implementa-
tion of geotechnical solutions for the
construction of lateral support for the
new parking basement. This was handled
by Franki Africa and involved the use of
precast concrete sheet piles and post-
tensioned anchors.
Anton Stol l, Senior Contracts
Manager for Franki Africa, said the sheet
piling operation entailed the delivery of
a wide variety of products and services
on a site which was hampered by strong
tidal flows, varying rock profiles and
restricted access.
“The site’s geology comprised im-
ported f ine silty and clayey sands,
together with rock fill overlying highly
fractured greywacke residual rock.
Areas of beach zones or sand and
shelly fragments were also encountered
in areas above the residual rock, which
varied in depth from ground level to
13 m,” he said.
The piling took place on the northern
and eastern ends of the basement where
driven concrete sheet piles with grout
socks and anchors were installed.
CMA member Concrete Units of Cape
Town supplied 228 precast concrete
sheet piles, ranging from 9-13 m in length,
which were installed to create a 206 m
wall. Grout socks were installed between
the concrete sheets to prevent water
seepage. Temporary anchors will be in-
stalled to support the sheet piles once
excavation of the basement begins.
Franki executing concrete sheet pile wall installa-tion as part of the Silos district project.
20
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new methods for recruiting and training,
initiated new marketing strategies and
put into effect new ways of retaining cus-
tomers, following sales leads, and more.
In October last year the Concrete
Manufacturers Association (CMA), in co-
operation with CMA members Bosun and
Smartstone, arranged for Green to run
a one-day seminar in Gauteng for CMA
members to give them insights into his
highly successful business methods – at
the same time demonstrating how a “lo-
cal boy” made good in the USA’s reputedly
highly competitive business environment.
In the following interview with Pre-
cast, Green identifies some of the key
strategies behind System Pavers’
During the past 20 years spent in
California, the former founder of local
precast concrete block paving company
SA Paving has transformed the US
market by introducing new ideas and
approaches to home paving, building a
multi-million-dollar paving installation
management business in the process.
His company, System Pavers, today
operates throughout California, Oregon,
Washington and Colorado, executing
about 5 000 home remodelling projects a
year. He has introduced a raft of exciting
SOUTH AFRICAN MAKES GOOD – CHANGING THE FACE OF US HOMES
success. As those who attended his
seminar discovered, the initiatives he
describes here make for an instructive
case study which local companies may
use to their benefit.
Why did you choose to leave South
Africa when you had a flourishing paving
business here?
The country was in the grip of sanctions
and the political climate, especially after
former President PW Botha’s 1985 Ru-
bicon speech, was precarious, to say the
least. I led an incentive trip to Israel with
some of my sales people in 1988 and took
the opportunity of visiting Ackerstein
Industries, one of the world’s largest
Expat South African Larry Green has single-handedly revolutionised the US home paving market.
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
paving manufacturers. They had set up
a paving factory in California which was
losing money and I was invited to run the
company with an option to buy the residen-
tial marketing and installations division. I
moved over in October 1992, but soon
realised that it was not going to work, as
the company was essentially bankrupt.
I was then introduced to a concrete
paving block manufacturer, Angelus
Block, run by third-generation Italians.
The owner of the company, Mario
Antonini, suggested I start a paving
company using his pavers. He helped
me get System Paving going in Newport
Beach by setting up a $100 000 line-of-
credit. I was joined by Doug Lueck, who
had been in the industry for some time
and we have been working together for
22 years.
Could you describe your business model?
We adopted a model similar to the
one we had first used in South Africa.
Essentially, we are a marketing, sales and
project management organisation aiming
at middle- to upper-income families. We
don’t manufacture, nor do we employ
labour to install the paved surfaces we
sell. We source high-quality pavers from
manufacturers and all laying work is done
by sub-contractors who follow strict
best-practice installation protocols
set by us. Moreover, we supervise the
installation process and maintain a
hands-on approach with the client.
I transferred my family to the USA
early in 1993 and they underwent a bap-
tism by fire. I mean this both literately
and figuratively, because shortly after
their arrival, we experienced widespread
fires, flooding and an earthquake. How-
ever, the latter proved a blessing in
disguise because many driveways and
other paved areas were destroyed and
the cost of installing paving was covered
by insurance.
In your presentation, you said you were
surprised to find that very few Ameri-
can homes were using concrete block
paving (CBP).
Yes, we found many beautiful homes in
California, but most of them had stamped
concrete driveways and they looked
dreadful. Driveways were lifting every-
where and we realised we had to educate
people about why CBP was preferable.
Once they were re-paved with CBP, our
“Relationship- building really works
– it’s proven itself over and over again.”
Larry Green
clients loved the transformation. In those
early days, we used radio endorsements
which made us sound like a much bigger
organisation than we were. We had to
travel a long way to meet with custom-
ers and traffic was so bad in Los Angeles
that we found we could only manage one
appointment a day.
In 1995 we completed a huge bus
terminal project in Los Angeles and
we had to import 1,3 million paving
block bricks from England. This was
an incredibly challenging project which
involved putting up a 100% performance
bond. We grew up on that job.
Notwithstanding our success in the
commercial sector, we preferred the
residential paving market and in 1998
we decided to focus on it exclusively. It
was at that point that we really started
to grow.
You extended your footprint into other
states such as Oregon, Washington and
Colorado, as well as some East Coast
states. You also began franchising. Can
you elaborate?
Neither the East Coast nor franchising,
which we attempted on a small scale,
really worked for us. However, our limited
exposure to franchising taught us some
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
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systems and it helped us with record-
keeping and installation standards, as
well as selling and training methods. It
was then that we realised we had to
become a training organisation. There
being no model we could follow, we had
to develop our own programmes.
Our peak years were reached in 2007
and 2008, when we were doing ±5 000
projects a year. It was then that we were
approached by a large private equity
group to buy us out for an insane number.
It would have meant gearing the company
heavily and I didn’t want to be a CEO with
so much debt on the books.
Then in October 2008, the financial
markets started to crash and by 2010
sales had dropped to 35% of where they
had been. Despite this, we only posted
a loss in 2009, a year in which our ratio
of marketing spend to sales increased
from 8% to 17%.
We survived this period by develop-
ing a sub-set of outdoor products and
transforming ourselves into a lifestyle
company. A drought in 2010 led us to
promote synthetic turf and water fea-
tures and we also introduced built-in
barbecues, other outdoor elements and
landscape lighting. A landscape archi-
tectural division followed recently, as
did greenscapes and plants. We are now
finding that the more lifestyle products
we sell, the greater our CBP sales.
Part of our survival strategy involved
using our database to reach people to
whom we had already sold, as well as to
those who were on our list, but who had
not bought from us. We felt that once
people knew and trusted us, we could go
back and do other business with them
– and this worked.
Baby boomers formed the largest
segment of our market and as the stock
market recovered, so did the demand
for home improvement. Sixty percent
of housing in the USA is over 30 years
old and outdoor living has become the
fastest-growing segment in the home
improvement market. We are back at our
pre-recession peak levels and projected
growth is at least 10%, if not 15-20% a
year. I am more excited about the work
that I do now than I’ve ever been.
Winning and maintaining the trust of
your customers is obviously crucial to
the long-term viability of your business.
Could you expand on this?
In the old-school paving installation
model, doing one job well and never having
to go back defined success. Our model is
based on long-term relationships which
are grounded on the 25-year warrantee
we offer on paving installations. It’s not
just the paving blocks which are covered,
but the labour and installation work as
well. We always use aggregate in our
sub-base layers 50 mm to 200 mm deep,
together with geofabric reinforcement,
and this ensures that our work lasts a
long time. We monitor the progress on
our various projects very closely and
each project manager oversees 2,5
projects at any given time. I visit our
sites randomly and the greatest joy I get
out of this business is hearing what the
customers have to say.
Setting the highest possible stand-
ards in all facets of our business helped
build relationships with our clients.
Relationship-building really works and
since 2010 it’s proven itself over and
over again.
You mentioned earlier that you have
become a training-based organisation.
What does this entail?
Ours is a low-barrier-to-entry business,
so our focus is on providing excellence to
differentiate us from our competition.
We aim for peak job per formance
and perfection. This involves ongoing
training and translating our mission
into systems and processes. We spend
1,7% ($2 million) of revenue on skills
development and we’ve proved that it
impacts positively on the bottom line.
We wouldn’t be able to fulfil our mission
without it.
Our training is not confined to those
in the field, but involves everyone in the
company. It entails centralised core
training of all the basic skills, as well as
leadership development. Sales people
are flown in from our nine dif ferent
offices to our training centre in Santa
Ana, California and we pay them a basic
salary during the training week. Although
our paving crews are sub-contractors,
we train them how to lay pavers in line
with our standards and specifications,
which are the highest in the industry.
Incidentally, we also teach them how to
manage their accounts – in other words,
how to make money.
We use role-playing and videos ex-
tensively in sales training. We cover
problem-solving, creativity and new
product induction. Leadership manage-
ment, culture inspiration, motivation,
follow-up evaluation, chairing meetings
and corrective action are also part of
our curriculum. Additional training in-
cludes advanced sales techniques, sales
manager to branch manager training, and
construction manager training.
Our sales people undergo a role-play
test at the end of the first week and
“If you’re not failing some of the time, you’re not pushing
the envelope.”
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
the pass mark is 80%. However, we
give those who don’t make it a second
chance, but they must achieve 80%
in order to continue working for us.
We insist on this figure because we
need highly skilled sales people for our
business model to work, which is based
on closing 25% of our leads.
One of our biggest challenges is finding
people to promote and replacing those
who leave us. We have two full-time
recruiters and we examine personality
profiles very closely before we hire.
How do you generate sales leads?
We use several tools, many of them
linked to relationship-building. These
include physical mailshots, emails,
referrals, door-to-door canvassing, radio
advertising, newspaper advertising,
home improvement shows, seminars,
newsletters and sweepstakes. All our
leads are channelled into a large database
which we work continuously. Referrals
are very important to us and we give
$500 for each successful referral. We
also offer $10 000 towards a lifestyle
project for five successful referrals.
We source much of our information
on potential leads from data companies.
They give us a sense of market size and
of our share of it. We rank the cities in
which we’ve done the most revenues and
we give them the highest priority. We
also assess how people live in our high-
value areas, the size of their properties
and their equity in the property.
The sales yield of our various market
tools is analysed regularly. This costs us
around 8% of revenue, on average, with
our internal database marketing efforts
as low as 2-4%. Relationship marketing
is clearly the most effective cost of
acquisition tool we have.
Tell us how you measure
client satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction is where it
all happens. We use a third-party
organisation, Guild Quality, to contact
our customers and we pay them $30
for every survey. These surveys are our
best marketing tool by far and we post
the results on our website absolutely
seamlessly. Every one of our projects
is surveyed based on a set of criteria
we want measured. We score between
92-95% of customers willing to re-
commend us and we build these scores
into the incentives and bonuses for our
sales people and project managers.
What message would you like to leave
our readers?
I believe that failure is an important
component of success. If you’re not
failing some of the time, you’re not
pushing the envelope, which is something
we all have to do if we want to excel.
One of our main drivers is our core
belief that we are creating a better
living environment. It guides all of us at
System Pavers every working day and it
underpins all our decisions. Moreover,
we believe that if we excel at what we
do and do it better than anyone else, the
money will take care of itself. We don’t
sell on price, but on emotion and sharing
special times with family and friends in a
beautiful environment.
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FLEXIBLE MODULAR WALL SYSTEM
YFEL – so called because of its inverted
“Y” shape and its resemblance to the
Eif fel Tower in Paris – was devised
by ReMaCon because of its flexibility
of application in numerous dif ferent
industries that are not the obvious
target for precast concrete products.
“Our first three sales already confirm
this diverse demand,” commented Silvio
Ferraris, the company’s Managing Member.
“One is for shipping company Grindrod
Intermodal, which purchased mainly
4 m-high YFELs – the largest in our range
– to contain and separate a variety of
locally mined high-value minerals such as
chrome and ferro-manganese in granular
and powder form it holds in storage
at its Bluff Road, Durban, and Denver,
Johannesburg, premises prior to export.”
Another is for Remade Recycling, a
Germiston-based company that recycles
various waste materials, mainly paper.
The order from Grindrod Intermodal
was placed in September last year for
a total of 367 YFELs, comprising 164 x
4 m units for Bluff Road and 179 x 4 m
units and 24 x 3 m units for the Denver
facility. The 4 m units supplied to both
storage sites include special corner
units that are designed to intersect a
YFEL wall at right angles to provide for
establishment of a series of separate
adjoining enclosures.
ReMaCon completed delivery of the
Bluff Road units in February and of the
units for Denver in March this year.
The YFEL wall units are transported on site and put in place using a forklift truck or crane.
PROVES A WINNER“YFEL”, an innovative modular precast concrete wall unit developed by retaining block producer and CMA member ReMaCon Products
1 months ago, has won acceptance by a variety of industries requiring easy-to-assemble and moveable walls for containing and separating different types of products.
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
Purchasers of the units are provided with
instructions for installing the walling, for
which either forklift trucks or a crane is
used to lift and place them. The YFELs
are designed to hold support pins used
for this purpose.
Remade Recycling ordered over
60 x 1,8 m-high units that have been
shared among its Kya Sands, Pretoria
and Kempton Park sites. In all but one
instance, they have been installed in
external areas to optimise the use of
space for storage of waste paper, plastic
and other recyclable materials.
The single different application is at the
Kya Sands facility west of Johannesburg,
where some of the YFELs have been
installed in place of the bottom sections
of the sheet metal-clad sides of a waste
paper storage shed as protection from
forklift trucks, which previously damaged
the walls while operating inside the shed.
The third purchaser of YFEL wall
units is a chemical company in North
West Province. ReMaCon supplied over
100 x 4 m YFELs along with a number
of corner units for establishment of
a series of separate enclosures for
storage of various materials involved in
the company’s production processes.
The YFEL is particularly well suited for
storage of dry bulk materials.
“Its great advantage over conventional
storage methods, which invariably com-
prise fixed built-in structures, is that
it can be easily and quickly installed and
reshaped in accordance with changing
requirements for dividing and storing
products of many dif ferent kinds,”
Ferraris explained.
The units are manufactured in heights
ranging from 1,2-4 m.
In addition to the YFELs, ReMaCon,
based in Kempton Park, Gauteng,
manufactures and supplies a wide range
of precast concrete retaining blocks and
also produces a near-vertical retaining
wall system, manufactured under licence
to a UK-based company, which is suitable
for use mainly for retention of large earth
embankments of up to 20 m high, such as
mine tip walls and any near-vertical high
wall structure.
(Right): A special corner YFEL unit, as shown here, intersects the wall at right angles to pro-vide for separate adjoining storage enclosures.
(Below): Grindrod Intermodal is using 4 m-high YFEL wall units to separate high-value minerals stored at its Durban and Johannesburg depots prior to export.
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WECB, best known in the province as a
producer and supplier of pavers and hol-
low blocks, manufactures and supplies
a variety of precast concrete products
developed in-house, as well as a range
of retaining wall blocks under fran-
chise to the Cape Town-based
Greenlock Group.
The new G8 earth
block is also a Green-
lock-designed prod-
uct, which has already
won favourable atten-
tion and proven successful
in the Western Cape since being
introduced there in 2008. WECB,
which has the exclusive franchise for
Greenlock products in Gauteng, com-
menced production of the G8 earth block
in October 2014.
The G8, which comes in a single stand-
ard size of 340 mm x 340 mm x 100 mm
and weighs 18,5 kg, is designed for use
in a variety of applications that include
paving of roads and stormwater drains, as
well as for earth-stabilisation purposes,
such as on embankments and in wetlands.
ULTRA-VERSATILE EARTH BLOCK
“This is a very versatile, multi-purpose
earth block,” commented Pieter Theron,
WECB’s CEO.
“Due to its unique flexible design, it
can be laid in closed mesh formation,
in standard layout or in what we call
‘economical layout’, each depending on
what the particular application is. The
closed mesh layout would be used typi-
cally for road building to provide maximum
strength and rigidity, the standard layout
is best suited for stormwater channels
and similar applications, while the
open format economical layout
allows ample space to al-
low for soil and grass
between the blocks.
This is the ideal solu-
tion for various soil-
stabilising applications
such as embankments, parks
and other open areas where the soil
may be at risk of being washed away if
left unprotected.”
As its name implies, the “economi-
cal” layout offers cost savings through
the use of fewer blocks to cover a given
area compared with the other two lay-
out options.
If the user seeks to achieve greater
rigidity and stability than already provided
by the four-way locking block design,
metal or plastic cables may be threaded
through holes that are provided in the
blocks to tie them tightly together.
“The profile of the blocks is not uniform
in shape on every side, so they have to be
laid in a particular way in relation to each
other. Therefore, to prevent confusion
and make the installation process as
easy and quick as possible, every block
has a distinctive mark on one corner as
a guide to the installation team for how
it should be positioned in relation to the
others,” Theron pointed out.
WECB produces the G8 blocks in two
compressive strengths: 25 MPa and
35 MPa.
In addition to the Greenlock products,
pavers and hollow blocks, WECB also
produces and supplies solid building
bricks and maxi-bricks.
(Top): The new earth block used for road paving.
(Above): West End Cement Bricks’ Production Manager Denver Rambaros (left) and Sales Manager Rudi Brits display the new G8 Earthlock block at the company’s Westonaria plant.
LAUNCHED IN GAUTENGA member of the CMA, West End Cement Bricks (WECB) of Weston-aria, Gauteng, recently launched an exceptionally versatile earth block
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The company, which introduced a near-
vertical block of its own design in mid-
2014, landed a contract in November,
involving the design manufacture, supply
and installation of over 2 000 m2 of re-
taining walling at the Milkwood Office Park
currently under construction at Umhlanga
Rocks on the Kwazulu-Natal North Coast.
Its client is United African Marine
Shipping, owner of the Milkwood Office
Park development, an addition to its
vast property portfolio in the Umhlanga
Rocks area.
BrickCast’s product is a gravity in-
terlock system that enables a retaining
wall to be built up to heights in excess
BRICKCAST MAKES A BREAKTHROUGHCMA member, Durban-based BrickCast Industries, best known for its precast concrete block paving products, has made a breakthrough into the specialised but growing market for near-vertical retaining wall blocks.
“The parking area retaining wall forms an integral part of the building design.”
of 20 m at an angle of 86˚.
The retaining walls for the Milkwood
Office Park comprise four separate walls.
One is located immediately adjacent to
the office block and flanking one side
of the parking area under the building,
while the other three retaining walls
are situated alongside the access road
leading up to the complex.
“The 5,5 m-high x 90-m long parking
area retaining wall forms an integral
part of the building design as it not only
encloses one side of the parking area, but
the top of the wall meets up with the main
walkway giving access into the building’s
lower floor,” explained Sean Sewnaath,
BrickCast’s CEO.
The three 550 m-long retaining walls
installed alongside the access road to
the office park are all 3 m high.
The retaining wall contract is sched-
uled for completion in May 2015.
In addition to the specially-designed
precast concrete retaining blocks that
BrickCast developed for its near-vertical
retaining wall system, the system features
a polyethylene geo-grid system together
with a blanket-like synthetic fabric that
are laid under the block courses at regular
intervals to tie the wall securely against
the earth embankment. A drainage
system to prevent the accumulation of
water is also installed at the base of the
wall, which is built securely on a starter
base concrete block foundation.
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The telecommunications utility is now
making use of precast concrete poles
supplied by CMA member Aveng Infraset
in place of traditional timber poles to
support phone lines in areas where cable
theft is rife.
It first put the concept to the test
in early 2013, when it embarked on a
pilot project in KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN’s)
South Coast area of Braemer, using
prestressed concrete poles manufac-
tured and supplied by Aveng Infraset’s
Effingham, Durban, plant. A total of 400
x 7 m poles were supplied.
Telkom’s strategy was to run the
pilot project for 10 months to enable
it to prove itself. Having done so, it
has followed up by placing a further five
orders with Effingham since February
last year for poles for installation in two
other areas in KZN and three areas in
the Eastern Cape.
The first of these orders was for
500 x 7 m poles for installation in the
Lusikisiki area near Port St Johns in the
Eastern Cape.
The next two orders consisted mostly
of 7 m poles as previously, but also
included taller poles to provide for dips
in undulating landscape encountered
at these locations. An order placed
with Effingham in September for poles
destined for Sinembe on KZN’s North
Coast near Tongaat comprised 657 x 7 m
poles, 14 x 9 m poles and two 10 m poles.
The company received a further order in
November for poles for Kenterton near
Ixopo in KZN, consisting of 380 x 7 m and
20 x 9 m poles.
Telkom subsequently placed orders
in December and January for Mthatha
and Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape,
for 550 x 7 m poles and 75 x 7 m poles
respectively.
“Telkom is satisfied that our poles
contribute a lot towards solving the van-
dalism problem, so we expect the orders
TELKOM USING AVENG INFRASET CONCRETE POLES TO WARD OFF VANDALISM
Telkom has found prestressed concrete poles to be highly effective in discouraging and preventing cable theft.
from them to multiply in coming months,”
commented Samantha Chetty, Sales
Consultant: Construction Products, at
the Effingham facility.
“A further incentive is that, even when
the poles are not likely to be targeted by
cable thieves, they have the advantage
of durability and a much longer life-span
than timber poles,” she added.
The Effingham plant is one of two Aveng
Infraset plants in the country – the other
being its Brakpan, Gauteng, plant – that
manufacture and supply prestressed
concrete poles for lighting and related
purposes, such as the application now
being put into effect by Telkom.
Among a range of other products the
Effingham plant produces are masts used
for electrification purposes, including
electric lines for railways.
Prestressed concrete poles and
masts are maintenance-free and have
a high strength-to-weight ratio, making
them easy to handle and transport.
Aveng Infraset’s poles and masts,
which are based on a unique design, are
available in a wide range of strengths and
sizes. They are ideally suited to applica-
tions such as power transmission, distri-
bution, telecommunications and overhead
electrical equipment for railways.
(Left): A worm’s-eye view of one of the concrete poles alongside the wooden pole it has replaced.
(Below): Samantha Chetty, Sales Consultant: Construction Products, of Aveng Infraset’s Effingham facility with two Telkom site foremen during erection of concrete poles the company has supplied to replace wooden telegraph poles.
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TRAINING CAN DISPEL COSTLY CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY MYTHSMisconceptions abound in South African
concrete technology – and training is
the only way to dispel these myths that
produce flawed concrete requiring costly
remedial action, says John Roxburgh,
lecturer at The Concrete Institute’s
School of Concrete Technology.
Roxburgh says the Information Centre
of The Concrete Institute stocks a DVD
called Top 10 Myths in Concrete Construc-
tion. The American-produced DVD deals
with the most common concrete miscon-
ceptions in the US construction industry.
“Interestingly, these American myths
differ quite substantially from those we
encounter while lecturing at the School
of Concrete Technology. I would say the
top 10 South African ‘old wives’ tales’,
or misguided philosophies, that crop up
during school classes are:
1. Be very careful not to over-vibrate
concrete;
2. “I have 30 years’ concreting experience
– so I know everything about concrete”;
3. Adding more stone to concrete makes
the concrete stronger;
4. Extended cements always take longer
to set and gain in strength;
5. Just add salt to your concrete to
make it waterproof (very popular among
farmers);
6. To make concrete stronger, simply add
more cement;
7. To make concrete more durable, just
add more cement;
8. The stronger the mortar or plaster,
the better;
9. “Integral” waterproofing admixtures
are an absolute necessity for concrete
water retaining structures; and
10. It is impossible to produce very strong
concrete using cement with a strength
class rating of 32,5N.
“Those with some knowledge of con-
crete technology will realise that many
of the above views are actually partially
true. But the alarming fact is that far
too many people involved in concrete
production do not seem to know which
are partially true and which are absolute
myths,” Roxburgh adds.
The School of Concrete Technology
is South Africa’s leading provider of
education in concrete technology with
its broad spectrum of courses, and
caters for a wide variety of educational
needs within the construction, mining
and concrete-related industries.
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DESIGNING SAFE RETAINING WALLSTerraforce, a CMA member, provides
first-class engineering, management
and specialist technical service to users
of any Terraforce products, aiming to
set industry standards and make a
significant contribution to safe retaining
wall design throughout South Africa and
the world. To illustrate the scope of this
service, we are highlighting some of the
projects utilising Terrasafe, currently
under construction:
The new International Convention Centre
and five-star resort, eZulwini, Swaziland:
At this prominent R500 million project
in Swaziland, the Terraforce walls were
designed as terraces, with the first level
being 2m, followed by 4m steps up to a
total height of 18m. The first terrace
is being constructed with reinforced
concrete infill at 85° and the 4m steps
thereafter, at 80° with reinforced
concrete infill. Double skin walls are also
utilised at specific places, for additional
strength. Geogrid reinforcing to the
backfill is specified at intervals.
Sasol Garage Complex, Mthatha,
Eastern Cape:
This particular site had a relatively new
gabion wall installed that had collapsed
and damaged the concrete columns
supporting the building overhanging a
steep embankment. The client requested
an alternative design and out of a few
options, settled for the Terraforce
system. The Terraforce walls were
designed at 80° for better slope
stability and to simplify construction
due to the limited head space under
the structure. About two-thirds of the
wall is constructed with a double skin
of blocks, partially filled with reinforced
concrete and tied into the back-fill at
regular intervals with geo-grid for extra
reinforcement.
Thaba Moshate Hotel & Casino in Burg-
ersfort, Mpumalanga:
Terraforce rock-face walls are in the
process of being instal led around
the swimming pool area and along
embankments on the property. Two
rows of cheaper grey blocks are used
below ground level, followed by a row of
smooth, flat face blocks (to facilitate a
neat finish where paving meets this level)
and then continued with rock-face blocks
in Kalahari colour.
INSULATING COMPANY USES MAPEI PRODUCT ON SOWETO CHURCH ROOF Multi-Dex 2000 of Edenvale, Gauteng, an
approved applicator of Mapei sealants,
adhesives and chemical products for build-
ing, recently completed refurbishing the
9 000 m² roof of the Universal Church of the
Kingdom of God in Orlando West, Soweto,
using one of Mapei’s insulation products.
“We have tackled a number of difficult
projects, but this job was especially in-
teresting and challenging,” said Warren
Botha, Director of the company.
“We were working 18 m off the ground
and experienced delays as a result of high
winds that made it unsafe to handle the
sheets of insulation and torch-on wa-
terproofing. Added to this, the roof was
dome-shaped and presented a 35-50˚
gradient that was difficult to measure, let
alone work on.
“In spite of this, we still managed to
complete the project in seven weeks.
For the final protective finish, we used
Mapei’s Polypaint Alu, which is easy to
apply and gives reliable and exceptionally
good results.”
Mapei’s Polypaint Alu is a versatile,
water-based, effective silver paint de-
signed to protect talc, sand and granu-
lated bituminous polymer membranes,
as well as unprotected liquid bituminous
coatings, from UV sunlight.
“We have been using Mapei products
for about three years now,” commented
Botha. “We regularly use the silver protec-
tive paint, the Mapelastic cementitious
waterproofing mortar products, as well as
other waterproofing products in its range.”
A bird’s-eye view of work in progress during insulation of the domed roof of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Orlando West, with Mapei’s silver Polypaint Alu applied as the final protective finish.
BIRKENMAYER MACHINES INSTRUMENTAL IN BLOCK- MAKING COMPANY’S SUCCESSRustenburg-based block-making company
Cemblocks recently acquired an additional
two Birkenmayer (CMA member) block-
making machines to increase its produc-
tion capacity to 13 million bricks a month.
Cemblocks has only ever used Birken-
mayer machinery during its 32 years in
business and attributes its success, in
part, to quality equipment and the sound
back-up support Birkenmayer provides.
The current equipment of Cemblocks,
which supplies contractors and retailers
within the greater Rustenburg area,
comprises a VB1, purchased when the
company began production, a VB4, two
VB5 block-making machines and one VB6.
“The VB1, purchased in 1981, is a me-
chanical miracle. Birkenmayer assisted
with the plant assembly and we feel this
a key contributing factor to its equip-
ment’s durability,” said Francois Alberts,
Cemblocks’ CEO.
“Despite its age, the plant continuously
delivers 1 500 pallets of product per day
in nine-hour shifts and we have only had
to replace the PLC once.”
B ir kenmayer’s Mon ika Howar th
commented:“An endorsement of this na-
ture proves the durability, reliability and
consistency of Birkenmayer brick- and
block-making machinery and parts.”
Cemblocks’ product range comprises
solid large blocks, maxis, stock bricks,
several paving products, retaining wall
blocks and rock-face bricks. Cemblocks
also manufactures customised products.
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ROCLA SUPPLIES JACKING PIPES FOR WATER PIPELINECMA member Rocla was contracted to
supply a part of the 1 100 m of jacking
pipes for two of the 19 sections for un-
derground construction to the upgrades
for the Palmiet Pumping Station to Sig-
nal Hill Reservoir project currently being
constructed for Rand Water.
Two contractors, Wepex and Esor,
are using Rocla’s 100D jacking pipes
on the project, which commenced in
April 2014 and is due for completion in
November this year.
“The Palmiet/Signal Hill project is an
18-month one with hard rock alongside
residential and national roads needing
to be blasted,” said Luke Woodhams,
Contracts Manager: Pipe Jacking Divi-
sion for Wepex.
“Rocla had the right pipe with good
availability. Its product is of an excellent
quality and we are very pleased with
its service.”
Anton Naudé, Director of Pipejacking
for Esor, commented: “The jacking pipes
need to be able to last the lifespan of the
project, which they will easily do due to A Rocla 100D jacking pipe.
the quality of the pipes. These are huge
pipes that have an approximate mass
per metre of 5 680 kg/m and a mass of
8 518 kg/pipe.”
The Rocla 100D jacking pipe used on
the project has a nominal diameter of
2 500 mm and a proof load of 250 kN/m.
Steel pipes will be inserted into the
jacking pipe for extra support and for
their anti-corrosion properties.
The Rocla 100D jacking pipe is made
from self-compacting concrete and clas-
sified to SANS 677. The self-compacting
concrete renders a good surface finish
and the vertical cast process applied
in its manufacture ensures consistent
thickness throughout the pipe wall, as
well as providing excellent compaction
and bonding to the reinforcement.
Self-compacting concrete contrib-
utes towards increased safety on
the job by eliminating the need for con-
solidation. It is also cost-effective as
it offers improved pumpability, higher
labour efficiencies and shorter con-
struction times.
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KAYTECH INTRODUCES CONCRETE CANVAS CMA member Kaytech has signed a
distributorship agreement with Concrete
Canvas SA to supply geosynthetic
cementitious composite mats into the
South African civil engineering industry,
including road and rail applications.
Concrete Canvas is used specifically
for the lining of culverts, channels, slope
protection and remediation of existing
concrete structures.
Concrete Canvas is a flexible con-
crete-impregnated fabric that hardens
on hydration to form a thin, durable,
waterproof and fire-resistant concrete
layer. Essentially, it is concrete on a
LAFARGE SOUTH AFRICA’S WHITE CONCRETE SOLUTION FOR CHEVRON HEADQUARTERSWhen Chevron South Africa, a leading
ref iner and marketer of petroleum
products, looked f or a landmark
susta i nab l e des ign f o r i t s new
headquarters in Century City, Cape
Town in 2011, Louis Karol Architects
& Interiors proposed a “naked” white
concrete building – but the client
was initially sceptical that the local
construction industry could successfully
bui ld a major structure in white
concrete. As the concrete solution,
Lafarge South Africa, a member of the
CMA, proposed its innovative ArteviaTM
decorative concrete.
ArteviaTM decorative concrete is
a high-quality structural concrete
combining durability and low maintenance
with a high standard of aesthetic finish.
The product is produced with an integral
UV stable colour pigment.
“We believe the Chevron project in-
volved the largest volume of white con-
crete ever used in the Western Cape,”
commented Johann van der Merwe,
Contracts Manager for Stefanutti
Stocks. “The extent of the challenges
that had to be addressed was hard
to envisage, but Lafarge Cape Town
Readymix worked closely with us as a
team to ensure a successful outcome.”
Standing back to appreciate the
overall ef fect, the superb Chevron
building gleams like travertine marble.
While initially it has been expensive
to create, the monolithic external
structure will only require cleaning
every seven or eight years. “We are
overwhelmed by the outcome,” enthuses
architect, Silke. “The building looks
beautiful and demonstrates that in
partnership with Lafarge’s technical
resources, the local building industry
has the construction skills to create a
world-class result.”
roll. It allows concrete construction
without the need for plant or mixing
equipment.
The concrete is pre-mixed so there
is no need for mixing, measuring or
compacting: just add water.
Concrete Canvas consists of a three-
dimensional fibre matrix containing a
specially formulated dry concrete mix. A
PVC backing on one surface of the mat
ensures the material is completely wa-
terproof. The material is hydrated either
by spraying or by being fully immersed in
water. Once set, the fibres reinforce the
concrete, preventing cracking and provid-
ing a safe plastic failure mode.
It is available in two thicknesses, CC5
and CC8, which are 5 mm and 8 mm thick
respectively.
Concrete Canvas can be laid at a
rate of 200 m2/hr – about 10 times
faster than conventional concrete
solutions. It is available in shorter rolls
for applications with limited access. The
speed and ease of installation make it
more cost-effective than conventional
concrete, with less logistical complexity.
Concrete Canvas is a low-mass, low-
carbon technology using up to 95% less
material than conventional concrete for
many applications.
Key properties include:
• The PVC backing on one surface of
the GCCM ensures that the material has
excellent impermeability.
• The fibre reinforcement prevents
cracking, absorbs energy from impacts
and provides a stable failure mode.
• It is twice as abrasion-resistant as
standard OPC concrete, has excellent
chemical resistance, good weathering
performance and will not degrade in UV.
Concrete Canvas has good drape
characteristics and will closely follow
the ground profile and fit around existing
infrastructure. While unset, it can be cut
or tailored using basic hand tools.
Concrete Canvas being installed for channel lining.
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
CHRYSO GROUP APPOINTS ANGOLAN DISTRIBUTORS The Chryso Southern Africa Group has entered into an agreement
with the Luanda-based company, Lunapa, for the distribution of the
Chryso range of admixtures and ancillary concrete performance-
enhancing products in Angola.
Lunapa, based in Benfica, Luanda’s industrial zone, has been
operating for the past five years as a supplier of imported concrete
admixtures for the construction industry.
Business Development Manager of Chryso SA, Luis Ferreira,
says the construction industry in Luanda has been extremely ac-
tive in the past few years and the growth is expected to expand
further into Angolan cities and rural areas as the need for new
infrastructure is being addressed by the government.
The appointment of Angolan distributors is the latest
development in a concerted effort by Chryso Southern Africa to
boost exports to the rest of Africa. Chryso and abe products
are currently being used on several major African infrastructural
development projects, particularly Zambian mining, commercial,
industrial and fuel industry projects – and in Mocambique, where
the Nacala Rail Corridor and other industrial and commercial
developments have, for example, led to major orders.
There are distributors for Chryso/abe operating in several
African countries, including Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana,
Namibia, Ghana and now also Angola. Chryso SA is also planning to
establish distribution outlets in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the
southern part of the DRC.
Norman Seymore, Vice-president of the Chryso Group globally,
recently said the group had decided to concentrate more on
exports to the sub-Saharan African market about three years
ago, when a special Business Development division, concentrating
mainly on African and Indian Ocean islands sales and distribution,
was established.
“Our quest to boost exports is now showing the results we
sought, with the growth in exports to Africa, particularly to
neighbouring states, growing by 25% in total last year. The growth
showed that the Chryso SA Group must continue to seek increased
representation in sub-Saharan Africa. We are also planning to
establish production facilities in east and west Africa,” he stated.
Luanda, the capital of Angola, is experiencing an upsurge in construction activity.
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MTN DATA CENTRE EXTENSION ROOFED WITH ECHO PRESTRESSED HOLLOW-CORE SLABS Echo prestressed hollow-core slabs have
been used to roof a second storey added to
MTN’s Data Centre in Centurion, Gauteng.
The extension followed the use of
(CMA member) Echo slabs to roof the
original single-storey building built in
2012. The second storey has been built
on top of the prestressed slab roof of
the original structure. Grinaker-LTA
(Above): The MTN Data Centre’s second storey under construction, showing the Echo prestressed slabs installed to roof it.
was the main contractor and DSM
Consulting Engineers was the engineering
consultancy involved.
The prestressed roof slabs are 250
mm deep with spans of between of 2,2-
11,5 m. They are designed to carry live
loads of 10 kN/m² and dead loads of 2,5
kN/m². They are mounted on precast
inverted T-beams measuring 420 mm
deep and 630 mm wide, which Echo
subcontracted to ENCON to design and
Civilcon to manufacture.
The beams have been installed on
6,5 m-high reinforced cast-in-situ
concrete columns, most of which feature
rebar that protrudes through the slab
roof to support solar panels and other
plant to be mounted on the roof.
A lightweight politerm screed-to-falls
has been installed over the slabs, followed
by a second screed covering to take a
dual layer of waterproofing.
SIKA ACQUIRES DURO-MOZA OF MOZAMBIQUECMA member Sika has acquired the
assets of Duro-Moza, a Mozam-
bique-based company producing spe-
cialised mortar and tile adhesives.
The transaction will accelerate
the development and market
penetration of Sika Mozambique,
which Sika founded last year.
The acquisition provides Sika
Mozambique with an ideal start
in the market, giving immediate
access to its own production
facility and to an established cus-
tomer base in the fast-growing
construction sector.
Maputo-based Duro-Moza has
developed a comprehensive prod-
uct range covering plasters, tile
adhesives, dry shakes, grouting and
concrete repairs.
Don’t miss out! Book your advertising space in the next issue of Precast magazine.issue of Precast magazine.
THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE
PRECAST
VOLUME EIGHT ISSUE 1 • 2014
CO
NC
RE
TE
MANUFACTURERS
AS
SO
CIA
TIO
N Q
uality cast in concrete
• Building practice antiquated
• Precast transforms factory into showroom
• Record retaining wall height
CO
NC
RE
TTEE
MANUFACTURERSA
SS
OOC
IAT
ION
Quality cast in concrete
Building practice antiquateds factory into showroom
Record retaining wall height
Contact Wally Armstrong for more information
Tel: 083 701 3278
E-mail: [email protected]
THE CMA – QUALITY CAST IN CONCRETE
CO
NC
RE
TE
M
ANUFACTURERS
AS
SO
CIA
TIO
N
Quality cast in concrete
MAKE SURE YOU
YOUR SPOTSECURE
CLICK H
ERE
FOR WEBSIT
E
PRECAST | ISSUE ONE | 2015
40
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A FICK SEMENTWERKE BKTel: 022 913 2370Province/Country: Western CapePillar: PB
AVENG MANUFACTURING INFRASET (12)Tel: 011 876 5500Province/Country: GautengPillar: PB/PI
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ENVIRO–CAST PTY LTD Tel: 016 004 0018Province/Country: Gauteng Pillar: PI
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