AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURE BENEFITS FROM CHRYSO’S GROWING FOOTPRINT

With a firm base of technical expertise and infrastructure in South Africa, construction chemicals and admixtures specialist Chryso Southern Africa has been increasingly serving markets in Central, East and West Africa. The company’s active growth strategy into the continent over more than a decade means that customers there can expect the same high standards of product and support.

According to Armand van Vuuren, commercial manager: exports at Chryso Southern Africa, the company’s expansion strategy has been pursued for almost a dozen years – with great results. There are now distributors in a range of key markets, including Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“We also have an established office in Nairobi, Kenya and are expanding into Tanzania,” he says. “Through our extensive presence across Southern, Central, East and West Africa, we supply not just the ready-mix and precast sectors, but also specific construction and infrastructure projects.”

The expertise and resources of Chryso Southern Africa’s distributors in these countries are supported by the technical team in Johannesburg, who can step in whenever necessary with the required specialised input. Van Vuuren stresses that these partners are carefully chosen to act as extensions of the company, delivering the same high level of service wherever their clients work.

“Africa’s an exciting continent and this is where future economic growth’s going to come from,” he says. According to the African Development Bank, the expected growth rates in West and Central Africa are expected to be 4,2% and 4,6% respectively this year, while East Africa will reach 5,5% in growth terms.

Van Vuuren notes the extent to which many countries have invested heavily in infrastructure in recent years – demanding large volumes of concrete for civil engineering projects. The construction work involved in the Decongestion Project for Zambia’s capital Lusaka, for instance, has changed the face of that city in a matter of years.

“Chryso Southern Africa and our distributors have been working with a range of contractors and other businesses to ensure that their concrete meets the exacting specifications of the contract,” says Van Vuuren. “Whether the application’s bridges, dams, mining infrastructure or precast manufacturing, we continue to play a vital and growing role in the continent’s development.”

An important element of Chryso’s presence is the stock held by distributors in their respective regions – giving customers easy access to products as and when they are required. End-customers are provided with full site support from a technical perspective, including access to the specialist team in SA.

“With our current momentum, we’re planning to set up more of our own offices and production facilities in key regions, paving the way to serve larger and more complex requirements,” says Van Vuuren. “Africa’s leading countries have their plans in place for future development and, despite the occasional setbacks, they’re on track for long-term growth. Chryso Southern Africa’s working with the concrete and construction industries on the continent to help make this happen.”

This strategy is bolstered by its parent company, Saint-Gobain’s acquisitions of companies such as GCP Applied Technologies, which will offer access to innovative products. Firmly committed to customer-centricity and proximity, the organisation has local operations in 45 countries and this footprint provides its service offering to more than 100 countries.