The Engineer May -June 2018 by Fortune Publications

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The VOL 3/NO.06 • MAY-JUNE 2018

NAMIBIA’S PULSE OF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Namibia’s First Interchanges 30 Engineers, 12 bridges, 6.5km freeway & 18 months to go

Nam twins’ innovative water conservation engineering

Steeledale an all female cast in steel

Namibia Engineering

WEEK

Innovation & Excellence: Reinventing Our Future

Join us for the first ever Namibia Engineering Week. The event is open to: Engineers, Allied Professionals, Consultants, Innovators, Inventors; Mining, Energy, Automotive & Construction Industries; Manufacturers, Equipment and Material Suppliers, Industry Leaders; Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Students, Institutions, Educators & Researchers, policy makers and the general public. DATE: 6 - 11 AUGUST 2018

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04 Water Engineering: Inside Namibian twins’ innovative water conservation engineering. 08 Project Focus: The Hosea Kutako Brigade. Chinese company drills a unique army to change the face of Windhoek

16 Steel Works: Steeledale Reinforcing & Trading Namibia (Pty) Ltd: Beating the odds of steel. 17 Drilling: The art of Horizontal directional drilling.

18 Electrical Engineering: Multiplaz 3500 now in Namibia. ‘The whole workshop in a bag’. 19 Exploration: Namibia Innate Supplies (NIS) leads Namibia exploration supplies. 22

Engineer of the Month: At 28 Dr Josefina Hamutoko is as old as independent Namibia. She 22 joins the growing list of extraordinary achievements at the University of Namibia’s graduation this year.

FORGING THE FUTURE

21-23 Iscor Street, Northern Industrial Area, Windhoek, Namibia | Tel,: +264 61 262 117 | +264 81 129 1281 renate@rai-namibia.com

CONTENTS PAGE

Executive Editor Confidence Musariri +264 81 122 6850 confidence@musariri.com

WATER ENGINEERING

Demetrio and Devano with Sydney Chase

Inside Namibian twins’ innovative water conservation engineering As many more cities like Cape Town face an uncertain future over water worldwide, a set of Namibian twin professionals, one engineer and one charted accountant, has emerged with more than just a solution.

ive years ago, no one would have predicted that Cape Town would face Day Zero. However, many places around the world have reached ‘peak water’, or the limit of how much water can be reasonably taken from the area. This, as climate change continues to disrupt the earth’s hydrological cycle, changing when, where and how much precipitation falls. In fact, 14 of the world’s 20 mega cities are now experiencing water scarcity, according to a 2016 study in the Science Advances Journal, and there is a lot of focus on water-saving tips.

Enter Demetrio and Devano with Solve Namibia Demetrio, a mining engineer by qualification and Devano, a chartered accountant, are the Möwes twin professionals. At home and at work, innovation is a family affair which has bred entrepreneurship. Devano is currently a senior associate at PriceWaterhouse Coopers, while Demetrio is the Product Quality Excellence Lead for Vivo Energy Namibia where he is spearheading the company’s ISO 9001:2015 certification. Demetrio and Devano are innovators in using water sealed ballasts, better known as Shade Balls, to curb water loss through evaporation in dams and open air reservoirs. They argue that water saving tips alone, will not stop the continued evaporation of water from the dams and have brought an alternative with a renewable 25-year lifespan. The brothers have formed a company, Solve Namibia, and act as the agents for Xavier C, LLC, borrowing a successful case study in Los Angeles, USA, where millions of evaporation balls were released into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) reservoir, covering about 95% of the entire surface area, to reduce evaporation, algae growth and the formation of the carcinogen bromate.

Evidence from NamWater’s 2016 to 2018 dam water balance data, shows that there is more evaporation taking place from Namibia’s water reservoirs than what is consumed countrywide through domestic, agriculture, mining or construction use. This fact is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which has stated – “On a global basis, more water evaporates from reservoirs than is consumed by humans.” From January 2016 to April 2018, a total of 203.42 million m3 of water has evaporated, from five of the main Namibian reservoirs, specifically the Von Bach, Hardap, Naute, Omatako and Swakoppoort Dams. This is equivalent to 81,370 Olympic swimming pools, taking into consideration one Olympic swimming pool holds 2.5 million litres water. Their company Solve Namibia has already pitched the idea to the beleaguered Cape Town, and efforts are underway to hit the ground running to curb evaporation ahead of Day Zero, through the Water4CapeTown NPO. “We want to be at the forefront and set the standards where cost-effective solutions are scarce. Its innovation and the drive to help our country fight this water crisis that motivates us.

The Engineer | May - June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

says the twins who have set aside a huge percentage of their commission from Solve Namibia for community development projects in their home town of Rehoboth, 80km south of the capital Windhoek as well as the Water4CapeTown NPO in Cape Town. Somehow consultations with NamWater have hit a snag, but the brothers are undeterred. “It is a mindset matter. We know when there is a new idea, people are generally sceptical and risk-averse, also taking into consideration shortage of funds for projects such as these, therefore we are pooling resources together on our own and hoping to engage the National Commission on Research Science and Technology (NCRST) among other green investment funds, to assist in conducting a trial run on the smallest of the five dams in Namibia, specifically Naute Dam, so that the results may do the talking. We can even implement this on Goreagab dam where there is currently an odour problem. Covering the dam would prevent evaporation of the water, and thus the odour.” says Demetrio.

Solve Namibia is even considering partnerships with willing local municipalities, mining conglomerates in the Erongo region and farmers to conduct trial-runs to address water evaporation. Mines such as Husab and Rössing use significantly more expensive water supplied from the Orano (previously named Areva) desalination plant, and would benefit from the cost-saving of losing water to evaporation. Demetrio adds, “With regards to farmers, this is actually exciting for us. Covering their ground dams, would be largely beneficial to livestock farming since Shade Balls stop algae growth (similarly to how a pool cover stops algae growth) hence leading to a drop-in water related livestock diseases. That is a further benefit on top of improving the supply security of water. The scope of this engineering innovation includes manufacturing the balls and floats within Namibia, where an estimated 100 jobs will be created. The amount of balls manufactured are dependent on the current water reservoir level and surface area of water to be covered.

The idea is to cover the current surface with approximately 20% extra balls (not exceeding the number of balls required at full water reservoir capacity) to take into consideration coming rains and inflows from other sources, such as rivers and augmentation from other water reservoirs, which will result in a rise in water reservoir levels. Demetrio explains, “As the balls are ballasted, meaning they are filled with 50% potable water and 50% air, the balls will restack and realign themselves without human or mechanical intervention, to ensure a consistent coverage of the water reservoir surface. The ballast will also prevent the balls from being blown away by the wind.

As the bulk water of many of the water reservoirs have been depleted already, water reservoirs with sufficient capacity, especially those supplying the central regions, will be targeted first so as to reduce water evaporation and ensure supply security to the central regions of Namibia which is currently faced with an insufficient supply.” To ensure the balls are not lost during sluicing of the dams or potential overfill, a netting system, provided by Solve Namibia in partnership with the patent holder, an American company, XavierC LLC, would be deployed. Demetrio adds, “The balls will be easily controlled and removed during sluicing or potential overfill. Furthermore, if the sluice gates open only at the bottom of the dam, minimal risk of the balls being lost, exists as the balls will remain floating on the top of the surface of the water reservoir.”

The invention of evaporation balls was first developed in the western world at airports to deter birds from congregating on nearby ponds around airport runways, as the birds were becoming a flight risk to landing and taking off flights. The product was then later innovated by Sydney Chase, with whom the brothers have a partnership with, and her team at XavierC LLC, to be used for the purpose of evaporation prevention on large open reservoirs.

WATER ENGINEERING

It’s not about profits, but good engineering and most importantly conserving water on a large scale,”

Shade Balls XavierC, LLC specialises in the manufacture of ballasted high density polyethylene (HDPE) evaporation balls (Shade Balls) used as floating covers.

The use of Shade Balls greatly reduces the amount of algae growth in reservoirs due to blocked sunlight exposure, thereby reducing the daily chlorine requirement. Chlorine is used to treat algae growth and from the Los Angeles Reservoir case study, LADWP saves about US$28,000 a month, given current costs of chlorine. Demetrio explains, “Algae requires sunlight to grow via photosynthesis, so if the water is covered, algae cannot and will not grow. Furthermore, algae reacts with chlorine during the disinfection process to form disinfection by-products (DBPs), specifically Trihalomethanes and Halo-acetic Acids. The implementation of Shade Balls in Los Angeles has reduced these DBPs by over 40%, therefore increasing the water quality.”

The Engineer | May - June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

WATER ENGINEERING

The two main DBPs are The Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Drinking Water Standard is 80 ppb and the Halo-acetic Acids (HAA5) Drinking Water Standard is 60 ppb. Since the implementation of Shade Balls the LADWP has monitored these DBPs in Los Angeles in five main areas, specifically San Fernando Valley (SFV), Western Los Angeles (WLA), Eastern Los Angeles (ELA), Central Los Angeles (CLA) and Harbor, and seen a reduction between 2010 and 2016 as Demetrio explained. Demetrio adds, “The LADWP reservoir was initially covered due to a limit set on bromate – a carcinogen (cancer causing) – in drinking water by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) which limits the amount of bromate to 10 micrograms per litre (µg/L) or 10 ppb. Bromate is formed when naturally occurring bromide in groundwater reacts with UV rays from the sun to form bromate. This internationally patented innovation is a water sealed ballast that is the only one in the market globally, that does not leak thus creating bacteria nor siphon in hazardous material, when disposed. The product is certified against the NSF/ANSI 61 international standard for non-metallic potable water materials, thus safe to be used in drinking water. The equivalent South African standard is SANS 1160:2011, whereas Namibia does not have a similar standard in place as yet. Demetrio has supplied the Namibia Standards Institute (NSI) with information on the NSF/ANSI 61 standard to look at implementing in the near future. “We are still hopeful that the Namibian government considers this innovative process before we engage Cape Town. It is our desire to launch our innovation in our motherland.” says the twins.

According to fact that The Engineer has accessed from the Los Angeles Reservoir case study, the shade balls saved US$250 million when compared to the number and magnitude of alternate projects and solutions considered to meet the goal of covering the water. Those alternatives included splitting the reservoir into two with a bisecting dam; and installing two floating covers that would have

cost US$300 million. On the contrary, each shade ball was deployed at a cost of US$0.36 cents, making the total cost of the Los Angeles Reservoir project approximately US$34.5 million. They also prevented the annual loss of water to evaporation of about 300 million gallons, that is 1.14 billion litres of water. And there is a stern warning from the Möwes brothers, “Studies from the International Commission On Large Dams show that the climate in Southern Africa is getting warmer annually, and therefore rates of evaporation will increase. We cover our pools, so why don’t we cover our dams?” Key Benefits of Shade Balls and Floats: • Reduction in evaporation; • Reduction in algae growth – algae require sunlight for photosynthesis; • Reduction in water treatment costs;

• 25-year lifespan (long term solution) – evaporation balls are recycled to manufacture new evaporation balls – no plastic pollution; • Quick and simple to install (as easy as dumping the balls into the water reservoir); • Acts as an insulating cover – due to air space between ballast and ball surface resulting in a minimal temperature differential; • Does not interfere with water reservoir equipment; • Adjusts to variation of the water reservoir level by spreading & stacking – resulting in a consistent coverage of the water reservoir; • Fast and effective solution to odour problems – can be used on waste water reservoirs; • Mosquito (larvae) population in water reservoirs greatly mitigated, as the larvae’s main food sources (bacteria and algae) and formation thereof are reduced; • Virtually maintenance free; and • Unaffected by rain water.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

NAMIBIA (Pty) Ltd

CONSULTING ENGINEERS

We Transform Namibia Tel: +264 (61) 23-7642 | Fax: +264 (61) 23-3534 | Email: mail@vkewhk.com 54 Bismarck Street, PO Box 45 | Windhoek, Namibia

PROJECT FOCUS

The Hosea Kutako Brigade... Chinese company drills a unique army to change the face of Windhoek It has been three years since Erickson Mbweshe visited his home village, Omungwelume, in Oshakati, some 800km north of the Namibian capital Windhoek. The much-coveted traditional weekend weddings of the north where over 30 beasts can be slaughtered, other important family gatherings, funerals and certain ritualistic ceremonies, he has missed it all. And he does not seem to be bothered. “There is no difference between what I am doing in Windhoek and a soldier who has gone to war. In fact, I am better off than a soldier, I can have my family visit me in Windhoek instead. A soldier cannot leave his post unattended as long as duty calls,” he tells us.

trangely his eyes, frame of mind, and physic does not seem to betray him. This for a man who has been up since 18H00 the day before and has not gone to bed as yet. “We should finish this at least at least by 12 mid-day today. And we are on track. We worked the whole night, changing guard with shortnaps in between, and we are on track,” says the survey assistant on top of Frankie Fredericks Interchange. He was jobless upon completing his secondary school at Okambebe, in northern Namibia when he got wind of a Chinese company constructing the 100km stretch between Otapi and Omafo. When the trunk road was completed in 2015 and the China Gezhouba Group (CGG) switched off engines, the urge for money saw a then 21-year old Mbweshe come to Windhoek in December 2015 for the first time in search of ‘something’ in the road construction industry.

Mammoth Task The China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) is the contractor for the upgrading of the WindhoekHosea Kutako International Airport, a R1.1 billion project which involves 12 bridges, and Namibia’s first interchanges. The current freeway project to the Airport, when finally completed, together with the north-south freeway system which will link Auas Poort at the southern entry into the Windhoek Basin with Okahandja, will provide a free-flow east-west plus north-south transportation system which will stimulate safe traffic flow and change the face of the Capital with an efficient transport freeway system.

Access to freeways is only possible via split-level interchanges, which require concrete bridge structures, in addition to a twin set of bridges at rivers and road or rail crossings.

Erickson Mbweshe

This Phase 1 of the project is consequently also unique in the huge proportion of reinforced and prestressing concrete structures with 12 bridges on only 6.5km of freeway length. The many ramp, link and cross roads, however add quite an additional road component to the project. From day one of the project’s first phase, Erickson has been a loyal ‘soldier’ of the Hosea Kutako brigade. This is an army of 280 locals and 45 Chinese nationals constructing the first interchanges in Namibia, an 8.4km distance highlighted by ten new bridges, three interchanges along the leafy suburbs of the Namibian capital, connecting the Hosea Kutako International Airport. “Chinese do no have holidays. Even on their own public holidays they are working,” says Mbweshe when we ask him if he will be on duty on the impeding May Day public holiday. “It’s up to you, they give incentives for working on public holidays and weekends, such as overtime and other smaller things to keep us engaged. In the end common sense prevails, why go drink the money on public holiday when you can stay and make more. I have gotten used to working Sunday to Sunday, and what is more satisfying is that from the Project Manager to the office ladies, these Chinese guys will also be with us working.

For example, last night we started concrete casting over the Frankie Fredericks bridge and none of them has gone home to change or sleep. We slept here, ate here, too breaks here, all of us as a team.”

International Projects Besides Botswana, the company has operations in Africa and Saudi Arabia. In West Africa, it is active in Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, and operates in the rest of the continent in Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia where CRSG has been heavily involved in bridge building, including the Dinghiraye and Niger Bridges in Guinea, the Medinandiathbe River in Senegal, the Mpiji Bridge and Ruvu Bridge in Tanzania, and the Gao Bridge in Mali, upgrading

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

By mid-day, the machines are all, after a long day’s work Erickson is bussed home to Otjomuise a high-density surbub in Windhoek, somewhere across Windhoek, west of Frankie Fredericks Bridge, a team of Chinese and locals are on the Gobabis Interchange, between the University of Namibia and Country-Club Hotel. This is the mother of all inventions, where a new road is being constructed behind Cimbebasia to leading to Rehoboth towards South Africa, and that bridge is half-way done. It’s a majestic structure, Project Manager Kenny Wang is already here, mindless of tomorrow’s May Day public holiday, giving instruction of what needs to be done the next day. “We are here to give Namibians value and quality. They might not know our names or faces, but our works will leave long in their heritage and that is the pleasure that I have,” he says. The is a subsidiary of the construction conglomerate, China Railway Group Limited (China Railway Engineering Corporation). Wang left a huge footprint in Botswana’s Francistown where the interchange has altered the border town’s shape. Wang was in charge of the A1 30km 1-billion-pula project described on its official opening in March 2018 by then outgoing President Ian Khama as ‘spaghetti junction and a huge highlight of my presidency as I step down.’

Namibia is his second duty station. And like Mbweshe, he has not been to his family in China over two years. “Most of our Chinese employees only go to China once a year for a few days to see their wives and kids,” he says, trying to calculate which year and month he has been to see his wife. “It’s the first time for such a project in Namibia. Everything is new and different, the people, the systems, the culture and even the specifications, we do not want to leave our posts and allow room for error. So, we have to be on guard throughout. We are serious about this project, it is the first and the biggest in Namibia. Perhaps one day those that do not consider the works of a Chinese man seriously, will then do. In the short future we will deliver satisfactory results for Namibia,” he says. Within CRSG, there are more than 12,000 employees, more than 4,000 specialized technical personnel and 300 first class project managers. CRSG possesses 3021 sets of various construction machineries and the annual construction annual productive capacity is US$1 billion. CRSG broadly constructs all classes of railways, highway comprehensive constructions and sub grade, pavement, tunnel, bridges, electric power, communications, signal works, municipal public works, building construction, airport construction, city underground construction, light rail construction, harbour

construction, wharf construction works, contract for internal and external international biddings, comprehensive development of real estate, scientific research development and technical consulting for projects equipment installation, manufacturing and rental services.

November 2019 is the expected date of completion. For Wang the toughest part was in 2017 when the Namibian government froze most construction projects due to lack of funds after an economy-sapping technical recession.

PROJECT FOCUS

of Sam Nujoma road project in Tanzania just to name but a few.

More than 80 projects nationwide were put on hold, but not the Hosea Kutako Bridage and its R1.1billion budget. “We realised that there was a need to keep the machines running. Our parent company in China availed funds outside the norm, and we were able to pay our local employees even when our own guys were not getting paid, because we wanted the locals to turn up for work. We never missed a salary. We knew when the Namibian government finally pays-up we would return the funds to China. And it worked well for us, of course certain areas of the project were delayed a bit but we are still on course,” thus Wang. With the freeway meanderaing past some of Windhoek’s VVIP surbubs, among them State House, Auasblick, Cimbabasia, Olympia and Kleine Kluppe residential areas, China Railway Seventh Group had to adopt new measures

Project Manager Kenny Wang illustrating the progress on the Grove Mall interchange.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

PROJECT FOCUS which included controlled drilling and blasting under very strict blast energy control, pneumatic hammer breaking down to reduce vibration effect at its own costs, to minimise complaints from the who’s who of Windhoek. “It is important to mention here vibration is required to compact material, without which the freeway cannot be constructed,” cautioned Conrad Lutombi, chief executive officer of the state-owned Roads Authority, said previously.

Belt and Road Initiative According to Namibian ambassador to China, Dr. Elia Kaiyamo, the transport links between the two countries have been revolutionary to the economy of the southern African country. “Namibia fully supports efforts such as the link between China and other African countries to implement the Belt and Road Initiative,” he said. Namibia intends to be an international logistics hub for Southern African Development Community countries in support of closer regional integration efforts across the continent. “It is for this reason that we are currently at an advanced stage [with China’s assistance] to deepen and upgrade the port of Walvis Bay. Chinese container companies sail to our harbour and stop at the Walvis Bay container terminal with traded goods between African and the world,” the envoy said.

Billion rands is the amount the Chinese Ministry of Commerce says that between 1990 and 2015 China invested (US$4.6bn) in Namibia where more than 40 Chinese enterprises had made a total investment of R45bn (US$3.4 bn), employing more than 4,000 Namibians. The China Railway Seventh Group and the Namibian company Onamagongwa Trading Enterprises is not even on this listing

“African countries should also learn best practice from China’s flavour of democracy, law enforcement and hard-working culture,” said Dr Kaiyamo. For him, the One Belt One Road Initiative was more than an economic opportunity, also serving as a chance for African countries to learn from China’s experiences. Dr Kaiyamo says that the Belt and Road Initiative symbolised a more proactive approach in meeting the anticipation of China’s global obligations and leadership. “Every African country should seize the tremendous opportunities,” he concluded. Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhang Yiming adds, “Namibia is the most solid partner with China in southern Africa, and its stable society as well as sound legal system are advantages for foreign investors,” For the Hosea Kutako Brigade, Namibians have been trained in different aspects from machinery, laboratory work, mechanical, concrete and carpentry throughout this whole process. And about 80% of the workforce that started on day one with Erickson are still employed on renewable yearly contracts. There has been no accident on any of the sites thus far, and Wang is ecstatic about it. Safety trainings are provided to everyone every Monday morning. “The only problem I have is with the government safety inspectors. They do not even get on site. They just inspect from a distance and go back. It is a problem because the day when an accident happens either because the employee or the employer made an error, everything will be turned onto the Chinese.

Are the inspectors not supposed to be talking to us too? Or complementing what we are told here?” queries Erickson. While Wang is appreciative of the government support to the project completion which saw President Hage Geingob at the site late last year, he calls for more hands-on support from the city fathers.

Adds Wang, “This is a public project. Obviously, some things will not be the same during the phase of this project and there is need to communicate to the public continuously about our developments. But this communication will be realised if we get the City authorities full engagement in issues such as surface water, sewage lines, underground electrical and water systems. We tend to get delayed whenever we request such information, and the timelines affect the delays we would have provided the public, in case we are closing a road temporarily, for instance.”

The African Development Bank (AFDB) has injected millions into phase two of the project which is about to start with the Sam Nujoma Drive interchange to Hosea Kutako International Airport, covering more than 30 kilometres.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

PROJECT FOCUS

VKE giving Windhoek a complete make-over Story Highlights • 30 - professional engineers in project design • 12 bridges on only 6.5km of freeway length • 350 jobs created, & counting • How serious fluctuation in tender pricing became a set-back • 28% of the project completed to date

en Boshoff, VKE Managing Director, the engineer contracted with Namibia’s first interchange. He shares the project’s status and how his company has positioned itself for a historic undertaking set to change the face of Windhoek, forever. What makes the project special for VKE Namibia? VKE Namibia went full cycle since the initial basic design of the Windhoek – Okahandja freeway in the mid 1970s, and the initial route determination for the freeway to the Hosea Kutako International (HKI) Airport, until its current involvement to upgrade the existing roads around Windhoek to freeway standards, and to rehabilitate the existing freeway portion, being the Windhoek Western Bypass. It takes years of planning to have the freeway horizontal alignment fixed and proclaimed so that business, residential and other development can be planned systematically in organised fashion around this transportation spine. It is essential to follow this development sequence since any future introduction of such a high geometrical standard facility through built-up areas would result in enormous waste of scarce resources mainly due to demolition of developments and abortive work in general. This is what will likely have to happen in the future when Sam Nujoma Drive through Windhoek runs out of traffic capacity.

Ben Boshoff, VKE Managing Director

The current freeway project to the Airport, when finally completed, together with the north-south freeway system which will link Auas Poort at the southern entry into the Windhoek Basin with Okahandja, will provide a free-flow east-west plus north-south transportation system which will stimulate safe traffic flow and change the face of the capital. Access to freeways is only possible via splitlevel interchanges, which require concrete bridge structures, in addition to a twin set of bridges at rivers and road or rail crossings. This Phase 1 of the project is consequently also unique in the huge proportion of reinforced and prestressing concrete structures with 12 bridges on only 6.5km of freeway length. The many ramp, link and cross roads, however add quite an additional road component to the project.

Employment of people through the project Employment on infrastructure projects lies more in construction than in the planning and design phase. The design work nevertheless called for a team of nearly 30 professional engineers and engineering technicians to prepare the project ready to go out on tender within a few months of award of the consultancy contract. This was only possible with the intimate knowledge of the project after completion more recently of a feasibility study and preliminary design on behalf of Roads Authority to finalise the alignment of the freeway, after adjustments had to be made when final proclamation with surveyed coordinates was not possible in the 1970s. The current employment on the works contract, including management and supervision is approximately 350 people,

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

PROJECT FOCUS Renier van Rooyen, VKE Engineer, discussing the Gobabis Interchange

and will increase when more layerwork and surfacing activities are running full steam. The offices of the Khomas Regional Council and the Labour Commissioner have been involved to help select Namibian people in the unskilled and semi-skilled labour needs. Despite many labour intensive activities between machine-intensive operations which are not well suited for women, the aim remains inter alia to maximise employment of the female gender, where the current minimum goal is set at 20% of the labour force.

Main challenges of the project An accelerated start-up on its own presented some serious challenges to the consulting engineer, who had to adopt a first-time-correct approach as there was just not enough time available to ponder too long on more costeffective solutions and experience in the highway design and construction field was essential to have a good first stab at the right design approach. The 12 bridges on this urban part of the freeway project, two of which with parallel twin-spine prestressed bridge decks required

significant design input, and tenders had to be called under less than ideal preliminary design level. But detailed designs had to follow suit within relatively short time with the Contractor already on site. Despite this drawback and serious fluctuation in tender pricing in Namibia, experience nevertheless helped the Consultant to succeed with a cost-estimate of the tender amount within 1% of the contract price. One major challenge in planning a freeway through the Windhoek Basin is to obtain sufficient road construction materials. The Windhoek Basin is running out of usable materials other than that used in the road embankment, and the City of Windhoek is limiting access to materials allowing practically no access to the aquifer protection area to the south of the Kupferberg-Gobabis road latitude, in which the project lies. Materials from outside the narrow road reserve are also not available since adjacent properties belong to private owners with no obligation to make material available for road construction.

The Consultant had to collect material ahead of and during construction from every possible excavation in the city where such material was not utilised. The problem in obtaining road building materials has not been resolved satisfactorily as yet, and higher level intervention will likely become necessary. Construction water is another challenge, and the project has to rely mainly on semi-purified water which is also available only in limited quantities.

Biggest lessons for VKE working with an International company (China Railway Seventh Group) as well as a stateowned company, Roads Authority. There is no doubt that a language burden seriously affects communication on a major infrastructure project such as this. When a project has to progress at a high production rate, and where international contractors have not been exposed before to the fine print inherent in locally developed contract specifications, for quality assurance reasons, it remains a challenge to constantly explain the specifications and then the

The Engineer | May-June 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ www.theengineer.com.na

Although hard work over long hours is always appreciated, especially during the inevitable running behind schedule when things go wrong, the tendency to want to work seven days a week is difficult to accommodate, as people also need to rest and attend to nonwork responsibilities. It also affects residents of Windhoek negatively. Roads Authority a relatively young organisation and is affected, as is the entire civil engineering industry, by a serious shortage of experienced engineering professionals, which situation resulted from extremely low student entries in southern African universities for a period of nearly fifteen years as from the early 1980s. With this the involvement of older engineers seems essential to support the younger upcoming engineers in the industry. Despite this shortage in skills and knowledge, the Roads Authority is managing quite well under strong managerial guidance of a dynamic Chief Executive Officer, Mr Conrad Lutombi, who is utilising external knowledge to its full potential consistent with the Roads Authority Act.

So with all these set-backs, what are the project timelines to date? Progress has been hampered significantly as a result of serious challenges within Government to secure sufficient levels of funding for the relatively costly Harambee projects. The contract period consequently had to be extended by nearly ten months for completion by the end of 2019. Measured against the current programme the project could still be completed on time, but only with significantly increased resources and spot-on daily planning by the management of the Contractor. Approximately 28% of the project has been completed as follows: • Bridge works: 25% • Road works: 35% • Project overall: 2 months behind schedule

If you were to advise the Minister of Works and Transport, what would be your message? Our company would support the establishment of a quality highway construction sector in Namibia with enough highly skilled contractors to competitively compete in local road project tenders to reduce the dependence on international construction companies. To achieve this there must be a sustainable level of funding available in the transport sector. We have seen too many companies that had to close doors over the years because of inconsistent budget levels. This is generally followed by a costly new building process which can take many years to gain enough experience to consistently produce high quality of work to the long-term benefit of all Namibians.

How has training and development impacted the project? Most training goes into young engineers of the Roads Authority who work as counterpart trainees on the project. The success of this depends to a large extent on the preparedness to learn and the ability of the individual to take responsibility of small tasks entrusted to him or her. Four trainees already benefitted from full exposure to the contract administration and site supervision responsibilities The Consultant also has a junior surveyor on site, a lady, who is performing very well indeed and who is considered a good investment by the company. VKE has a policy to annually audit the performance of its site staff by a wellexperienced employee in the Group who is not part of the local site management, to obtain an objective view of our consistency between site teams, depth of knowledge and quality of applied skills and discipline. The latest results were encouraging. The company supports continual learning by issuing bursaries and by personnel attending selected appropriate courses presented in the industry.

How do you view your investments in Namibia in terms of growth and sustainability considering the current economic climate? The investment in the consultant engineering industry is about people. We are no hire-and-fire type of company.

PROJECT FOCUS

rationale of what is often seen as unreasonable limitation to productivity. The situation improves with time, but fast-tracking remains a challenge.

The fact that many of our staff has been part of our business for many years - up to 40 years – is an indication of their loyalty, which is only possible if staff becomes part and parcel of the core business where everyone has to take full responsibility down to the lowest level. Success is probably the biggest contributor to job satisfaction. When everyone buys into quality of our services at all levels, the company does well and it successes are acknowledged by clients and the public at large. Quality of work on engineering infrastructure projects cannot be hidden – it shows up if not immediately, then soon thereafter. VKE Namibia views its involvement in the upgrading of the infrastructure in our country as one of privilege and pride, as it has been through the good and bad economic times. Every road project that lasts two or three times its design life contributes to significant savings for the people of Namibia.

But what else sets you apart? It is heartening for all in the company to refer to how well VKE projects generally stand up against the test of time, especially when other recent road projects require major repairs or even full rehabilitation long before the end of their 20-year design life. VKE made it an objective to do something very different on each new design project over the last 20 years, without pushing the limits beyond manageable risk for the Roads Authority, but with great savings in mind. Success then becomes so much more rewarding. This is only possible if everyone does consistently what is required of him or her every day, while staying away from risky engineering decisions.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

PROJECT FOCUS

True or not, contractors very often refer to the “strict requirements” enforced by our supervision teams when compared to others on different projects in which they had been involved. Some have even noted in the past that they have to raise their price when tendering on VKE projects because of the higher effort required. But contractors are also quick to acknowledge the need for such strict supervision when their project at completion is widely acknowledged by road users and the general public as one of high standard. This was again the case with the recently completed Oranjemund – Rosh Pinah road. Maybe it is this consistency in our approach which forms the basis of our relative success.

Are there any misconceptions about this project that you wish to correct? It is probably worthwhile to inform public that although the cost of the freeways around Windhoek are high as a result of very undulating to mountainous terrain, the value added with this highway system will be felt by everyone in the country. Money invested in the earthworks is a longterm investment as these will not require any rehabilitation or reconstruction over many decades – rehabilitation in roadworks generally require repairs and strengthening only of the upper pavement layers so that the bulk of the investment will benefit the road user over many years. We are very much aware of the negative effects of road construction on people such as noise and dust during construction, but these are relatively short term measured in terms of the life of a road, and we have to ask for patience from all in Namibia during the construction phase. From an environmental perspective, we endeavour on all our projects to leave the construction site behind in an environmentally friendly condition, since the industry did have an unacceptable record of poor finishing during the preindependence period.

Overview of VKE operations in Namibia/major previous projects VKE Namibia opened a permanent office in 1958 in Namibia (then South West Africa), and was the first consultant to be appointed in the roads field to assist the former SWA Administration, Roads Department (today the Department of Transport, with the Roads Authority as parastatal responsible for the management of the national road network) in respect of road design, contract administration and site supervision services. Its first road was TR1/9 between Otavi and Tsumeb which was completed and opened to traffic in December 1960. This road, now 58 years old, has already carried more than ten times its design traffic, which can be considered real value for money. Naturally, road pavements are designed for a 20-year design life. At the same time the Keetmanshoop – Wasser section (part of TR1/3) was designed and constructed under VKE project management and site supervision. This road section is up for rehabilitation but is still operational, 58 years later. VKE has since then been responsible for the design and construction supervision of approximately 25% of the bitumen road network of Namibia. The company has carried out numerous investigations and feasibility studies in the roads and transportation field in Namibia. The roads completed during the last 20 years under guidance of VKE Namibia include; • Katima Mulilo – Ngoma, • Mururani – Rundu, • Aus-Rosh Pinah, • Okahandja – Karibib, • Nkurenkuru – Mpungu-Elundu, • Elundu – Eenhana, • Rosh Pinah - Oranjemund The company is currently responsible for three Harambee projects: the freeways between Windhoek and Okahandja, the Windhoek and the Hosea Kutako International Airport as well as the Swakopmund - Walvis Bay. VKE Namibia introduced a riding quality bonus/penalty system on behalf of the Roads Authority since 1996, which contributed significantly to the relatively high riding qualities achieved on road contracts managed by the company.

Tresia Shifugula, junior surveyor 14

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

How to select a Chinese construction partner

CONSTRUCTION

hinese construction firms, typically referred to by the construction model of engineering, procurement, construction (EPC), have gained a reputation for carrying out some of the largest construction projects both domestically and overseas. In fact, China now claims more than half of the top 10 tallest buildings in the world and according to the weekly magazine Engineering News Record, more than 60% of major contracting projects in Africa are now being carried out by Chinese firms. A quick look at China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) information shows that there are over 3,000 firms permitted to carry out international project contracting.

How does one identify a suitable Chinese construction partner? CAMAL on a Site Visit with a Chinese EPC Project in Algeria

1. Can the EPC carry out overseas projects? Not every Chinese construction firm is permitted to undertake overseas projects and the MOFCOM maintains a list of permitted firms. Moreover, given the large domestic market, some firms may have no interest in venturing overseas.

3. Does the project have a feasibility study from a reputable institution?

2. What is the source of financing for the overseas project?

4. Does the project require the EPC to carry out the study?

If one were to pick a decisive factor in deciding if a Chinese EPC company is a suitable partner, the African partner must be clear on the source/type of financing for the proposed project.

This will significantly reduce the type of interested EPC companies in the project.

This is also directly linked to the type of business cooperation model, such as a turnkey EPC project, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Public Private Partnership (PPP) etc. If a project has financing, then a large majority of firms would be able to carry out the project. However, if one requires financing, then one must address a new set of questions on how the EPC will recoup its financing:

There are projects that are more favorable to state-owned companies as opposed to private companies.

1. Does the project have sovereign guarantee? 2. Can an international financial institution guarantee the project? 3. Can a local financial institution guarantee the project? • If the above is possible, then the pool of cooperation partners remains significantly large, but will reduce for each question answered “no.” • If the project cannot offer any of the above guarantees, then a business case for the project must exist

EPCs will more readily consider projects that do not entirely depend on the market, such as power projects that can be backed by a power purchasing agreement.

5. What is the structure of the EPC?

Even within state-owned companies, some projects are more suited to central government firms, i.e. those based on government-togovernment agreements or those that require financing from Chinese state-owned policy banks, such as the Export-Import Bank of China or China Development Bank. 6. What are the technical requirements of the project? For most projects, Chinese EPC firms are able to be the main project contractor while subcontracting specific sections. However, only select firms are allowed to carry out projects that require very specific expertise, such as construction of an airport runway or nuclear facilities, especially if they are state-owned, as there are specific licensing requirements.

7. Where is the project? There are EPC firms that are not allowed to venture into certain geographic regions due to Chinese government regulations, internal policies within the firm that restrict intra-group competition, or simply because the EPC has no interest in venturing into a given area. For large EPC companies, such as China Communications Construction, Sinohydro or China Railway Construction, policies to reduce intragroup competition are particularly relevant. 8. To bid or not to bid? For certain projects there must be international bidding and some EPCs are simply not willing to bid. Reasons may be diverse, such as lower profits due to increased competition, a low chance of acquiring the project, the large investment that may be required to carry out the bidding process with an uncertain outcome, etc. Conclusion As Chinese EPC firms continue to expand their reach within the continent, it is crucial that their African partners remain cognizant of how these firms are operating on the continent in order to identify and select suitable partners. (Walter Ruigu is managing director of CAMAL Group, a trade and investment advisory firm based in Beijing, Nairobi and Lusaka and can be reached at md@ camaltd.com)

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

STEEL WORKS

Steeledale Reinforcing & Trading Namibia (Pty) Ltd: Beating the odds of steel “We knew these ones could sustain themselves as we had empowered them over the years and we part of the family. But it was not an easy exercise for us to lose our seniors,” she recalls.

The steel industry hasn’t always been an ideal workplace for women. Worse off where the construction is related, for they are both, boys’ clubs.

Nonetheless, Steeledale’s comprehensive branch network, innovative product solutions and unsurpassed service delivery, proven over many years, allows the company to forge lasting and deeply beneficial relationships with its customers and the communities in which they operate in.

nd for Renate Meyer all that has become too familiar in her 17 years at the helm of Steeledale Namibia. Not only is she in charge, but the two other most senior colleagues under her are female. “You have a women’s league running Steeledale in a boy’s club of an industry. To most men out there that is amusing, but to us it is an amazing,” she says. And thanks to the efforts of some hard-working colleagues at Steeledale, the company has made inroads since 1990, with lasting footprints on the Namibian construction sector supplying the industry with reinforcement steel, from household entities to multinationals. Two of its major highlights within this year has been the new Roads Authority building and the rising Ministry of Home Affairs Headquarters, besides many other major million-dollar projects the company has been involved in. Steeledale offers a wide range of high-quality, innovative products serving the construction, agriculture and mining industries. For example, specimesh is a highly versatile, inexpensive alternative precision mesh product available in black, lightly or heavy galvanised or stainlesssteel finishes. The company also offers a service of pre-assembling elements to the engineer’s specifications. With its blast furnaces, hot strip mills and electric arc furnaces, the steel industry might not come across as an obvious workplace for a woman to build a career.

“It inspires me when one considers the fact that not only is the Namibian office led by females, our group is also owned by three black women. And in this environment, that is a huge plus” Renate Meyer. Steel is an interesting and essential product, after all, and it is a business where Renate has defied the odds, despite at times not being invited to corporate functions of the steel and construction industry, in research and development activities or even being overlooked on the shop floor, when clients come for business. Yet, the journey leading up to this point hasn’t been without its challenges. The company was hit hard recently with the economic downturn, forced into cutting its staff compliment from 55 to 18, a situation Meyer calls ‘drastic’. “Our current workforce works five hours a day, as we no longer have enough work since the industry went down. We need about 600 tonnes a month for us to be fully operational. But now, we get less than 200 tonnes a month,” she says. Among those the company had to shed off were veterans in the industry who had worked some for more than 30 years at Steeledale and others for 20 years and above.

She adds, “Our wide range of high-quality SABS approved products and services is growing. We offer expert on-site contract management to ensure your project is delivered on time and within budget. We offer a wide range of high-quality roof support and associated products, including rock anchors and mesh roof supports. Alongside our SABS Rebar and reinforcing mesh products, we offer on-site management of rebar installation.” From a large range of high quality galvanised gabions, fencing products and high tensile steel droppers that won’t bend due to animal migration to other high-tech solutions, Steeledale argues that despite the harsh economic conditions, its service offerings have not changed. After the shop opened in 1990 owned by a South African company then called Reinforcing and Allied Industries, it was to later change to Steeledale Reinforcing in 2007 and today is part of the Steeledale Group in South Africa, grouping owned by three black women. Concludes Renate, “It inspires me when one considers the fact that not only is the Namibian office led by females, our group is also owned by three black women. And in this environment, that is a huge plus. Women world-wide are exceptional when it comes to service quality, that is what distinguishes us from the rest. We make sure our material is on time, and we have enough stock at least of over 800 tonnes good season and about 300 tonnes of steel stock in rough seasons.”

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

orizontal Directional Drilling is being hailed as one of the most cost effective ways of rehabilitating aging water supply pipelines as well as rolling out new projects in Sub Saharan Africa. According to Scott Fisher the Sales Manager at Barbco in the United States, trenchless products in general should be embraced anywhere in the world as they limit harm to the surface environment and allow for ways to install utility lines that is cost effective. It is a worrying trend that critical infrastructure that is key to Africa’s development is falling apart faster than it is being rehabilitated. Fortunately, the arrival of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) has emerged as the perfect solution to the challenge. “The trenchless industry in the USA is a very key part of infrastructure sustainability and would only benefit African countries as well,” adds Mr. Fisher.

Convenience Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) has proved handy when applied in Greenfield water supply projects too. Fascinatingly, contractors can trench across a river or a road with minimal disruption to the ecosystem.

method there is no disruption of road surfaces and no disruption of traffic. Since there is no open excavation of trenches it is also a quicker and more environmental friendly method.

DRILLING

Horizontal directional drilling “In contrast, the conventional method of rehabilitating pipes has been to dig up and replace. This process turns out to be both complex and expensive as pipelines which were built as far back as 40 years ago run below buildings. In these days of economic recession, this is a luxury that most African countries can ill afford,” he adds. The specialist also added that he valued the technology’s ‘green’ benefit. “In particular, they highlighted the fact that no digging is involved and there is no environmental footprint,” he affirms.

“The HDD technology was first introduced in South Africa and it is now an accepted methodology and most utilities such as water pipes, gas and oil pipelines, sewerage pipes, electricity and fiber cables are being installed by means of horizontal directional drilling technologies,” he affirms.

More efficient in infrastructure rehabilitation

HDD has come to the fore as legislations on environmental preservation demands compliance, and implementation costs of Greenfield projects keep on rising. Mr. Fisher further explains that, HDD and Trenchless products are a more economical and environmental safe solutions making them the ideal equipment for Greenfield projects.

It’s encouraging to hear from specialists that new HDD products are reducing the margin for error, ensuring better cost efficiency and environmentally conscious execution.This development could have not come at a better time, with a huge backlog in the development and rehabilitation of infrastructure for water, supply telecommunications, electrical installations and transport.

Mr. Frank Beerthuis the Managing Director of Vermeer Equipment, a Supplier and distributor of the Vermeer product range throughout sub-Saharan Africa further adds that, the HDD technology is an excellent work method for crossings of roads, railways, water canals and rivers or when installation work needs to be done in urban areas. Since it is a no-dig or no-trench

In an interview with a South African specialist in HDD who is involved in water supply infrastructure rehabilitation projects in most Sub Saharan countries, he hailed the ability of Horizontal directional drilling to reline existing pipelines without having to dig trenches to reach the pipe.

With regards to refurbishing corroded pipes, there is demand for pipe replacement technology that minimizes the need to disrupt infrastructure, Construction Review is informed. One of the most intriguing technologies that have taken the lead is the lining of pipes with a tight-fit high-density polyethylene liner that can be applied up to 1 km at a time called Swagelining. Of note, through the innovation, pressured and non pressured pipelines are replaced quickly and cost effectively.

Reception of HDD in Africa The reception of HDD in Africa has been very positive. According to Brian Jorgensen the European Sales Manager at Ditch Witch Organization, their company has supplied HDD equipment, service and support to the African continent since the 1990s. “Beyond traditional HDD units, the Ditch Witch organization also offers the All-Terrain line of units. All Terrain technology is a patented two-pipe system that delivers superior power to the bit, enabling customers to effectively and productively drill and steer in hard rock conditions that are prevalent in many parts of Africa,” he says. “The newest Ditch Witch drill to hit the market, the JT40 was designed from direct customer feedback and input, and is a complete re-imagination of the industry-leading fleet of Ditch Witch HDD units. Designed with next-generation enhancements, the machine features several pending patents to optimize drilling productivity and operator comfort. The JT40 offers boosted power – 20 more horsepower than competitive models in its class – to maximize drilling performance. The compact, yet powerful machine also reduces jobsite footprint and has increased pipe-rack capacity compared to previous models for enhanced productivity. Additionally, the new machine boasts a premier operator interface and station for a more transparent view into all machine operations, improved operator comfort and enhanced operational control,” asserts Mr. Jorgensen.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Multiplaz 3500 now in Namibia ‘The whole workshop in a bag’ It is now almost a year since Multiplaz opened shop in Namibia and with its world leading welding, soldering, brazing and cutting machine used in all sectors, the company is buoyant about its newest operations. Introducing the most portable, eco-friendly and cost-effective machine on the market, Multiplaz Namibia only started exposing its machinery to Namibia’s mining industry this April and is set to expand into new markets such as maintenance, agriculture, aviation, manufacturing, ships and marine.

ultiplaz 3500 was introduced globally in 2008 before going on to winning the Grand Prix award at the World invention show in Geneva, Switzerland. Multiplaz uses the newest technology. It uses only water to cut and 50/50 water/ alcohol mixture to weld. It can weld 0.4mm – 50mm and cut up to 10mm.

his machine is an investment for anyone, from the one man show, to the biggest companies in every sector. “You do not need welding rods or gas. Maximum power requirement is 3.5kwt / 12 amps. And the machine only weighs 12kg. It welds ferrous and nonferrous metals. And also welds similar and dissimilar metals together,” says WP Eloff. In fact, Namibian companies can call the Managing Director, WP Eloff to receive an on-site demonstration of the machine and employees can also receive on-site training on how to use and service the machine. For Multiplaz, each client is given first priority, hence its after-sales service remains top-notch, where consumables are broadly available. With the current economic climate, no company will pass the opportunity to use a machine that is as cost effective as the Multiplaz 3500 machine. It replaces a variety of tools: welding machine, gas torch, plasma cutter, nibble shear and scissors, industrial drying fan, electric jigsaw, blow lamp, inverter welder. Multiplaz releases no toxic gasses while welding or cutting which makes it a green product and much safer than its competitors. With a weight of only 12kg it is much more mobile than any other heavy-duty machine. “In fact, with Multiplaz you do not need specialist welders to do specialising welds. Anyone can operate the machine,” says Eloff. Being a new entrant onto the market has not been without its own teething problems. “The fact that Multiplaz is a new product with new technology that no-one is familiar with, clients are

normally very critical about what the machine can do, and as soon as they realise what is happening in front of them, they are ecstatic. It’s basically your whole workshop in a bag.” Multiplaz is the only company worldwide that holds a Patent for this unique welding technology by use of a water-alcohol solution instead of shielding gas. It is the first company to utilize ordinary tap water for heating materials by turning the water into plasma 14400°F (8000°C). Worldwide, Multiplaz 3500 is the only welder with such a broad range of applications. Multiplaz 3500 can weld, solder, braze, harden, and cleanse metals including steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, bronze and other metals. Multiplaz 3500 can cut any metal, including highalloy and stainless steel that cannot be cut with oxygen cutting. Cutting ceramic tiles, quartz glass, bricks, concrete and other non-flammable materials is another unique feature of the Multiplaz 3500. Multiplaz 3500 is successfully used in many commercial, industrial, military and residential services: manufacturing, repair and maintenance, agriculture, household, entertainment centres, art projects, all kinds of ships, marine, Navy, rescue service, etc. The company intends to engage the Namibian government too, with a strong advice on the strongest and cleanest metallurgical weld in the world. “Multiplaz is the most mobile product in the field and much more productive as you only need one person to operate it. Hence once we complete familiarising

the machine in the private sector, we will engage the public sector, in particular, the government. This machine is something they cannot do without.” The cutting torch of this machine is exactly the same as the welding torch. The only difference is the fuel you put in the torch - water, just water. There are two modes. MODE I – Steam pressure. MODE II – The length of your arc. The machine operates at 100-254 volts with a 2 year warranty, 100% duty cycle. The machine divides the water into hydrogen and oxygen and then uses it as a plasma at 8000’C. The cutting and welding torches are exactly the same, the only difference is the size of the hole in the front of the nozzle and the solution you put into the torch - for cutting you only use water in the torch and for welding you use a 50/50 water/ethanol mixture. WP Eloff is the sole distrubuter of the multiplaz 3500 in namibia. You can contact Multiplaz Namibia for a demonstration:

Contact Multiplaz Namibia WP Eloff Telno.: +264 63 241 233 Faxno.: +264 63 240 707 Cell no.: +264 81 846 2673/4 Email: multiplaznam@outlook.com Web: www.multiplaz.com

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

EXPLORATION MANUFACTURING

“For accurate quality products, using somebody with the exploration and mining industry knowhow, with a 365-24/7 service, we are the best there is. We are adding a number of new specialised products to our range and we will also remove products which are no longer of a major benefit to our most valued client.”

NIS leads Namibia exploration supplies Top suppliers of exploration drilling equipment, geological equipment and PPE safety wear, Namibia Innate Supplies (NIS) has become a beacon for geological and exploration equipment. Based in Windhoek and with a combined 20 years’ experience in the industry, the company offers a wider variety of geological, mineral exploration, surveying and mining supplies, stocking the largest range of soil sample bags, chip trays and geological field equipment.

“O

ur strength lies in our products. They are well-known recognisable brands around the world. Besides our knowledge of the industry is immense and gives us an urge,” begins Polly Negongo, NIS, Director. This includes reverse circulation hammers, a wide variety of hand lenses and a large selection of clinometers, both for professional geologist and a university student. Besides same day shipping, Namibia Innate Supplies aims to provide quality exploration drilling, safety, geological and PVC products and services to its clients. Frequently they supply mines, but largely their clientele are the exploration contractors. Having recently acquired B2Gold, its list of clients includes Gecko Drilling, Gunzel Drilling, Ferrodrill, JGM Drilling, Kodo Drilling and also Namibia Tantalite Investment in Southern Namibia, Osino Gold Exploration, Roshpinah Zinc Exploration, among others. “We have a few local exploration drillers in Namibia. Too many contractors coming in to work in Namibia from outside. It however becomes unfair to us suppliers because people from outside come with their own suppliers, which stifles the local market,” says Polly.

From clients whose requirements are to drill depths of over 10 000 meters to those that are still scoping for the project, NIS carries sufficient stock ready to deliver within hours. The company though has become the preferred supplier because of the high quality and durability of its products and also because the product range they deal are in sync. “This makes us a one stop supplier for a lot of our targeted clients. We endeavour to continually upgrade our product line according to the market demand.” NIS now aims to become major players in the local and international markets, beginning in particular with servicing the mining giants based in Namibia who have multinational links, among them, Husab Mine and Rossing Foundation.

“For accurate quality products, using somebody with the exploration and mining industry know-how, with a 365-24/7 service, we are the best there is. We are adding a number of new specialised products to our range and we will also remove products which are no longer of a major benefit to our most valued client.” At the time of forming NIS, Polly had worked for 15 years in different companies linked to the exploration industry and had observed that high quality drilling tools, equipment and consumables could no longer be sourced in the open market due to a lack of supply, particularly considering the rise in Namibian exploration activities. Furthermore, the quality of any supplies that were available fell far below the high standards required by many drilling companies. Consequently, NIS was established with a mandate to source and supply drilling tools, equipment and consumables of an exceptional quality for the international drilling industry. Today, NIS provides technical services to and has continuous orders from companies all over the world operating in Namibia and welcomes the opportunity to meet and satisfy your company’s drilling needs.

“It is not that we cannot meet their requirements, but their vendor registration process takes eternity,” Polly argues. NIS is an agent and only distributor for Epiroc in Namibia for all its exploration and drilling products and boasts of its long-lasting relationship with some of its clients which span more than five years. NIS also distributes Tarracor core trays in Namibia.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

INFRASTRUCTURE

The rise of spatial: mapping future demand Spatial technologies are widely used across the infrastructure industry, with applications throughout the asset lifecycle from design and construction all the way to maintenance and disposal. Here, Deanna Hutchinson, CEO of Spatial Industries Business Association (SIBA) talks about the current trends and challenges impacting the spatial sector.

ccording to Ms Hutchinson, spatial technology helps create safer and more efficient infrastructure, especially in the transportation industry.

“It helps keep us stay safe by directing signalling systems to manage traffic flows, and aids in the planning of maintenance. It drives our positioning systems (GPS, and in the future autonomous vehicles) as it is the information that is passed from sensors to dashboards telling drivers something is getting close,” Ms Hutchinson said.

“Spatial information is used in the design, construction and operation of roads, rail, shipping and air traffic.

The two primary technologies that underpin the wide range of spatial and data analytics activities in the infrastructure sector are Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, which are used to gain information about a range of physical and urban environments, manage the location and condition of assets, and validate planning designs.

It’s used to plan transport infrastructure by informing where people travel, at what time, using what mode. 20

The ability to monitor the status of assets remotely and continuously, ensures better infrastructure management and improved decision-making. “Knowing what’s happening where reduces waste from errors and duplication like digging up the same stretch of road three times in a week, and opens up new opportunities, like autonomous vehicles,” Ms Hutchinson said. “For example, Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail upgrades have required all the existing utilities and associated structures to be mapped, so they could be protected from any vibration caused by the rail, or completely relocated outside the zone of influence.”

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

Ms Hutchinson sees innovation as one of the key trends for the spatial sector in 2018. She says machine learning, cloud computing, improved sensors and positioning technology are all changing the game for what we can measure cost-effectively, and quickly. “This means spatial information is fast becoming an everyday tool for all businesses,” Ms Hutchinson said. “The trend toward lean is highlighting opportunities to reduce duplicity and redundancy, improve consistency of information and commonality of business rules, and break down silos.” The annual SIBA Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards offers an insight into the leading projects and most exciting developments in the spatial sector. Regional award winners have already been announced for 2018, with the results of the national awards released in April.

are overlaid to produce the 5D data model, continuing the Smart City Program principles of open and interoperable platforms. Advancements in spatial technology are happening at a rapid rate and new technologies that deliver transparent and integrated access to information are emerging all the time. “It’s clear that the growing interest in space will deliver a range of new capabilities. Spatial data is one of the big downstream beneficiaries of space activity - we rely on the data beamed back to Earth from satellites and other sensors,” Ms Hutchinson said. Integrated project delivery is a concept gaining considerable traction in the infrastructure industry - it’s about sharing the information as a single point of truth from design and construction to project delivery.

The winner of the South Australian Technical Excellence Award, the North Terrace Adelaide Tram Extension Survey, involved surveying all road surface features and infrastructure, plus the location of all underground services including old tram sleepers, along 2300m of busy, multi-lane inner city roadway from King William Street East to East Terrace. The tight timeline and high visibility of this project, combined with working around heavy traffic and public transport movements, night work requirements and major events in the Adelaide community, presented significant challenges but new technologies like 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanning, cloud computing and BIM allowed the work to be completed within these constraints. While the winner of the Queensland Spatial Enablement Award, Cogha, in partnership with the City of Ipswich, is developing a 5D data model as part of its Smart City Program, which aims to further integrate local council, state and federal government data and provide a tool for visual collaboration. Starting with a three-dimensional digital model of above and below ground city infrastructure, dimensions of data and time

We are moving toward a digital built environment, and so we will have The Matrix in many ways. We will work in a parallel universe where design, planning, skilling, analysis and problem solving happens in a virtual world.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Investing in innovation

“We will utilise robots, drones and other automated technologies to assist us to perform some tasks in the real world because it will be cheaper and safer to do so,” Ms Hutchinson said. Resolving questions around the accessibility of information and the ability to effectively collect and leverage data will be major factors in driving the growth of the spatial industry. “I do think we need to focus on educating ourselves about how emerging technologies can help overcome some of the barriers for embedding location intelligence in business operations, as it really is a key enabler for digital transformation. Knowing what happens where unlocks an extraordinary level of insight,” Ms Hutchinson said. “Blockchain is an exciting development that answers some of those access and control questions, and it will drive the speed and shape of this transformation.”

Deanna Hutchinson, CEO of Spatial Industries Business Association (SIBA). “Augmented reality is another newish technology that’s beginning to prove some strong use cases; visualising the built environment before its built, space perception, community consultation, visualising under the ground - where are the pipes?”

A growing industry With the value of spatial information already being realised within the infrastructure industry, Ms Hutchinson said she expects spatial analysis to only become more complex as more spatial questions are asked and more tools become available to help answer them.

SIBA advocates for government data to be available in machine readable formats to support spatial analysis but recognises the need for contractual protections that encourage growth in spatial data use. There are several projects in the works exploring how more data can be “unlocked” while upholding appropriate national security and economic controls. Looking ahead to the future, Ms Hutchinson said all industries will need to get good at compiling multiple layers of information and responding in real time. “Will we wear funny looking glasses or adopt fake persona avatars to interact with colleagues and customers? Who knows. But we will have more information at our disposal than ever before, and we will need to be skilled at evaluating its accuracy and usefulness.”

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

ENGINEER OF THE MONTH

MEET NAMIBIA’S YOUNGEST GEOLOGY PHD GRADUATE @ 28 Dr Josefina Hamutoko is as old as independent Namibia…

In the beginning there were 35 - the first cohort of locally trained medical doctors, that is. Then came the special feat, a series of students of San heritage graduating at the Main and Rundu campuses. Now, Dr Hamutoko has joined the growing list of extraordinary achievements at the University of Namibia (UNAM) graduation this year.

ndeed, it is by no means an ordinary accomplishment. Of course, her conferment bears greater significance, as Dr Hamutoko admits, considering the stereotypes and unjustified doubts surrounding women and their abilities in science fields. Equally, her age nearly defies her successes. “For me, it is about taking opportunities as they come,” says Dr Hamutoko as she reveals that her current trajectory was not explicitly planned. Although she discovered her interest in Geology at high school level, she had no doubts about her decision to make it a career path, when she came across a UNAM Faculty of Science pamphlet. Her first year at the University of Namibia memorably coincided with first President of independent Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma’s final year in the Faculty. “It just became interesting,” she says in reference to the connection between her choice of study and the Founding Father. Dr Hamutoko’s dissertation topic – Groundwater recharge of perched aquifers in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, Namibia – reflects her desire to see all Namibians have access to safe drinking water. The study was carried out at UNAM’s Geology Department. “Of course my supervisors were very influential on the successful completion of this research,” she says of Dr Heike Wanke and Professor

Benjamin Mapani, both of the University’s Geology Department. “They supported me and were very patient at times,” she adds. While academia remains her monopoly as compared to industrial geology, next on her immediate target list - after successful attainment of every other goal - is a steady job. Dr Hamutoko says just as she sifts through the dailies for potential job openings, she has also left the door open for her innovative ideas to create a possible route to employment.

Based on her tradition of hauling in prestigious awards and recognitions, it’s safe to feel optimistic for the UNAM alumna’s chances in the corporate world. Her numerous accolades include the ‘Young Scientist of the Year’ award, presentations at international conferences, numerous scholarships and grants to study abroad, and now the icing on the cake, the doctorate itself.

The Engineer | May-June 2018 • www.theengineer.com.na

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