Materials CEMENT & CONCRETE
Efficiency and quality demanded to stay in the game
With South Africa’s construction sector running lukewarm, it is vital that material suppliers get smarter to stay alive, argues a major cement producer. AfriSam
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friSam Operations Manager, Kevin Naidoo, says that the supply of readymix is a high speed game and that the company’s Jukskei plant is running
smart. ‘The poor state of the market, and the continuous entry of new players, only adds more pressure for producers to be faster and better,’ he comments. Naidoo is of the opinion that quality remains a critical factor for readymix in the construction sector, as lives depend on concrete performing as expected. This means that systems and technology should always be advancing to harness productivity while prioritising control.
A huge role for digital platforms
Digital communication technology is among the tools
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that are embraced by Afrisam. In one such application, variances in plant performance can be communicated directly to managers’ mobile phones, Naidoo says. The state of the sector is reflected in the output from the Jukskei plant in Midrand, situated in the heartland of Gauteng’s urban economy.
Standards and quality in demanding times
‘Despite the weaker demand, our standards remain high,’ Naidoo says. ‘Customers rely on that from us.’ He adds that the increased risk of using readymix concrete suppliers without the necessary quality controls, always ends up with customers returning to a supplier with established quality controls. AfriSam’s 40 readymix operations nationwide are certified for
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