Driptech Opens Their New Mega-Store In Workington

text by Michael Nott photos by Structure and Design

STRUCTURE AND DESIGN HAS FEATURED A NUMBER OF ARTICLES ON DRIPTECH’S PHENOMENAL GROWTH AND VARIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS. DRIPTECH STARTED OUT IN 1995 AS A FAMILY BUSINESS FOCUSING MAINLY ON DRIP IRRIGATION. OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS THEY’VE GROWN TO BE THE LEADING EXPERTS IN VARIOUS DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF IRRIGATION. THEIR COMPANY HAS EXPANDED EXPONENTIALLY TO COVER CENTRE PIVOT IRRIGATION AND OVERHEAD IRRIGATION INCLUDING THE SUPPLY OF BOREHOLE, SUBMERSIBLE AND BOOSTER PUMPS. THEY CAN DESIGN SOPHISTICATED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, SUPPLY ALL THE NECESSARY PRODUCTS AND ASSIST WITH THE INSTALLATION. THEY ALSO PROVIDE BACKUP AND MAINTENANCE FOR THEIR PRODUCTS. JUST ONE OF THEIR PROJECTS FEATURED IN STRUCTURE AND DESIGN WAS THE PALMLIFE BLUEBERRY PROJECT IN THE ENTERPRISES AREA WITH A STATE OF THE ART IRRIGATION AND FERTIGATION SYSTEM. (SEE ISSUE 34.)

Over the years they have expanded their product range considerably to include water storage tanks which they manufacture locally from the well-known Jumbo Tank brand, as well as setting up manufacturing plants for the necessary PVC, HDPE and LDPE pipes. They also stock copper and galvanised piping.

Their range now includes de-watering pumps for the mining industry as well as firefighting pumps. Their products include a range of filters as well as borehole equipment and generators. From originally an agriculturally based supplier they now offer solutions for household urban water reticulation systems too.

Driptech are agents for leading brands including DAB, Tesla, Netafim, Elysee, Global Water Solutions, Morrison, Adelino and OTech. They not only supply these brands they also carry a full range of spares and offer a complete repair and maintenance service in their fully equipped on-site workshop. Where equipment can’t be repaired they can offer suitable alternatives.

With the opening of their new mega-store in Workington, Driptech now have 6 branches in Harare plus an additional branch in Mutare. The new store, which was opened in May 2021, is situated at 31 Douglas Road, on the corner of Charing Cross with entrances and exits on both sides for customers’ convenience. The branch was previously located at much smaller premises at 18 Charing Cross which is now used as a storage facility for their sister company TyreZim. Their previous premises were around 700 m2 whereas they now occupy 2,500 m2 as their portion of the overall structure. The building is around 5,000 m2 in total shared with subsidiary companies One Stop Solar and TyreZim. TyreZim are currently adding a 1,000 m2 extension for their storage and fitment centre. Extensions are being done by Agristructures and Shepperton Investments.

The premises include an internal coffee shop run by the Skotch Kart franchise, and there’s a section for One Stop Solar. One Stop Solar offers solar solutions for residential, commercial and industrial companies as well as power options for all of Driptech’s pumping and irrigation systems. DripTech boasts a full design department to draw up specifications and quotations for any irrigation and water reticulation system from household projects to major agricultural plans – all done in-house with lists of materials and equipment supplied.

The exterior footprint of the structure, originally home to Natprint, has remained largely unchanged. It’s a huge warehouse structure perfectly suited to Driptech and their associated concerns with little structural refurbishment needed. Inside the steel tracks on the concrete slab for the printing machines can still be seen as a vestige of the building’s history. Outside the exterior has been clad in dark grey Chromadek sheeting to give it a more contemporary personality and a distinctive modern look. Exterior signage, which is lit up at night, was supplied by The Banner Man who also supplied most of the interior signage and branding.

Inside the Driptech section is the Skotch Kart coffee shop, which incidentally, offers the best bacon and egg rolls in the area, along with many other tasty treats. The manager’s office is situated on a mezzanine floor above overlooking the sales area. The sales counter is extremely long – about 20 metres – with 8 sales persons available to assist customers so there’s little or no waiting time. There’s also a raised deck behind the sales counter so managers can oversee all the business transactions and assist when necessary.

A BEFITTING 15KVA SOLAR SYSTEM FOR DRIPTECH’S NEW MEGA STORE IN WORKINGTON

ONE STOP SOLAR recently teamed up with accredited installation technicians Ambrose Consulting to put together an impressive solar backup system for their parent company DripTech’s new store in Workington. What they have delivered for DripTech is a reliable powerful 15KVa backup power system to cover their power needs on the premises especially during daytime hours and to cover lights and security systems at night. This is a good business move to ensure operations carry on regardless in the event of prolonged power outages which have become a norm as of late.

For the components, they used only quality equipment from industry-leading manufacturers like Victron, Jinko and Pylontech, whose products are stocked in abundance by One Stop Solar who are at once the solar equipment distributors of choice in Zimbabwe.

The system is powered by the 32 400W Jinko mono solar panels on the roof mounted on Raymond indent railing. Jinko solar panels are very powerful as they are functional even on cloudy days. Energy reserves consist of 8 Pylontech US3000C batteries with a total capacity of 28.4 kWh. These Pylontech batteries are some of the most preferred in the industry because of their terrific cycle life and considerably high safety. With a 95% depth of discharge, it means that the batteries have a longer lifespan than most batteries on the market which make them a good investment in the long run. It is no wonder why the batteries come with a five-year warranty.

A 15 KVA Victron Quattro inverter regulates the flow of the power. The Quattro is multifunctional and has an inverter-charger combo. Victron Quattro inverters come with battery protection features to protect the batteries from over-charging, deepdischarging or short-circuiting. In addition to that the Quattro comes with two AC inputs and two AC outputs which means that it can be connected to two independent AC sources at the same time!

With their excellent customer service, product quality and world class warranty terms, One Stop Solar is arguably the best renewable energy service provider in Zimbabwe. They only stock equipment of the highest quality which they source directly from the manufacturers. One Stop Solar are authorised distributors of Jinko, BYD, Pylontech, Victron, Delta and more genuine energy products. Since these are genuine products which have an amazing lifespan, reports of product failure are rare but when that happens it is immediately picked up by One Stop Solar thanks to the online monitoring service on all equipment sold. Warranties on equipment range from five to twenty five years and this all depends on the product type.

True to their name, theirs could be your one stop shop for all your solar energy equipment and installation services.

To contact them: WhatsApp: +263 786597872 Phone: +263 8677300 400 Email: sales@osszim.com Website: https://www.osszim.com/

ASA Construction supplied and fitted the suspended ceilings in the sales area while most of the other work like tiling, painting, plumbing and the exterior paving was done by Driptech’s in-house team. The exterior Clearview fencing was supplied by BSI Steel to separate the parking area from the busy main road and keep customers’ vehicles safe and secure.

Behind the service counters there’s a huge storage space with racks for pipes and fittings. The Workington branch has the capacity to stock materials for their other branches which have less space and can deliver orders quickly and easily if the smaller branches don’t have bulk products in stock. There’s easy access for bigger orders to be loaded and despatched. They also do deliveries for bigger orders. Within the same complex is the Working Tin bar and restaurant – a branch of the Tin Roof Bucket Bar and Bistro in Chisipite offering the same great food and convivial atmosphere. Working Tin has a conference room or meeting space that can be hired independently for private functions with catering included. It is the perfect place for business meetings, lunch breaks and a chance to wind down and miss the traffic after a long day at work.

CONTACT US

1778 Woodlands Road Waterfalls, Harare +263 773 409 570 / +263 712 522 474 Email: asaconstruction88@gmail.com OUR WORK

• Renovations • Construction and Civil Works • Plumbing and Drainage System • Ceilings • Electrical Installations • Paving and Tiling • Painting • Carpentry

Enterprises FOR ALL YOUR ROLLER SHUTTER SOLUTIONS

To contact Driptech’s new mega-store in Workington:

Visit 31 Douglas Road, Workington, Harare Call: 0772 143 996-8 www.driptech.co.zw

DRIPTECH PROJECT

Agristructures Architectural Aluminium Asa Construction Guard Alert Shepparton Investments BSI Steel Trellidor One Stop Solar The Bannerman Graham Westhoff Skotch Kart Working Tin Tyre Zim