MATERIALS HANDLING
SGB-CAPE INTRODUCES QUIKDECK IN AFRICA
By Nelendhre Moodley
SA MINING
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
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40
© ISTOCK – Juan Jose Napuri
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s buildings go higher and mines get deeper, the demand for innovative access solutions continues to rise, with project houses servicing both the construction and the mining sectors seeking safe and efficient options to gain entry into difficult-to-reach spaces, says rope access manager Cobus Joubert of SGB-Cape Rope Access. A service provider of access scaffolding and industrial access-based maintenance equipment, SGB-Cape has introduced QuikDeck, an alternative to the traditional scaffold, to the market. The product is gaining traction with numerous industry heavyweights, including Eskom and Sasol. SGB-Cape Rope Access is a division of Waco Africa, which was established in 1948 and is the parent company to subsidiaries Form-Scaff, Sanitech, SkyJacks and Abacus Space Solutions. The SGB-Cape Rope Access division was launched in 2016. “As companies target zero harm, we can offer alternative solutions to scaffolding; not just because of the associated cost but also due to the extensive amounts of space it takes up and the large number of workers needed to truck in the products, off-load and carry them to site. “For these reasons, there is a growing preference for alternative access methods, including QuikDeck and rope access, which deliver minimum disruption as workers get in and out of the work space much quicker. Importantly, fewer people and equipment are onsite, thereby reducing the risk of injury or fatalities.” QuikDeck is a unique suspended access system that can be built while suspended in the air or on the ground and then hoisted into position. Aside from being easy and quick to assemble, the product can be dismantled just as speedily and relocated for use on another site. “QuikDeck was launched in the US a few years ago and we were fortunate to have partnered with US-based Safway which
QuikDeck is a unique suspended access system that can be built while suspended in the air. – Joubert brought the product to the African market. SGB-Cape first used QuikDeck during the construction of South Africa’s most recently developed coal-fired power plant, Kusile Power Station, in Mpumalanga. “We used it during the peak construction stage and had about 5 000m2 of the QuikDeck suspended across multiple areas and multiple boilers.” The product, which has successfully been used in the South African market for the past six years, supports higher loads with a load capacity of 366kg/m². SGB-Cape used a variety of different access methods and products during the construction of the Kusile Power Station, including rope access, QuikDeck, scaffolding, mobile platforms and aluminium pop-up scaffolds. Following the product’s success on the Kusile power project, SGB-Cape began
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marketing it to its extensive customer base. The company recently received an order from petrochemicals giant Sasol. “Apart from the interest being shown by construction contractors operating in Johannesburg for the QuikDeck, SGB-Cape is also looking to introduce the product to the oil and gas industry,” explains Joubert. SGB-Cape and its sister companies place huge importance on safety: “We adopt stringent safety protocols not only because it is our social obligation to do so, but also because it is good business practice as it creates economic benefit by increasing efficiency and environmentally sound business practices. “SGB-Cape adheres to zero harm to our people, clients, public workplace and environment. We are accredited members of multiple organisations, including the Institute of Work at Height, International
