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Eskort, South Africa’s leading pork manufacturer, has expanded its Gauteng production capacity by 50% with a factory extension officially launched in mid-February.

The 10,000m² development in Heidelberg – the small town where the company has produced world-class pork products for 70 years – will allow Eskort to increase production to meet retail needs.

The enlarged factory is equipped with the largest continuous box freezer in Africa, capable of freezing 120,000kg of products to minus 18°C every 24 hours. Boxes move on a conveyor belt through the freezing chamber where the air is kept at minus 41°C – a temperature that occurs naturally only in polar regions.

Chilled and frozen warehouses in Heidelberg now have multi-level picking mezzanine floor systems, the first of their kind in the food industry in South Africa. These systems maximise vertical space by including mezzanine floors that create additional levels for storage and picking, and they allow Eskort to handle a high volume of orders quickly and efficiently.

Arnold Prinsloo, Eskort chief executive officer for the past 17 years, says the core objective of the factory extension is to create efficiencies. “A big part of this expansion includes the addition of carcass chillers as well as the installation of a huge box freezer to accommodate the influx of raw material,” he says.

“This addition doubles our chilled and frozen cold stores, resulting in efficient picking and staging areas and allowing us to eliminate outsourcing costs, and our deboning lines have increased in size to meet the ever-rising demand. We also have new dispatch areas and loading bays to maximise productivity.”

The opening of the factory extension marks the next phase of growth for a company started in the small KwaZulu-Natal Midlands town of Estcourt in 1917. Eskort’s farmers are shareholders in the company, its pork is antibiotic-free, and a massive investment in biosecurity – backed by international and local certification – means its premium export-quality products enjoy the trust of consumers throughout South Africa.

The factory extension is a sign of Eskort’s resilience, adaptability and vision, and testament to the efficacy of the leadership lessons it has absorbed through good times and bad over more than a century.

Prinsloo and Eskort board chairperson Gerald Braak will host guests at the three launches of the Heidelberg factory extension on February 13, 14 and 15.

South Africa’s construction industry ranks among the top GDP and employment contributors in the country, making it as crucial to the economy as it is to the country’s physical expansion and advancement. As such, it’s important for sector participants to have an idea of what to expect from the industry throughout the next year.

The Gap Infrastructure Corporation (GIC) – a leading South African infrastructure development company with operations throughout Africa – predicts mostly positive trends for the construction industry in 2024.

“The construction sector faced some challenges over the past year as it continued its slow recovery from a severe drop in investment and project allocation during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown period. The industry was further beset by global supply chain disruptions caused, in large part, by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel,” notes Roelof van den Berg, CEO of GIC.

“This said, 2023 continued the positive growth trends from the past couple of years, giving cause for optimism as we kickstart 2024.”

Consequently, van den Berg predicts that three trends will take centre stage in discussions about the industry’s growth in the year ahead:

1. Slow but stable growth

When determining the industry’s future growth potential, it’s prudent to consider market trends from the past couple of years, he says.

Amidst many global challenges such as rising interest rates and heightened geopolitical tensions, the South African economy and construction sector came under some pressure.

However, it’s important to note that despite a difficult macroeconomic environment, the industry faired relatively well in 2023 compared to 2022 as South Africa gradually recovered from the impacts of the pandemic.

In fact, Statistics South Africa estimates that the construction industry added some R332 billion to the local economy between January and September 2023, compared to R324 billion in the same period in 2022. While the final quarter’s GDP results have yet to be released, this demonstrates a positive upward trajectory.

“As for 2024, all things being equal, we should continue to see a gradual increase in project allocation and investment in construction in line with the steady growth we’ve been experiencing.”

2. Incremental rise in sector employment

As with GDP growth, the industry saw some growth in sector employment last year, as by the end of the third quarter of 2023, construction employment had increased by 11% year-on-year. GIC predicts that this trend will continue as construction companies rehire workers that the industry lost following the pandemic lockdowns.

Of note, the sector employed some 1.2% more women in 2023 than the previous year, indicating a positive trend for more women and diversity in construction.

“The number of women working in the construction sector is still fairly low, but we’re seeing more young women, especially, develop an interest in construction work, particularly in the engineering fields,” adds van den Berg.

“And as more women in the field inspire others to follow in their footsteps, we hope to see a snowball effect. We also believe that awareness efforts by companies such as GIC to encourage more women to join the engineering and construction fields will continue paying off in 2024, as graduates begin to enter the workforce.”

3. Widespread adoption of AI for risk management activities

The industry itself will change considerably due to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. GIC has already invested in and developed its own AI, and van den Berg predicts that more large companies will utilise this technology in 2024 to identify and manage construction risks, including financial and physical onsite risks.

AI algorithms have the ability to analyse vast amounts of data and predict cost overruns, delays, or on-site safety issues, and propose preventative strategies that may be included in the project planning phase. AI can also be incorporated in the planning and design stages to optimise designs and lower costs, increase efficiency, and maintain a high level of sustainability throughout the project’s lifecycle.

As the technology becomes more prominent, more AI models with specific case uses will be developed in 2024. The construction industry is ideally positioned to benefit from this step forward in terms of fourth industrial revolution modernisation.

“The sector is in a period of slow but steady growth. We are consistently rebuilding industrywide while creating more job opportunities and attracting more investments into new projects. This is even as we continue to adapt and improve the way we plan, engineer, and construct new buildings and infrastructure.

“The industry, by every indication, should grow considerably stronger over the next year, which means that there will be many opportunities for both large and small businesses to benefit,” he concludes.

South Africa’s leading plasterboard brand, Saint-Gobain Gyproc RhinoBoard®, have developed their toughest plasterboard to date – RhinoTough® – which is set to shake up how things are done in the lightweight construction industry.

“We are very excited about our new RhinoTough® board,” says Asaad Manjoo, Product Manager (Plasterboards) at Saint-Gobain Gyproc SA. “Having been developed and produced within South Africa, we are able to substantially reduce supply lead times, and with no emissions from shipping. But our real achievement is how these new boards will be used within the market as we make our way into the residential sector, helping to significantly reduce long-term installation costs and improve quality of living.”

RhinoTough® 12.5 mm is a plasterboard with a high strength gypsum core for superior fixing strength, toughness, and durability. It can support as much as 12 kg off a single full thread wood or chipboard screw, which makes it ideal for fixing larger heavier objects such as flatscreen TV’s, shelving and cabinets, and paintings to name a few. RhinoTough®’s unique performance includes a maximum system of 120 minutes for fire rating and a 52dB maximum sound insulation as better acoustics assist in lowering stress levels, improving sleep patterns and speeding up the recovery process from an illness.

“The high strength RhinoTough® boards are ideal for frequent high traffic areas where chances of accidents or misuse are high, so not only are they great for at home where you might want to hang heavy fixtures, but they are also ideal for use in retail, hospitality, hotel, apartments and data centres,” explains Asaad Manjoo. “The new makeup of the board also means that no wall anchors or plates are required when needing to hang items from them.”

Good news for the construction industry is that the RhinoTough® boards are much lighter than other boards currently on the market, meaning that transportation costs are reduced significantly reduced.

“The new boards are also able to be installed up to three times faster than conventional building methods and technologies and are a great space saving solution which is a vital component of office blocks and residential flats, where space is at a premium,” explains Asaad. “Our RhinoTough high performance systems have a cavity, which can accommodate services and insulation, with electric cables and plumbing (MEP) being easily integrated without the need for time consuming wall modification. Openings for sockets or light switches do not require any special tools and can be done with a hand or circular saw. The boards are ready to paint, once all board joints are treated, leaving a smoother quality surface finish.”

The new RhinoTough systems comply with the South African National Building Regulations, with fully certified test reports for fire, acoustic, robustness and certificates available.

Are you ready to use RhinoTough® for your next project?

For more information please visit www.gyproc.co.za

*Toughest plasterboard is based on locally manufactured boards in South Africa

The construction industry in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is looking forward to a busy and profitable 2024, with the majority of players expecting an increase in revenue and projects.

This is according to the results of an industry survey conducted by construction software company, RIB Software, in November 2023. The survey gathered 292 responses from industry players, with 75% in Sub-Saharan Africa and 25% in Middle East and North Africa.

The lion’s share of responses were gleaned from the building (31%), civils (27%) and general contracting (17%) operations.

The majority of companies (87%) said they had recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, citing rising input costs (51%), margin pressures (39%) and attracting and retaining qualified individuals (30%) as their three greatest challenges over the past 12 months.

RIB Vice President MEA, Peter Damhuis, says rising input costs can largely be attributed to supply chain disruptions following the pandemic and exacerbated by the turmoil in Ukraine and Gaza. “This has led to an increase in prices of key construction materials such as cement, diesel, and asphalt, affecting initial budgets and resulting in even thinner margins for the industry.”

In the months ahead, industry players are looking forward to an increased order book pipeline (45%), increased private sector work (43%), sustainability (39%), worker productivity enhancements (37%) and government-led infrastructure spend (29%).

Projections for 2024 in terms of revenue and project pipeline are cautiously optimistic. Some 39% of respondents expect to increase their revenue by between 5% and 10%, while 27% expect increased revenue of 15% or more.

In terms of project pipeline projections for 2024, 29% of respondents expect an increase of 15% or more, another 29% expect an increase of between 5% and 10% and 24% expect an increase of between 10% and 15%.

This more favourable climate is echoed by economist, Dr Roelof Botha, a compiler of the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI), pointing to the focus on renewable energy, the need to overcome logistical challenges, government spending on various projects ahead of the election, and sustained growth in new capital formation as key drivers for the sector in South Africa.^[1]

The rising price and demand for oil could see some Middle East countries benefit from future oil and gas construction projects, with construction expected to increase steadily in Qatar, UAE / Dubai, Bahrain and Kuwait in the year ahead and beyond^[2].

In 2024, 53% of industry players will focus on digital transformation as a key strategic initiative, while 50% intend to implement LEAN construction principles, 44% will look at expanding their business offerings and 38% intend to expand their geographical reach.

Damhuis says RIB welcomes the focus on digital transformation, the construction software company’s area of expertise.

“The construction industry is notorious for being somewhat behind the curve when it comes to digital transformation. A well-thought-out digital transformation strategy can help construction companies improve their margins and ensure they meet budget and time deadlines.”

When choosing construction software, respondents will be prioritising functionality (31%), ease of use (32%) and cost (13%) in 2024.

Notably, 52% of respondents say their companies will spend more on IT in 2024 than they did in 2023 and 30% say their spend will be the same as 2023. The technologies they intend to focus on in the year ahead will be on estimating and planning software (37%), cloud and real-time collaboration (26%) and project management software (10%).

When asked whether they would be exploring ISO19650 standards and compliance to the standard ISO, 38% of respondents affirmed they would be. In addition, 52% of respondents said they expected the number of projects involving Building Information Modelling (BIM) to increase. 

When asked about the greatest risk factors relating to their businesses in the year ahead, 76% of respondents cited rising costs due to global unrest as the greatest risk factor, followed by fuel prices (51%) and construction mafia (50%).

Interestingly, only 0,02% of respondents in the MENA region said the construction mafia represented a risk, while 48% of respondents in the SSA region cited it as a significant risk to their operations.

Only 42% of respondents have carbon reduction strategies in place, with 41% saying that progress in the carbon reduction space remained the same as in the previous year and 26% saying more progress was made over the past 12 months.

Damhuis says overall the industry outlook is positive for 2024. “This is encouraging, especially for Sub-Saharan Africa where the industry has been faced with significant challenges such as the construction mafia, rising costs, a dearth of talent and projects not coming to fruition quickly enough.” 

[1] https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2024/01/09/south-africas-construction-sector-set-for-robust-growth-in-2024-positive-indicators-and-strong-momentum-signal-a-promising-year-ahead/

[2] https://compassinternational.net/our-newsletter/middle-east-construction-costs/

As the new, state-of-the-art, single-storey Naledi Clinic takes shape, the community is witnessing the tangible realisation of the City’s commitment to fostering a healthier tomorrow.

One key focus area of the City’s health thrust is ensuring that all residents can access efficient primary healthcare services. The construction of the new Naledi Clinic, in Soweto, is an exciting project that will provide much-needed healthcare services to the community.

The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), on behalf of the City of Johannesburg, has been implementing the construction of the new clinic which will serve as a primary healthcare facility, to meet the City of Johannesburg’s Health Department’s quality standards.

The construction of the much-anticipated Naledi Clinic facility is rapidly advancing, promising a transformative impact on healthcare accessibility and quality.

The Naledi Clinic facility consists of four separate wings, namely the chronic wing, the antenatal wing, the acute wing, and the emergency wing.

With 18 consultation rooms, including support buildings, the new Naledi Clinic will be in close proximity to the existing temporary clinic in Naledi Ext. 2. The facility will be capable of accommodating larger volumes of patients and providing a wider range of services.

The consulting rooms, at minimum 15 m² each, will be divided between the main streams, namely chronic, antenatal and acute, as well as an emergency wing with an ambulance pick-up.

The new clinic layout is based on the relationship between the various wards and public spaces. The different sections can be divided into the following spatial components:

• The acute ward consisting of consulting rooms, counselling rooms and a vitals area
• The antenatal ward that consists of counselling rooms, consulting rooms, an exercise room and a vitals room
• The chronic ward that consists of counselling rooms, consulting rooms, a vitals room and ablution facilities
• An emergency ward consisting of resuscitation, isolation, dressing and rehydration areas
• A central waiting and reception area with space for approximately 180 patients
• An administration wing that houses all staff facilities, which should have easy access to all parts of the clinic.

All wings will function independently and be closed off according to the daily needs of the clinic, while the rest of the clinic should function undisturbed.

Some of the spaces that will be located around the public areas such as group counselling rooms, a medical store and dispensary, and urine testing facilities accessible to all patients.

The design of the new clinic will also incorporate environmentally friendly features such as roof/clerestory windows, for maximal use of natural light, and green elements such as water harvesting and photovoltaic panels, as well as feature a vegetable garden.

“Overall, the construction of a the new clinic is a complex and challenging. The construction process is being closely monitored to ensure that it is completed within budget,” JDA CEO Siyabonga Genu said.

“The single-storey design reflects a dedication to inclusivity and accessibility, making healthcare services easily navigable for all,” he said.