Civil Engineering July 2022 | Vol 30 No 6

6 July 2022 Civil Engineering in considerable supplementary costs, depending on the type of project. “Given the importance of quality in construction materials, it’s therefore important for project owners and their contractor counterparts to always insist on sourcing construction materials from a reputable, accredited supplier. With our ability to supply various materials, from aggregate to cement and readymix con- crete from one stable, customers can rest assured that quality control is consistent across the entire value chain,” says Bhoora “Our cement comes with its own strin- gent processes. Our Centre of Product Excellence (CPE) works closely with customers to develop and test products to suit particular specifications and applica- tions. Here, we do a lot of research and de- velopment, as well as quality monitoring. The CPE is a SANAS 17025 accredited laboratory, which is testimony to our adherence to high quality standards.” On the aggregate front, AfriSam per- sonnel conduct routine physical testing to ensure that material leaving the quarry meets the required standards, while inherent properties are checked every quarter. “We have stringent processes to ensure consistency of product quality. We run our own internal laboratories, which provide an absolute quality assurance and material guarantee, and in the unlikely event that we do fail, we back this up with a product liability insurance,” he says. Bhoora also stresses the importance of dealing with aggregate quarries that are legally registered to operate by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. Industry bodies also play an important oversight role, which is why AfriSam remains one of the longstanding members of surface mining industry as- sociation ASPASA. The association is well- known for its various audits and commit- tees that deal with standards, specifications, legislation and continuous improvement. However, Bhoora laments the demise of the South African Readymix Association, which has left a hole in the readymix concrete industry. The association had to close its doors in December 2019 due to financial pressures on members. As a result, the readymix industry has become highly deregulated, and has been infested by some unscrupulous suppliers involved in activities such as under yielding and tax evasion, which enables them to undercut reputable suppliers’ prices. “Consequently, the importance of dealing with a trustworthy supplier cannot be stressed enough. Adherence to quality control guarantees successful execution of projects on time and within budget. The tragedy, however, is that even some of the bigger industry players in the contracting fraternity support this level of underhandedness, because it affords them cheaper construction materials, even at the expense of quality,” concludes Bhoora. For more information www.afrisam.com Facebook: @AfriSamSA Twitter: @AfriSam LinkedIn: AfriSam Adherence to quality control guarantees successful execution of projects on time and within budget Avi Bhoora, AfriSam construction materials executive AfriSam’s CPE works closely with customers to develop and test products to suit particular applications