August 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
58
Re-engineered products
are well received by CPMs
AfriSam’s Rapid Hard Cement in the 52.5R strength class, introduced
during a re-engineering of the company’s entire product portfolio
in 2012, has been extremely well received by South African
concrete precast manufacturers (CPMs).
precast concrete products
WITH ITS EXCELLENT
early strength char-
acteristics, this cement is performing so
effectively in precast conditions that several
local CPMs have now harnessed Rapid Hard
Cement to develop a variety of new high
specification products such as highway barri-
ers, roof tiles, retainingwall systems, culverts
and concrete pipes.
AfriSam is the only company tomanufac-
ture 52.5R Rapid Hard Cement as a standard
product, supplied in both bags and bulk to
the precast sector.
“The South African cement market is
fiercely competitive and we continue to
look at innovative solutions to win over new
customers and retain existing customers,”
Samantha Aylwin, AfriSam multi-products
account manager, says.“Our top of the range
Rapid Hard Cement was developed for spe-
cialist concrete productmanufacturerswhere
quick mould turnaround or early formwork
stripping times are required. Being able to
offer this product in the 52.5R strength class
means the cement will achieve a minimum
of 30 MPa at the two-day mark, as measured
by the standard ISO compression test; this
compared to the previous hurdle rate of
20 MPa. These improvements have created a
super-performing product for a nichemarket
that faces specific challenges.”
In 2012 AfriSam also upgraded its 42.5N
High Strength Cement to the 42.5R strength
class improving its early strength perfor-
mance froman original target of greater than
10MPa tomore than 20MPawithin two days.
This cement has been specially formulated
and activated to allow for further extension
with additional mineral components in the
production of structural concrete. Although
commonly used to achieve strengths of
between 10 and 50 MPa, it is also suitable for
concrete strengths of up to 80 MPa.
“Our offering to the CPMs revolves around
open relationships with our customers, their
requirements and expectations,”Aylwin com-
ments.“It is not just about selling products –
it’s more about being a reliable supplier who
delivers products of a consistent quality. We
are very confident inour products andwe add
value to themby working alongside custom-
ers to enhance the performance of AfriSam
cement in their precast products. In fact, we
have won over many customers by success-
fully contributing to their performance and
quality objectives.”
AfriSam is recruiting and deploying an
increasing number of technical consultants
to customer sites to answer queries and help
with troubleshooting. In addition, the compa-
ny is able to demonstrate the advantages of
using a particular cement in trials conducted
at its central SANAS-accredited laboratory
in Roodepoort to ensure the recommended
product is fit for the customer’s purpose.
These initiatives are part of the company’s
commitment to offering the shortest possible
turnaround time on queries and laboratory
test results for its customers.
“Our ultimate aim is to become our cus-
tomers’ technical partner of choice in the
cement and concrete arenas.We have regular
meetings with customers and, based on
their input over the years our products have
evolved and been enhanced to the current
top of the range performance,”says Aylwin.
“This is all part of AfriSam’s in-house Cus-
tomerValueManagement initiative that seeks
to unlock value for our customers across the
board in new and innovative ways and it’s
proving to be a major market differentiator.
We are experiencing measurable growth
in the CPM market, where companies are
under more pressure than ever before to be
cost competitive. Our innovative approach
to this market allows us to make a genuine
contribution to their requirements,”she adds.
LEFT:
AfriSam’s offering focuses on meeting customer requirements and expectations through high quality service and product consistency.
RIGHT:
Technological
advances in AfriSam’s products are geared to ensuring strength, performance, durability and workability, without sacrificing sustainability.
AfriSamHigh Strength cement and
AfriSam Rapid Hard cement.
