Leo Bricks of Soweto, Gauteng is an example of a successful woman-helmed small business that has benefited from the quality equipment manufactured by PMSA.
With about 40% of Johannesburg’s residents located in Soweto, Leo Bricks has a ready-made market to supply its bricks, blocks and paving to. Selling direct to the public, owner Olga Maroga started her business single-handedly. “I had no background in the construction or manufacturing industry. Everything I learnt was self-taught. I started the business in 2007 by investing in a UNI plant from PMSA,” she explains.
Leo Bricks owner, Olga Maroga.
The UNI plant has a top-mounted feed silo with a manual discharge gate. The wall and floor of the V200 turbine pan mixer are lined with easily-replaceable wear segments, which means the UNI plant is maintenance-friendly. The pan mixer has a three-bladed sprung mixing star with an inner-wall scraper.
A tilting loader skip is mounted to the pan mixer, with a 3 kW 380 V geared motor unit mounted below. Additional features include an electromagnetic brake and rope drum, upper and lower limit switches and an upper limit emergency switch.
The UNI plant is capable of producing 17 000 standard bricks in a nine-hour shift, using skilled workers. The plant can also be configured to produce chamfer pavers, interlock pavers, and twin-cavity blocks.
Such was the success of the UNI plant that Leo Bricks subsequently invested in an RE-600 block machine from PMSA. This comprises a 7,5 kW hydraulic mould, tamper, feeder-box and pallet-feeder operation with a 2,2 kW twin-shaft vibrator, overhead concrete silo, and adjustable cams for automatic filling of the feeder box. It can accommodate pallet sizes of 630 x 530 x 21 mm or 608 x 530 x 21 mm.
“In addition to the equipment itself, PMSA provided us with unmatched customer service by providing on-site training for all staff,” Maroga notes. This was supplemented by aftermarket support as well.
Leo Bricks focused initially on supplying bricks to the rapidly-growing area of Braamfischerville in Soweto. “There is a growing need for building and renovations by homeowners, which creates a high demand for construction activities. Being in the manufacturing business for nine years, Leo Bricks has managed to position itself successfully in the communities it operates in.”
Maroga highlights that Leo Bricks focuses exclusively on the residential market, as opposed to government projects or large developments for private contractors. “We are not looking for projects with limited timeframes. Neither do we want to limit the stock we are able to sell direct to the public, as this is our main market. The bulk of our everyday customers are in close proximity to our business.”
What gives Leo Bricks the leading edge in a highly-competitive sector of the building industry is the quality of its products, due to the world-class equipment supplied by PMSA. “Being able to guarantee product quality and consistency has allowed us to grow exponentially, as the bulk of our customers are repeat orders,” Maroga reveals. Leo Bricks establishes close relationships with many of its customers, even carrying out follow-up checks to gauge customer satisfaction.
In order to continue along its current growth path, Leo Bricks is looking to extend its product range to include pavers, for example. Here is where PMSA equipment will again come to the fore, helping this well-established business expand even further.
Commenting on challenges faced by women in construction, Maroga points out that breaking into this male-dominated industry is no mean feat. “There is still a misperception that women cannot be good business people, especially in a manufacturing environment. Therefore you have to work twice as hard.”
However, she is adamant that women can make a substantial contribution to this industry. “Keep learning more about your industry, because the more you know, the easier it gets. Always be hands-on; know how your business works; and become involved in every single process. Most importantly, build relationships with your stakeholders and customers, because they are the drivers of your business.”
