AfriSam’s offering to concrete precast manufacturers (CPMs) operating in today’s highly competitive marketplace incorporates several value-adds, designed to improve the performance of their products and help to contain costs. Underpinning the primary products supplied to the market, Rapid Hard Cement in the 52.5R strength class and High Strength Cement (HSC) in the 42.5R strength class in the northern market and the 52.5N HSC product in the southern market, AfriSam’s value-adds include on-site technical services. These services which are rendered by staff from the AfriSam Centre of Product Excellence (CPE) assist customers to determine the ideal mix designs for their specific applications and propose aggregates that meet these requirements. SANAS-accredited laboratory services are used to verify and test the efficiency of mixes, and product deliveries can be specifically scheduled around customers’ individual activities.
“In the CPM market we focus on assisting our customers to operate as efficiently as possible,” Mike McDonald, manager of AfriSam’s Centre of Product Excellence, says. “This involves evaluating their existing mix designs and helping them to reduce unnecessarily costly components without compromising the quality or aesthetics of the end product.
The “R” early strength factor in AfriSam’s 52.5R CEM I Rapid Hard Cement and 42.5R CEM II High Strength Cement is proving to be a real differentiator in the CPM market. Top of the range 52.5R Rapid Hard Cement, developed for specialist concrete product manufacturers, is performing particularly well, achieving in excess of the SANS 50197 minimum of 30 MPa mortar strength at the two-day mark. This is enabling CPMs to develop a variety of new high specification products, such as highway barriers, roof tiles, retaining wall systems, culverts and concrete pipes
Its 42.5R High Strength Cement has been specially formulated and activated to allow for further extension with additional mineral components in the production of structural concrete. The “R” rating of the HSC is supported by AfriSam’s strict quality control plan and this product is achieving in excess of the SANS 50197 minimum of 20 MPa mortar strength at the two-day mark. High Strength Cement is commonly used to achieve concrete strengths of between 10 and 60 MPa, but it is also suitable for high strength concrete, with strengths of 80 MPa and higher.
“These market-leading products, together with our value-adds, are part of AfriSam’s in-house Customer Value Management initiative that seeks to unlock value for our customers across the board in new and innovative ways,” McDonald says. “Our CPM customers are experiencing tangible benefits and this has led to measurable growth in this market for us. Our innovative approach allows us to make a genuine contribution to optimising their operations.
AFRISAM ADDS VALUE TO PRECAST MANUFACTURERS PIC 01 : AfriSam’s Rapid Hard Cement has been developed for specialist concrete product manufacturers and achieves very high early strengths, in excess of the SANS 50197 minimum of 30 MPa mortar strength at the two-day mark.
AFRISAM ADDS VALUE TO PRECAST MANUFACTURERS PIC 02 : AfriSam’s value-add to concrete precast manufacturers includes on-site technical service, SANAS-accredited laboratory services and product deliveries around customers’ requirements.
