Imiesa January 2014

The official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa

2012

WINNER Non-professional n proffess ession ional wri writer of the year HIGHLY COMMENDED Publishing Excellence

IMESA

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE • SERVICE DELIVERY

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 39 NO 1 JANUARY 2014

64

26 IMESA Conference 2013

12

Stormwater pipes

30 CESA Conference 2013

City of Cape Town

IMESA – news from the institute Conference 2013- Meeting people’s needs

26

Southern African Plastic Pipes Manufacturers Association Environmental impacts investigated

59

Consulting engineering CESA 2013-Sustainability through leadership

Water and wastewaster Water-wise research at historic Groote Schuur

Technology in engineering

Awards

Mercedes Benz Atego trucks

6

Hot Seat Osborn - a leading manufacturer of plant and equipment for aggregate processing, asphalt road building, pipeline and utility trenching.

10

Municipal feature Transport and housing projects in the Cityy of Cape Town Tow wn

in n the e

HOTT SEA AT

14

41

Municipal engineering and services vehicles and equipment

Regulars

Cover article

64

Drakenstein municipality leading 34 the way

The Mercedes-Benz Atego brings unprecedented comfort and functionality to distribution operations, and is now equipped with Mercedes-Benz’ BlueTec technology, offering even higher fuel savings.

3 5 8

Advanced pipeline design

Asset management

Bad metering, bad billing, bad water security

Editor’s comment President’s comment Africa Roundup

Pipes and trenchless technology 30

Cover article Just a few months after the launch of the new FH series, Volvo Trucks is presenting yet another world-class technical innovation: Volvo Dynamic Steering. This new technology combines conventional hydraulic power-steering with an electronically regulated electric motor fitted to the steering gear.

Introduction Volvo Trucks Man Truck and Bus Ammann

47 48 50 54

SAICE Awards – Excellence in engineering

84

88

The Aggregate te e and Sand d Producers rss Association tio on of Southern errn Africa

Special feature

A S P A S A

The role that ASPASA plays is i critical considering that almost every structure made by man relies on aggregates for strength and stability.

Construction aggregates are the primary ingredients of all concrete structures and foundations as well as the single most important ingredient used to build our roads.

Building our country one stone at a time Legally green building products Getting health and safety right The problem of informal borrow-pits

“W “With Wit the local support of Osborn, all Roadtec customers in Southern Africa A Af fric can expect exceptional support” Noel Bessler, Sales director, Osborn

78 80 81 83

10 IMIESA January 2014

1

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EDITOR'S COMMENT | Nicholas McDiarmid

PUBLISHER Elizabeth Shorten EDITOR Nicholas McDiarmid HEAD OF DESIGN Frédérick Danton SENIOR DESIGNER Hayley Mendelow DESIGNER Kirsty Galloway CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Claire Nozaïc SUB-EDITOR Beatrix Knopjes CONTRIBUTORS H Smit, Francois Joubert, Deon du Plessis, Dr Chris von Holdt, Abrie Fourie, Mark Richter, Shakira Sattar, Vinesh Sookan CLIENT SERVICES & PRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh Botma PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline Modise FINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Neo Sithole ADMINISTRATION Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571 ___________________________________________________ ADVERTISING SALES Jenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223 ___________________________________________________

PUBLISHER: MEDIA No. 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2056 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: nicholas@3smedia.co.za www.3smedia.co.za ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R530.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS IMESA Administration Officer: Narisha Sogan P O Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER BRANCH Secretary: Melanie Matroos Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2401 Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266 E-mail: melaniem@buffalocity.gov.za EAST CAPE BRANCH Clarine Coltman Tel: +27 (0)41 505 8019 Fax: +27 (0)41 585 3437 E-mail: clarinec@africoast.com KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCH Secretary: Rita Matthews Tel: +27(0)31 311 6382 Fax: +27 (0)31 701 2935 NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCH Secretary: Rona Fourie Tel: +27 (0)82 742 6364 Fax: +27 (0)86 634 5644 E-mail: imesanorth@vodamail.co.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO BRANCH Secretary: Henrietta Oliver Tel: +27(0)79 390 7536 Fax: 086 536 3725 E-mail: imesa.southcape@gmail.com WESTERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Erica van Jaarsveld Tel: +27 (0)21 938 8455 Fax: +27 (0)21 938 8457 E-mail: erica.van_jaarsveld@capetown.gov.za FREE STATE AND NORTHERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27(0)83 457 4362 Fax: 086 628 0468 E-mail: imesa.fsnc@gmail.com All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.

Germinating a legacy The passing of our late, great former president and statesman, Nelson Mandela, at the age of 95, in Houghton, ushered in the most poignant time for reflection and consideration at the end of any year.

M

ANDELA’S VISION for South Africa was once again in the public mind – and drawn into sharp focus against a backdrop of the most palpable dissatisfaction with the current ANC leadership in government the country has ever known. The contrasts were too severe to ignore. While we mourned and celebrated, the spectre of the hundreds of millions spent on President Zuma’s homestead, the announcement of R30 billion lost to wasteful and unaccounted-for spending, and the continued plight of those citizens still living without proper housing, sanitation, electricity, water, transport and education, was simply too much to ignore. The magic of Mandela was always in his ability to unite the most disparate of South Africans, and his death saw this miracle happen once more.

But even prior to 5 December 2013, the need for a better life for all was already uniting previously disparate voices, and with it a sense that perhaps the certainties of previous elections were no longer so certain. This year is important to us all. It is an election year, and the dynamics of late 2013 have, of course, spilled into 2014, along with some important initiatives aimed at improving the processes of the infrastructure development that is so central to delivering the reality of equality and dignity. Most of IMIESA’s readers will have heard – or read – about SAICE’s Civilution Congress, which is scheduled for this coming April. This is a broad initiative, supported by IMESA (and with IMIESA as media partner), with the efficient, logical and sound practice around government infrastructure tenders is at its core. Manglin Pillay, president of SAICE, has been nurturing this initiative for some time now and identifies Civilution as a time to

regain the esteem and respect due to engineers in South Africa, as custodians of the environment in which the vision of a fair and equal society can evolve into a reality. “Have you identified your role in Civilution? Is it business as usual, or have you noticed that South Africa is currently fertile ground to germinate a legacy?” asks Pillay. At IMIESA, we are asking: How can we best serve you, our readers, and how does the vision of excellence, ethics, sustainability and making a difference realise itself in the pages of this magazine?

While we contemplate this and make decisions about what we must do to live up to this vision, we work to deliver content that is meaningful and helpful to the practise of municipal engineering. At the IMESA conference in Nelson Mandela Bay last year, asset management was identified as critical to the core of maintaining and delivering municipal infrastructure and services, along with total sustainability, efficient practise and education. In this edition we cover all these topics and more.

We have an exciting year of content planned, and as editor, I anticipate more interaction with IMESA at both national and branch level. I am also happy to announce that we are currently working towards offering our ECSA-registered engineers CPD points for reading the journal. Please be sure to sign up for the newsletters by either emailing me on nicholas@3smedia.co.za or register online at www.infrastructurene.ws.

We wish all our readers the very best for 2014 and remind you that we are at your service and welcome all correspondence.

Nicholas McDiarmid Editor

To our avid readers, check out what we are talking about on our website, Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and have your say.

@infrastructure4

Infrastructure News

Cover opportunity In each issue, IMIESA offers advertisers the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or o service on the front cover of the journal. Buying this position will afford the s advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information on a cover bookings contact Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223. c IMIESA January 2014

3

I M E S A A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R S

IMESA

AECOM AJ Broom Road Products Arup SA Aurecon Aveng Manufacturing Infraset Bigen Africa Group Holdings BMK Consulting Bosch Stemele Bosch Munitech Brubin Pumps BVI Consulting Engineers Civilconsult Consulting Engineers Concrete Manufacturers Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa Development Bank of SA DPI Plastics EFG Engineers Elster Kent Metering Engcor Engineers Fibertex South Africa (Pty) Ltd GIBB GLS Consulting Hatch Goba Herrenknecht Huber Technology Hydro-comp Enterprises I@Consulting ILISO Consulting INGEROP Integrity Environment Jeffares and Green Johannesburg Water Knowledge Base Lektratek Water Makhaotse Narasimulu & Associates Maragela Consulting Engineers Mhiduve Mott Macdonald PDNA Much Asphalt

siyanda.ngebulana@aecom.com ajbroom@icon.co.za rob.lamb@arup.com danie.wium@aurecongroup.com cgroenewald@infraset.com otto.scharfetter@bigenafrica.com brian@bmkconsulting.co.za bsdbn@boschstemele.co.za info@boschmunitech.co.za sales@brubin.co.za marketing@bviho.co.za mail@civilconsult.co.za cma@mweb.co.za secretary@corrosioninstitute.org.za divb@dbsa.org.za mgoodchild@dpiplastics.co.za eric@efgeng.co.za keith.bailey@za.elster.com masham@engcorengineers.co.za rcl@fibertex.com yvanrooyen@gibb.co.za nicky@gls.co.za leratom@goba.co.za schiewe.helene@herrenknecht.de cs@hubersa.com dan@edams.co.za louis_icon@mics.co.za hans@iliso.com mravjee@ingerop.co.za info@integrityafrica.co.za dennyc@jgi.co.za rtaljaard@jwater.co.za info@knowbase.co.za general@lwt.co.za mmakhaotse@mna-sa.co.za admin@maragelaconsulting.co.za cgroenewald@infraset.com mahomed.soobader@mottmac.com john.onraet@murrob.com

Nyeleti Consulting ppienaar@nyeleti.co.za Odour Engineering Systems mathewc@oes.co.za Pumptron info@pumptron.co.za Pragma nicojobe.mabaso@pragmaworld.net Rocla karen.devos@murrob.co.za Royal HaskoningDHV francisg@rhdv.com info@sabita.co.za SABITA SARF administrator@sarf.org.za.co.za SBS Water Systems terri@sbstanks.co.za Sektor Consulting cradock@sektor.co.za Sight Lines sales@sightlines.co.za SiVEST SA garths@sivest.co.za Siza Water Company tionette.bates@sizawater.co.za SMEC capetown@smec.com SNA temple.d@sna.co.za Southern African Society for Trenchless Technology director@sasst.org.za SRK Consulting jomar@srk.co.za Sulzer Pumps Wastewater sales.abs.za@sulzer.com Syntell julia@syntell.co.za Thm Engineers East London thmel@mweb.co.za TPA Consulting roger@tpa.co.za UWP Consulting craign@uwp.co.za Vetasi south-africa@vetasi.com VIP Consulting Engineers esme@vipconsulting.co.za VOMM commerciale@vomm.it Water Institute of Southern Africa wisa@wisa.org.za Water Solutions Southern Africa ecoetzer@wssa.co.za Wilo South Africa Tracy.vanderLinde@wilo.co.za WorleyParsons chris.brandsen@WorleyParsons.com WRP ronniem@wrp.co.za WSP Group Africa dirk.hattingh@mbs-wsp.co.za Zebra Surfacing andrew@zebrasurfacing.co.za

PRESIDENT’S COMMENT

START WITH THE LOW-HANGING FRUIT

Frank Stevens, president of IMESA

Non-revenue water

A constant thread throughout 2013’s Port Elizabeth Conference was the emphasis on asset management and the urgent need to at least start nibbling at the huge elephant that most of us have been sizing up for many years.

P

RACTICALLY EVERY activity of the municipal engineer involves the management of his or her assets and the reduction of non-revenue water (NRW) is certainly no exception. I thought some of the eThekwini Water and Sanitation’s experience after many years of wrestling with the problems faced by every water services authority and provider throughout Southern Africa was worth sharing.

As a backdrop – especially for those readers not involved with water services delivery – I use the International Water Association’s Water Balance, which summarizes exactly what NRW comprises of: • unbilled authorised consumption • unbilled metered consumption • unbilled unmetered consumption.

Apparent losses • unauthorised consumption • customer meter inaccuracies.

TABLE 1 Modified IWA water balance for South Africa

Authorised consumption System input volume

Real losses • leakage on transmission and distributions mains • leakage and over flows at storage tanks/reser voirs • leakage on ser vice connections up to point of customer meter.

Based on what eThekwini Water and Sanitation has learned over several years, the lowest hanging fruit is harvested handsomely by reducing water pressure within the network. A typical example is the reduction of an average pressure of 62 m within the Durban CBD down to 30 m on average. One of the larger pressure-reducing valves, installed at a cost of R2.5 million, had a payback period of just three months and the annual saving throughout the entire CBD is some R32 million annually.

Other low-hanging fruit well worth considering includes: • a change-out programme for meters greater than 40 mm diameter and older than 10 years • ensure that the meters of your top consumers (200 in EWS’s case) are less than five years old

Billed authorised consumption Unbilled authorised consumption Apparent losses

Water losses

• have a change out programme for domestic meters older than 20 years • ensure that all properties with connections are metered (especially government buildings such as schools and police stations) • hunt down multiple connections • police illegal connections and take required action (support of Ward Councillors is vital) • ensure that district, reser voir and custody transfer point meters are read regularly

CBD pressure-reducing valve

• ensure that all meters have GPS and are recorded on the system • accurate billing system and timeous account deliver y.

The examples listed above are only some of the measure that can be taken to reduce NRW. I’m sure that readers will agree that none of them involve rocket science, but that they’ll all contribute greatly to addressing the problem of NRW and will improve asset management on the whole.

Billed metered consumption Billed unmetered consumption Unbilled metered consumption

Free basic Recovered revenue Non-recovered

Unbilled unmetered consumption Unauthorised consumpton Customer meter inaccuracies

Non revenue water

Leakage on transmission and distribution mains Real losses

Leakage and oveflows at storage tanks Leakage on service connections up to point of customer meter

IMIESA January 2014

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COVER STORY

MERCEDES-BENZ BLUETEC IN ATEGO

A first in Southern The Mercedes-Benz Atego brings unprecedented comfor t and functionality to distribution operations, and is now equipped with Mercedes-Benz’ BlueTec technology, of fering even higher fuel savings.

T

RITON EXPRESS, a national carrier company, took delivery of four Mercedes-Benz Atego 1318/48 BlueTec trucks equipped with various fuel efficiency, safety and comfort features.

These were in addition to the 12 Atego 1318/48 to supplement its fleet.

The standard Triton fleet of more than 200 vehicles travels thousands of kilometres each month and these Atego BlueTec trucks are contributing to the fuel saving of the company.

With more than 60 000 consignments per month, from envelopes to 3 to 4 t shipments, Triton Express prides itself on reliable and timeous deliveries, and therefore its vehicles need to be reliable.

All 16 Atego models are fitted standard with the Telligent automatic transmission, which provides added ease of operation, resulting in further fuel savings, especially in stop-start traffic. The aerokit provides further fuel-saving measures as the aerodynamics of the vehicle are enhanced with this fitment.

The Ategos are powered by highly successful and economical BlueTec engines in the output class from 130 kW with a 4-cylinder engine up to 175 kW with the six-cylinder engine. BlueTec uniquely combines economy with ecology.

Servicing and monitoring Servicing of the vehicles will be carried out

by Triton’s in-house workshops, which are Mercedes-Benz accredited. At the workshops, a trained team of technical experts will monitor and gauge the performance of all these vehicles. Triton Express has many branches throughout South Africa, in Johannesburg, Polokwane, Nelspruit, Cape Town, George,

6

IMIESA January 2014

Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Newcastle, Richards Bay, Bloemfontein and Upington.

The supply of the AdBlue additive necessary for the Atego BlueTec trucks is sourced through a local supplier and is delivered in 1 000 ℓ drums to Triton Express’s Johannesburg depot. The Euro 5 Ategos will only operate on major routes within South Africa’s borders due to the availability of 50 ppm fuel. Currently Triton Express is able to obtain a regular supply from its Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban branches.

Identity and aesthetic The new Mercedes-Benz Atego is easily distinguished by its modern appearance. The front section, featuring a striking radiator grille, emphasises the fact that the vehicle belongs to the Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty truck range. The Ategos are fitted with composite box bodies with a maximum load capacity of 7 t for the Atego 1318 and 8 t for the Atego 1524.

The ar tistically designed outer appearance of these composite box bodies demonstrates the company’s commitment to a cleaner environment.

The Triton Express MAIN IMAGE Atego BlueTEC INSET Triton Express

COVER STORY

Africa slogan – ‘signed.sealed.delivered’ – now includes: “What will your children breathe?

Triton Express chooses Mercedes-Benz Euro 5 BlueTec Technology – Leading the way to a cleaner tomorrow.”

The cab’s interior offers a number of convenient features, including a multifunction steering wheel to operate the on-board computer and the optional telephone and radio. The new instrument cluster features chrome ring surrounds for the speedometer and rev counter.

The standard equipment of the Atego further includes an extra middle seat,

head restraints integrated in the backrests and a clothes rail with adjustable hooks.

The Atego selected for the Triton Express fleet offers the short cab, with multifunction stowage compartments. Following a thorough evaluation of the given require-

Production of an innovation fleet comprising the first 50 Atego BlueTec Hybrids commenced in 2010. Depending on its mode of use, the Hybrid will lower fuel consumption by 10 to 15%, accompanied by corresponding reductions in CO2 emissions.

The Ategos are fitted with composite box bodies with a maximum load capacity of 7 t for the Atego 1318 and 8 t for the Atego 1524 ments and the vehicles available on the market for their application, Triton Express opted for the Mercedes-Benz Atego fitted with the Telligent Automatic Transmission, which are perfectly suited to a stop-start environment.

In Europe, the Atego is also leading the way with regard to alternative drives.

IMIESA offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a two-page cover story and a cover picture to promote their products to an appropriate audience. Please call Jenny Miller on +27 (0)11 467 6223 to secure your booking.

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IMIESA January 2014

7

AFRICA ROUND-UP

INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT UGANDA Solar power plant for Kalangala Kalangala Infrastructure Services recently launched the construction of a 1.6 MW hybrid solar and diesel power at Bukuzindu village in Mugoye sub-county.

The project is budgeted at US$17 million (R176.29 million) and will provide enough power for the whole of Buggala Island.

Distribution infrastructure, consisting of poles and wires, was commissioned earlier in the year and is being supplied to residents and businesses at no cost. Based on the outcome of this pilot project, the same technology may be deployed across several islands in the region.

The generation and supply of electricity to this region is part of a larger infrastructure delivery programme, which includes the construction of road systems, water supply and ferry services.

MOZAMBIQUE Solar panel factory opened in Maputo Solar energy has been widely deployed in some areas of Mozambique, with some 207 villages, 344 schools and 403 health units accessing electricity directly from this renewable source. In November 2013, the first solar panel factory in the country was inaugurated at the Beluluane Industrial Park near Maputo. Funded with a US$13 million concessional loan from the Export-Import Bank of India, the factory will produce solar panels of varying outputs, to be used primarily for educational and health facilities in rural areas.

India has assisted with the building of the factory, supplying

8

IMIESA January 2014

equipment and raw materials (photovoltaic cells, glass, aluminium and electrical components).

In addition, 17 technicians travelled to India to receive training in production methods and equipment maintenance.

MALAWI Five-year infrastructure project Malawi’s five-year infrastructure project, the Mudzi Transformation Trust initiative, is set to provide homes for vulnerable Malawians, as well as access to potable water, accessible rural transport and ensure food security and nutrition for low-income earners.

So far, the project has delivered over 500 houses to lowincome households as well as rehabilitation of some other social amenities in various sites.

Mudzi Transformation is targeting 20 000 villages across Malawi and will see the construction of between 200 000 and 400 000 houses over the project’s duration across all the country’s regions.

ETHIOPIA EU & Ethiopia sign R3 billion deal for roads and health The European Union signed a development grant with Ethiopia worth over R3 billion to help finance road construction and projects targeting maternal

health and drought resilience.

Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country after Nigeria, is midway through a five-year economic plan that will see the tripling of the country’s road network and the initiation of the building of 5 000 km of new railway lines.

Addis Ababa’s big push on infrastructure is aimed at connecting the nation and has propelled the economy to doubledigit growth for the last decade.

Ethiopia’s economy is now sub-Saharan Africa’s fifth biggest economy, leapfrogging Kenya, after a decade of robust growth.

the Africa textile factory installing the first cereal manufacturing industry in Cubal municipality, a project that will be extended to other localities.

The governor noted that the first pineapple processing and manufacturing factories in Bocoio and Balombo localities will be installed, while the Dombe Grande region will gain the first plant for tomato production.

He added that at the level of fishery sector, it needed to open new areas to internalise more operators in the industrial fishery sector. “The industrial sector requires commitment and creativity of the citizen,” he said.

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

Benguela identifies areas for new industrial parks

Batoka Gorge Hydro Project

The government of the central Benguela province is now identifying new areas to install new industrial parks and mobilise resources so as to establish these infrastructures.

During the launch of the 1st National Conference for Industry in late 2013, provincial governor of Benguela, Isaac dos Anjos, noted that the province needs to increase the number of citizens that develop industrial activity.

Speaking about industrial projects under way the region, Dos Anjos said that the big project is related to the rehabilitation of

Zambia and Zimbabwe held talks in December 2014 about the construction of the US$3 billion Batoka Hydro-Power plant, which will produce 1 600 MW of power.

Mines, Energy and Water Development Minister Christopher Yaluma said in Lusaka that among the agenda items would be Zimbabwe’s payment of the US$170 million debt stemming back from the failed Central Africa Power Corporation (Capco).

The controversial Capco debt has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the construction of the dam and power station at the Batoka Gorge, situated about 54 km downstream of the Victoria Falls and would be the largest hydropower plant in Zambia.

Yaluma said Zimbabwe, which had initially refused to take The Beluluane Industrial Park in Mozambique

AFRICA ROUND-UP

Keep it Real, Keep it Cat ®

The Namibian construction sector is driving significant economic growth

up the debt, was settling the amount on a monthly basis and that the two governments were now speaking one language and pulling in one direction.

Zimbabwe debt repayment programme is near completion.

The principal debt was valued at US$70 million with the interest over the years coming to almost US$100 million, with Zambia saying Zimbabwe should pay off the principal first and the interest to be taken in as equity when constructing the Batoka hydropower project.

Zimbabwe accepted to make the payment, but rebuffed Zambia’s claim of US$168 million, saying they would just pay the US$70 million principal.

The Environmental Impact Assessment has been completed and financiers of the project are expected to take the centre stage of project, which was first mooted in 1972 out of a study instituted by CAPCO. Thus far, Zimbabwean media report that six international investors have been shortlisted on the construction of the 1 600 MW hydropower plant at the Batoka Gorge from an initial list of 26 international investors.

NAMIBIA Construction set to drive growth The construction sector will be one of the

leading sectors in the Namibian economy in 2013, with both private sector and government having aggressive development plans, IJG Securities said in its latest building plans report.

According to various construction companies operating in Namibia, order books for 2013 are at record levels, which implies a strong growth trajector y for the year ahead. A total of 332 building plans worth R210 million were approved by the City of Windhoek in late 2013.

In 2013, 2 816 plans were approved compared to 2 346 plans in 2012 – an increase of 20%. From a value perspective, however, plans approved were worth R1.9 billion compared to R2.1 billion for the same period in 2012, down 4.9%.

This is due to a technical slowdown on the back of a stronger base period.

The 420 residential units approved from Januar y to October continued to receive growth impetus from the strong growth numbers posted by flats and houses, with the figure up 22.8% on the comparable period.

The plans for flats and houses approved are valued at R626 million compared to the 342 plans worth R401 million in the same period last year.

IMIESA January 2014

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HOT SEAT

OSBORN PROVIDES THE COMPLETE PACKAGE

Commissioning, manufacturing, installing Noel Bessler, Peet Venter and Peet Eksteen of Osborn South Africa provide insight into some of the company’s top civil construction equipment.

FROM LEFT Noel Bessler, Sales director, Peet Venter, Product manager: Astec Loudon, Peet Eksteen, Product sales manager: Asphalt Equipment

O

SBORN ENGINEERED Products is a leading name in mining and quarry markets, providing a full range of engineering products, including crushers, feeders, screens, idlers, and skidmounted crushing and screening plants. The company is now taking its excellence in manufacturing and supplying engineering equipment to further penetrate the civil construction market Osborn is a member of the Astec Industries Inc group of companies – a leading American manufacturer of plant and equipment for aggregate processing, asphalt road building, pipeline and utility trenching. The company deals with the full manufacturing from concept to installation and commissioning and is highly client-centred.

The mobile asphalt plants were game changers.

What defines them in the marketplace? Since then, mobility and capacity increased, and the capabilities of plants moved to meet industry demands.

For a mobile plant to truly meet the market place requirements, it has to be able to match, to a certain extent, its more lustrous bigger brother. The modern mobile plant should be easy to erect and versatile. It should be capable of doing high tonnages and also accommodate a high percentage of recycled asphalt.

The new requirements in the mix designs can be for up to 40% of recycled material. While mobility is important, the environmental requirements should also be met and honoured by plants.

What makes the mobile asphalt plant such a complete package? The Astec six-pack mobile plant series offers clients superior mobile double drum technology.

With six easily transportable Roadtec’s machines are extremely operator-friendly

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IMIESA January November/December 2014 2014

HOT SEAT

loads, and quick and easy setup and erection, the plant can be operational is a very short time.

Capable of doing up to 360 tph and using up to 50% of recycled asphalt, these mobile plants will supply a no-fuss solution to road projects.

With the newest addition to the Astec mobile family, the market can now also utilise a competitive, compact plant with for smaller projects. The Voyager 120 plant can produce 120 tph and accommodate 30% recycled asphalt. It is designed to be super portable with just two towable loads.

What accessories are available in this range?

A multitude of add-ons are available for contractors. This allows them to upgrade and improve their plants as the need arises. Storage and loadout systems can be added and improved. Astec’s NG silos are one of the best in the market.

Product can be stored for up to four days in these uniquely designed silos. The Astec green system for warm mix production can also be added. Hot storage and heating solutions are available and can be supplied to any make of plant. Osborn and Astec can meet most customer needs through its diverse and comprehensive solutions.

Stabilisers and recyclers are hallmarked by their durability and versatility; what does this entail?

Roadtec soil reclaimer-stabilisers come with a list of features that highlight the machine’s performance, durability and versatility. With three sizes available to the industry, the stabiliser-reclaimers are capable of performing in various applications. The machines are extremely operator-friendly with simplified controls. Premium, high-strength steel is used to fabricate all the frames

providing more than twice the yield strength of standard A 36 steel. This is why Roadtec machines are stronger without carrying excessive weight. The premium steel provides the necessary strength at reasonable plate thicknesses.

The machines are designed with excellent weight balance to perform in the cut without being extremely heavy to transport or consuming the excessive fuel that extra weight adds. The machine’s on-demand cooling uses a variable speed fan that takes air in from the cleanest possible area. This feature

doors are hydraulically adjustable. The belt driven cutter drum can be turned at four different speeds. An air shift 4-speed cutter transmission allows the cutter speed to be changed without a drop in production.

An optional automated water/ emulsion system is available for machines.

What applications is this product suitable for? The Roadtec SX4, SX6 and SX-8 Soil stabiliser-recyclers can handle a range of projects, including The Astec six-pack mobile plant

“With the local support of Osborn, all Roadtec customers in Southern Africa can expect exceptional support” reduces the amount of dust and debris entering the engine compartment.

The fully enclosed operator station slides past the right side of the machine for excellent visibility. The seat and console swivel 90 degrees for additional operator visibility and the machine comes standard with a colour control screen and backup camera.

These 4-wheel drive machines can be steered in four different modes. The suspension is hydraulically controlled, allowing the depth of cut to be selected via push button. The variable geometry cutter housing allows for optimum control of material sizing and flow. Cutter housing

stabilising, pulverising or cold recycling.

How easy are they to maintain? When designing its machines, Roadtec make sure that ease of maintenance is taken into consideration. Allowing the engine hood to be raised hydraulically to 90 degrees makes the engine compartment readily accessible. Convenient radiator cleanout and slide-out battery rack also contribute to the machine’s accessibility.

What are the design principles behind the road building and maintenance range? Roadtec machines are simply designed and well

balanced for maximum efficiency.

Many items come standard on Roadtec equipment. An example of this is the FXS fume extraction system. Another is the Roadtec Comfort Drive operator system, which embodies the latest in ergonomic design, provides greater visibility and provides fingertip control. The optimum balance between power, production and manoeuvrability is one of the main principles behind the design of all equipment.

Road rehabilitation is a pressing issue in South Africa; what can the Roadtec range offer in this regard? Roadtec offers an extensive line of equipment that is extremely reliable and requires minimal maintenance. Roadtec is the inventor of the revolutionary Shuttle Buggy material transfer vehicle and also builds asphalt pavers, road milling machines, cold-in-place recycle equipment, self-propelled brooms and soil stabilisers/reclaimers. All these offerings come in a variety of configurations and sizes to support industry requirements and needs.

What kind of after-sales care can customers expect? Many companies these days make statements about being the best in service and product support. Roadtec and Osborn are passionate about after-sales care. With the local support of Osborn, all Roadtec customers in Southern Africa can expect exceptional support.

Parts support is handled through Osborn’s parts call centre and a well-equipped and trained service department is available for field support 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

t +27 (011) 820 7600 www.osborn.co.za

IMIESA January 2014

11

COMPANY PROFILE

WEC PROJECTS

IMIESA takes an in-depth look into one of South Africa’s leading water and wastewater contracting companies.

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INCE 2002, WEC Projects (WEC) has been operating as a specialist contractor in the water and wastewater treatment industry. WEC Projects has emerged as a leader in its sector in South Africa. This is partly due to its biogas to energy project and in-house expertise in this area.

It is clear that WEC is a very focused and well-structured company. The company is focused on its key objectives and prioritises its clients’ needs as a matter of course. For WEC, the main focus areas are: water, sewage, operation and maintenance, and biogas to energy.

WEC maintains focus on these core areas by creating internal business units headed by some of the most competent professionals in the industry, allowing it to fulfil its mandate in each of these focus areas.

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IMIESA January 2014

WEC can be departmentalised into the following business units: • packaged solutions • municipal solutions • operation and maintenance • biogas to energy.

Each of these business units have a clear mandate to deliver to their clients in the respective segments. The formula is clearly successful as WEC has experienced impressive growth during the past five years. The business units are described below.

Pa ack kaged solu utions WEC defines its packaged solutions as a water or sewage treatment system that is modular and/or containerised and which is easily transported to site. Because WEC projects provides

packaged solutions for both water and sewage treatment applications, it makes them the ideal one-stop shop for water and sanitation infrastructure and has been proven to be very successful in the mining environment.

WEC has enviable process design capabilities and it is able to adapt most water treatment technologies and bundle it into a packaged plant solution. These technologies include lamella clarifiers, pressure sand filters, activated carbon filters, disinfection systems, complete conventional water treatment plants (which typically include a clarifier/ filter/disinfection configuration), ultrafiltration systems and reverse osmosis systems.

This business unit is focused on the mining sector, industrial clients and the municipal sector where decentralised systems are a good fit.

Mu unicipal solu utions WEC made the decision to enter into the bulk water treatment market three to four years ago in order to provide for the major utilities requirements. The decision made sense as the government needed to spend on infrastructure upgrades and WEC focused on ensuring that it became a front runner in terms of the provision of these products and services.

The municipal industry is very different from the packaged plant industry and so the company decided to separate the two and create a separate business unit with a separate and clear mandate. WEC has recently been awarded and is currently implementing the projects in Welgedacht, Zeekoegat, Rooiwal and Temba.

With many of these big municipal contracts it is wise to partner or form a joint venture with a trusted and complementary partner. Often it is the capacity of the project and the disciplines

COMPANY PROFILE INSIGHT

ABOVE Maintenance of bulkwater treatment plants is crucial LEFT WEC is pioneering biogas to energy in South Africa BELOW Packaged solutions are completely self-contained treatment plants

involved that dictates that a partnership must be formed. Fortunately, WEC has worked very successfully with a number of partners that can now be involved for turnkey projects on a bulk water treatment scale.

Op perration and d mainttenan nce Some time ago, the company identified that one of the major threats to the South African water sector is the operation and maintenance of our treatment facilities. It is a sad occasion to discover that the treatment plant you handed over to your client only a year ago has been effectively run into the ground, resulting in untreated sewage entering our streams and rivers.

WEC’s operation and maintenance division was the result of this realisation and has been mandated to propose the operation and maintenance of all WEC plants as well as plants not manufactured and designed by WEC. For the latter, it is essential that these plants’ process design must be audited before WEC agrees to be involved.

The same is true for the operation and maintenance of bulk water treatment systems,

which completes the loop in terms of what WEC supplies, as the company may have supplied the mechanical and electrical equipment that it now operates and maintains.

Its operation and maintenance department customises a scope of work for the client based on the clients’ immediate needs, emergency requirements, scheduled maintenance requirements and budget.

Bio oga as to ene erg gy Due to the increase in the cost of electricity in South Africa, industries and consumers alike are looking for alternative sources of power generation. There are various options available, including solar and wind power.

Because WEC Projects is so entrenched in the municipal wastewater industry, and often specialise in work on the digesters at bulk wastewater treatment sites, it saw an opportunity to link its expertise with anaerobic digesters with power generation. By doing so, it is able to provide a significant value add to its municipal clients.

So how does biogas to energy work? Simply put, sludge is produced as a by-product

of a conventional biological sewage treatment process. This sludge is pumped to anaerobic digesters where it degrades and produces a biogas that is rich in methane.

WEC takes this raw biogas through a filtering or “conditioning” process to remove harmful contaminants and then utilises the gas as a fuel in a gas engine that produces electricity.

As a result of this, WEC’s municipal clients are able to subsidise their electrical costs by what they are able to produce themselves, utilising a waste material that now has significant commercial value.

WEC Projects is pioneering this technology in South Africa and has, as a result, shown the way forward in terms of biogas to energy projects in the municipal industry. WEC has designed, supplied, installed and is currently operating the only known biogas to energy plant of its kind in the country.

t +27 (0)11 745 5500

• www.wecprojects.co.za.

IMIESA January 2014

13

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME

Cape Town’s shining public transport system Transforming the City of Cape Town’s current road-based public transpor t system, and providing reliable, efficient mass transpor t ser vices to the people, is the aim of Cape Town’s Integrated Rapid Transit project, commonly referred to as MyCiTi. IMIESA provides insight into this development.

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HE CITY OF Cape Town’s West Coast is not only renowned for its white sandy beaches, ideal kite sur fing weather and picturesque views of Table Mountain, but is also fast becoming an increasingly popular residential site, mainly due to its leafy suburbs and vast array of amenities. It does, however, have a disadvantage: the commute into the city centre, which is plagued by heavy traffic during peak hours.

Enter MyCiTi – the City of Cape Town’s latest public transport system, which is proving to be such a hit on the West Coast that more and more stations are popping up throughout other parts of the city. With buses available ever y 10 minutes during peak time (06:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:00) and ever y 20 minutes during off-peak time, and not forgetting the convenient airport route, MyCiTi prides itself on being Cape Town’s reliable, scheduled bus ser vice. When developing this bus ser vice, safety, hygiene and passenger comfort were important factors that were considered – as important as reliability and solid infrastructure. No food and drink are allowed on the buses, nor is any behaviour that may be disruptive to fellow commuters such as loud music, vendors or obscene language. The stations are also

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IMIESA January 2014

constantly monitored by official MyCiTi personnel and CCTV equipment. With automated station and bus doors, tap card technology, computerised voice prompts between stations and dedicated road lanes, MyCiTi is equivalent to Johannesburg’s Gautrain.

A bird’s eye view The city’s Business Development work stream is primarily responsible for planning the process of operating MyCiTI, including the preparation of major tenders, contracting of ser vice providers and the design and procurement of technology systems. These systems include: • MyCiTi buses and related technology • control centre equipment such as tracking systems, ICT and associated intelligent transport systems • automated fare collection systems.

The route from Table View to the V&A Water front, via the Civic Centre (CBD) and vice versa, is complete and has been running for more than a year now. Feeder bus routes to Table View, Blaauwberg, Parklands, Sunningdale, Melkbosch and surrounds are also complete and in operation.

From the Civic Centre, feeder bus routes to Gardens, the V&A Water front, Oranjezicht, Salt River, Sea Point and surrounds are also

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

operational. The routes effectively cover the bulk of Phase 1A. Phase 1 has significant importance as it is considered to be the pilot project that sets the tone for the roll out of the remaining phases through critical areas such as the Cape Flats.

There have been some construction delays on the new routes and stations, particularly related to procurement, equipment and/or civil works issues. Phase 1B includes the preliminar y N2 Express routes and stops.

These have been determined and discussions with the relevant sub-councils are pending. Detailed planning for Phase 1B, however, is under way and the initial stages One of the first stations completed, the Civic Centre bus stop is already a familiar sight to most Capetonians

include investigations into existing public transport routes, existing and planned land uses, major destinations, demand and a long-term network plan.

The development of the city’s Integrated Public Transport Network (ITPN) Plan is also under way. The plan includes conceptual designs for the Wetton/Lansdowne corridor, which is another significant development in the MyCiTi project. In early 2013, a pilot household sur vey comprising 26 000 homes was conducted and will form a great deal of input into how the design of Phase 2 pans out.

Stations and depots All infrastructure planning and detailed design work for Phase 1A is progressing well

and is largely complete, with the exception of some elements in Adderley Street and the V&A Water front that are awaiting a heritage impact assessment. The construction is divided into three segments, namely, bus ways, bus stations, and depots, workshops and staging areas.

As part of Phase 1A, a total of 27.4 km of bi-directional busway is planned, of which the bulk is complete and operational. This phase also includes the implementation of 35 IRT stations, with Blaauwberg and Potsdam Road, Queens Beach, Melkbosstrand and Atlantis stations, as well as two additional low floor platform buildings at the Civic Centre for the N2 Express, which is currently under construction. Stables Depot, off Potsdam Road, is complete and operational,

IMIESA January 2014

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CITY OF CAPE TOWN

while the Inner City Depot in Prestwich Street and the Atlantis Depot are almost ready. Despite construction, some part of the Inner City Depot is in use.

The pilot phase of the Atlantis Corridor is located in the city centre and comprises 16 km of dedicated bus lanes. The route includes an uninterrupted transport facility along the entire length, 13 raised-median trunk bus stops, over 100 feeder bus stops and the Stables Bus Depot. Along with the MyCiTi development, the City of Cape Town has also taken the opportunity to transform dilapidated parts of the city into visually pleasing and functional facilities.

Getting around • Direction and information signage formed the finishing touches on the MyCiTi project.

• HHO Africa was involved in the design and implementation of these universally accepted signs.

• The signs are designed to draw the eye toward its branding, making it synonymous with branding at the various MyCiTi stations.

• The directional signs consist of the name of the MyCiTi station and the distance to that specific station.

• The wayfinding information is displayed in white lettering or symbols on the background in the contrasting blue colour associated with MyCiTi branding.

Ticking all the boxes • Meetings have been held with the city’s Roads and Stormwater Department to resolve repairs and maintenance along all IRT infrastructure.

• The quality of cleaning has been good. Bus stops and surrounding areas are all generally in good clean condition.

• A good relationship has been established to monitor traffic, with reporting mechanisms being set up.

• A good working relationship continues with the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement, whose duties cover both IRT passenger infringements and other by-law enforcement.

Reviving old roads The Potsdam Road Project also forms part of the MyCiTi infrastructure. Construction started in March 2012 and it was completed toward the end of 2013. At a cost of R112 million, the project included the construction of a new bus lane from Blaauwberg Road to Usasaza Road, which is the access road to a MyCiTi bus depot.

The project involved the upgrade of Potsdam Road between Blaauwberg and Usasaza roads; construction of a new carriageway and bus lane; construction of four new IRT stations at Blaauwberg Road, Killarney Road, Sati Road and Usasaza Road; upgrade of the Killarney Racetrack entrance; installation of traffic lights at the intersections to facilitate the buses; and the upgrade of the footway network along this road and in Killarney Gardens. As with any major project, challenges are expected. In the case of the Potsdam Road Project, several challenges were encountered, but these were overcome. The major of these issues included community participation, relocation of informal houses, traffic accommodation and road closures, and protection and relocation of major Chevron Refiner y ser vices.

Meet the team Over the past five years, Martin & East has been instrumental in the MyCiTi development, having been awarded a substantial chunk of the trunk route contract from the CBD to Atlantis. The company opted for innovative drilling trenchless technology for construction of the bus lanes, as this approach preser ves the existing road The dedicated bus lanes have made a significant difference to commuters in Cape Town

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IMIESA January 2014

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

sur face, reduces installation time and eliminates traffic congestion and safety risks associated with open trench excavation.

Red, ultra-thin friction course was developed on the CBD bus lanes by another subsidiar y of the company, Zebra Sur facing, which was also responsible for the asphalt sur facing on this project. Martin & East was also involved in the construction of two adjacent sections of bus lanes in Paarden Eiland and Milnerton.

HHO Africa and GIBB have also played a big role in this project, with the balance of the Atlantis Corridor contracts having been awarded to HHO. The company was also involved in construction at Blaauwberg Road, Dunoon Centur y City, Potsdam Road, and the Table View and Melkbos feeders, to name a few.

Some of the aspects of work were: conceptual design of bus ways, stations, depots and feeder infrastructure, EIA processes, detailed design of 40 km of bus lanes, detailed design of 16 trunk stations, design of feeder stops along ser vice routes and detailed design of two BRT depots. GIBB was instrumental in the construction at Thibault Square, Adderley Street, the V&A Water front, inner city feeders, the Inner City Depot and Gardens Centre, to name a few.

Civils 2000 handled the construction of bus stop infrastructure in Table View and Milner ton, and IRT Omuramba, Montagu

Drive and Centur y City, while Group 5 was the contractor on the IRT Major Station Superstructures contract and the IRT Open Feeder Bus Stops contract. Busmark 2000 recently won the tender to supply the City of Cape Town with 190 brand new feeder buses. The new fleet is Optare Solo – a low-floor, low entr y midibus that is 9 m in length and 2.5 m wide. Each vehicle has 25 seats, with four flip-down seats and one wheelchair bay, able to cater for 50 passengers per trip as well as provision for some standing passengers.

“The buses will be supplied in kit form and assembled locally, using local labour, parts

the floor, namely 200 mm. The buses also feature a kneeling suspension, which means it can lower itself even further to allow the bottom of the doors to line up with the height of a pavement. Boarding bridges that extend from beneath the bus doors will provide level boarding, not just at stations, but also at kerbside feeder bus stops. “Feeder buses are used to alleviate congestion on existing feeder routes and for service on new feeder routes,” says Herron. The new feeder bus fleet is also Euro 5 rated – a step up from the Euro 4 of the current MyCiTi buses.

The vehicles required for Phase 1B were procured as part of the same tender for Phase 1A. So far, no risk is foreseen in the deliver y of these vehicles for the launch later this year (2014).

In a country in which the middle class has traditionally relied on private transport, decent, regulated and reliable public transport is still a new concept for many citizens and MyCiTi was initially greeted with uncertainty. The figures have indicated that it is catching on quickly, with more than 6 million people having hopped on a MyCiTi bus to date. This is also proof that not all people are reluctant to give up their private vehicles in South Africa – if there is an efficient, reliable, safe public transport system available, it will be used. And it’s also proof that MyCiTi is worth every cent of the multimillion rands already spent.

In a country in which the middle class has traditionally relied on private transport, decent, regulated and reliable transport is still a new concept and materials where possible,” explains Councillor Brett Herron, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transpor t, Roads and Stormwater. “This translates into much-needed investment for the city and valuable job opportunities for the locals.” More than 285 000 hours of work will be created thanks to the local assembly of these buses and more than 110 staff will be employed in the Busmark facility in Elsies River, Cape Town.

The name Solo is a play on the low-floor status of the bus – the entrance is ‘so low’ from

IMIESA January 2014

17

Innovating infrastructure for life HHO AFRICA INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERS

Roads, Rail, Airports & Harbours Transportation & Traffic Urban & Rural Infrastructure Structures Water Engineering Bus Rapid Transit Geotechnical & Materials Project Management

14 Bree Street, Cape Town Tel : +27 21 425 2870 E-mail : enquiries@hho.co.za Website : www.hho.co.za

CAPE TOWN’S MyCITI Innovative planning, design & implementation

Award Winning Project

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

FUNDING FREEDOM

Restoring dignity through housing “The provision of quality housing and the building of an asset base is a core element in the eradication of pover ty.

The provision of housing solutions gives the poor a hand up so they can become par t of the ‘whole-of-society’.” Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela, Depar tment of Human Settlements: Western Cape

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S PART OF THE City of Cape Town’s Human Settlements’ fiveyear plan that aligns the City’s Integrated Development Plan, housing is a priority. In his 2013 state of the province [Western Cape] address, Madikizela stated that in order to successfully deliver on a whole-of-society approach, partnership between the province and State is required, as well as the presence of a well capacitated and professional construction sector, the leadership of communities in supporting projects and the willingness of individuals to contribute to what is reasonably expected towards the initial and ongoing success of their housing solutions.

FROM TOP LEFT The Steenburg Housing Development is comprised of 450 rental units Each unit is fitted with solar water heating equipment at the time of building Dignity through housing – professional finishes and touches make the difference

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CITY OF CAPE TOWN

The Western Cape’s approach to ser vice deliver y is directly in line with government’s National Development Plan. “In Human Settlements, much of our focus is on the poorest of the poor. While 76% of the overall provincial budget is spent on the poor, 93% of our R1.725 billion budget is being spent on those earning less than R3 500 per month,” explains Madikizela.

“During April 2012, I handed over a face brick house, in par tnership with Corobrik, to wheelchair-bound Angela Mzizi of Strand. She had been staying in a one-room shack constructed by her late husband on a ser viced site provided by the department. Through partnership, she can now live with dignity.”

The social housing model Additionally, the City of Cape Town launched various social housing projects at Scottsdene, Elsie’s River, Bothasig, Dromedaries and Steenberg, with Steenberg being the biggest.

Launched in early 2009, the Steenberg Social Housing Project has a price tag of around R119 million and aims to deliver

“The provision of housing as we currently do it is simply not sustainable and we will need a continued focus on rental, institutional and GAP housing, as well as the leveraging of private funding in the low income and affordable market, in order to provide for all of our people,” Madikizela continued in his speech.

“We have changed our business process to ensure that only projects that have all the approvals in place are included in our business plan and targets for 2014. This should ensure that there will be a limited need for funding reallocation and provide a higher degree of confidence for expected deliver y.”

The aim is to develop a set of viable and useful on- or near-farm accommodation options for typical Western Cape rural situations

As it stands During the 2012/13 financial year, the City of Cape Town had a ver y specific plan mapped out in terms of housing deliver y. A total of 6 044 houses were identified but, unfortunately, only about 4 781 units were delivered on, impacting greatly on provincial targets. The split was as follows: • Winelands District: 2 329 sites were planned and 1 847 delivered. 2 440 houses were planned and 2 324 were delivered.

Challenges here included farm worker strikes and the issuing of water licenses.

• Overberg District: 1 591 sites were planned and 1 512 delivered. 557 houses were planned and 541 delivered. Challenges here included contractor appointments and staff capacity.

• Central Karoo District: 570 sites were planned and 589 delivered. 287 houses were planned and 240 delivered.

• Eden District: 2 395 sites were planned and 2 024 delivered. 2 104 houses were planned and 1 813 delivered. Challenges here included contractor appointments.

• West Coast District: 1 162 sites were planned and 1 002 delivered. 656 houses were planned and 1 107 delivered. Here, projects at Graafwater, Doringbaai and Vredendaal were accelerated.

The department will be engaging intensively with stakeholders in the sector to work on developing viable solutions. The aim is to develop a set of viable and useful on- or near-farm accommodation options for typical Western Cape rural situations.

on 450 rental units in the Steenberg area.

Financing included a R31 million fund from provincial housing subsidies, R57 million from national social housing subsidies and R31 million from loan funding provided by the National Housing Finance Corporation and Dutch International Guarantees for Housing.

The main objective of the Steenberg project is to provide quality rental housing in welllocated parts of the city at prices affordable to the lower income group. This includes monthly income earners of between R2 500 and R7 500. The idea was to copy this housing model throughout other parts of the Western Cape, hence the birth of other similar social housing projects. Collectively, these projects will provide 1 960 new housing opportunities.

On the Steenberg project, the City of Cape Town signed a five-year public-private partnership with SOHCO, Communicare and the Cape Town Community Housing Company.

In doing so, it provided leasehold land/ buildings and access to subsidies, while the three companies will set up the financial arrangements with the city, and develop and manage the rental stock.

Most of the units in Phase 1 were completed in December 2010 and all the units were fitted with solar water geysers and a water retention system on-site to help reduce stormwater run-off during the Cape’s rainy winter season. Phase 2 consisted of the development of 150 units and has been delivered on. Phase 3 is currently in motion and will be situated opposite the train station in Steenberg at Militar y Road, consisting of 600 units – bumping up the initial discussion of 450 total units.

THE TALLEST AND BEST Murray & Roberts Western Cape was named the overall winner of the Building Contractors at the 2013 Construction World’s Best Projects awards for its work on Portside – Cape Town’s tallest building. Tasked with a fast-track construction period of only 26 months, the project team gained a competitive edge by playing intense attention to detail in the planning stages. The team formulated an intelligent methodology to generate optimal time efficiencies, which also benefited site safety.

IMIESA January 2014

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CITY OF CAPE TOWN

BOOSTING THE ECONOMY

Facelift for Container Terminal Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) is the countr y’s second largest terminal after Durban and is undergoing a massive R4.2 billion expansion programme in line with Transnet’s elaborate market demand strategy. IMIESA finds out more.

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UE TO ITS geographical location, the Port of Cape Town is the first port of call for North America and Europe, offering a unique advantage for handling time-sensitive cargo, such as fruit to Europe. In November 2013, the CTCT, which is situated at the Port of Cape Town, was named one of the world’s top 120 container ports – for the first time – by the 2013 Container Management Report. The achievement was a return on investment for port owner Transnet’s R4.2 billion expansion programme, which forms part of the stateowned company’s five-year R110 billion capital investment programme at the CTCT.

Global perspective Transnet’s market demand strategy (MDS) will see R307 billion being pumped into infrastructure development and refurbishment across its freight rail, ports and pipelines divisions until 2019/20. The objective of the MDS is to significantly boost the South African economy, with the creation of 588 000 direct and indirect jobs by the end period. Additionally, the MDS will see a huge shift in road to rail transportation and will open up the ports to more trade by increasing twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) capacity.

The anticipated slowdown in trade has become a reality, with world trade volumes having slowed to an estimated 3.5% in 2012. As a result, container port handling is also expected to have slumped. Global container traffic only grew around 3.4% in 2012, and the industry has experienced three poor profit years.

Completed work For the CTCT, the R4.7 billion expansion programme comes with the aim of increasing total TEU capacity from 700 000 TEUs to 1.4 million TEUs. Thus far, phases one and two have been completed and the terminal’s current throughput is 853 399. These phases included a 10 m extension of the quay wall at a depth of 15.5 m over the full 1 137 m length of the quay. The container stacking yard was also converted from a straddle carrier operation to a rubber-tyred gantry operation. The strategic advantage of a rubber-tyred gantry is dense container stacking, thereby providing better utilisation of space. As part of the expansion, the terminal acquired six new super post Panamax ship-to-shore gantry cranes, which will ensure more efficient and productive port operations.

In addition, major dredging, deepening and refurbishment work has already been completed on the first two phases.

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IMIESA January 2014

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

CREATING THE LARGEST MESH GLOBAL NETWORK

Getting connected

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HE WESTERN CAPE government has made one of the most significant commitments to delivering broadband in South Africa today.

Over the next 10 years, the Western Cape government will spend R1 billion on the provisioning of affordable broadband infrastructure. Infrastructure at a minimum network speed of 1 000 Mbps will be available to every town and village by 2030.

Three important items to ensure delivery of this plan include cost efficiency, increased effectiveness and improved government service delivery, and economic and social development. The Western Cape government views access to the Internet as a means of increasing job opportunities, improving education outcomes, increasing wellness and safety,

developing integrated and sustainable human settlements, and increasing social cohesion, among other factors.

Executed over three stages – namely, infrastructure, readiness (skills) and usage – the plan will effectively connect government to its citizens, thereby building a stronger, more stable economy. In fact, the plan estimates that 33 112 direct and indirect jobs will be created in the province per annum, following wide Internet access.

Khayelitsha to Mitchells Plain The province’s broadband plan includes connecting schools, Western Cape government buildings and rural libraries. Cape Town’s largest township, Khayelitsha, has become the latest district to benefit from the

broadband infrastructure project, with cityowned properties in Mitchells Plain, Ndabeni and the southern suburbs also getting their share of the IT pie in the 2013/14 financial year. While Telkom has shown interest in being part of this network – a partnership that could result in a reduced cost of broadband – this is yet to be confirmed. During a press conference in early 2013, Helen Zille, Western Cape Premier, said the province aimed to create the largest mesh global network within the next two years. Thus far, the city has invested just over R150 million in broadband infrastructure.

As part of the two-year goal mentioned

by Zille, the province is currently targeting 1 000 schools, aiming to provide them with broadband connectivity by 2014. Introducing such technology to all parts of the Western Cape will contribute to the development of one integrated smart city, shaping the province is a very exciting way indeed. Provincial government has made it very clear that this project will receive the financial backing it deserves.

IMIESA January 2014

Water treatment works Process design Planning, engineering and design Appropriate technology Process audits and condition surveys Project Management Contract administration Construction monitoring

AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. With approximately 45,000 employees around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets that it serves.

AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural, and social environments. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM serves clients in more than 140 countries and had revenue RI RYHU ELOOLRQ GXULQJ LWV oVFDO \HDU More information on AECOM and its services can be found at www.aecom.com

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CITY OF CAPE TOWN

FILTRATION

Decentralised water treatment De Kelders is a suburb of Gansbaai located in the Western Cape.

Both De Kelders and Gansbaai are supplied with potable water from various local freshwater fountains since its establishment in the early 1880s. By H Smit, director, Quality Filtration Systems

B

ASED ON AN investigation into the water resources for De Kelders by the then BKS (today known as AECOM SA) in 2008, the water supplied from the various fountains in and around De Kelders was classified to vary from “slightly brackish” to “moderately brackish”, and “hard” to “very hard”. This had resulted in scaling of calcium carbonates in the hot water cylinders and kettles of the residents. Historically, water supplied from these two fountains was only disinfected and

then pumped directly into the De Kelders and Gansbaai water distribution systems.

Following the above-mentioned investigation, and based on considerations related to the fountain yields and the economic viability of treatment of the fountain water, two fountains (i.e. the Klipgat and Grotte Fountains) were identified to be used for sustainable water supply to De Kelders. In terms of meeting the requirements from the SANS 241 Standard, the water supplied from the said two fountains had to be treated.

During 2010, the Overstrand Municipality initiated a project for the implementation of a new water treatment works (WTW) for De Kelders to treat the water supplied from the Klipgat and Grotte Fountains. The professional team appointed by the Overstrand Municipality

comprised the following companies: • BKS (now known as AECOM SA) – provision of engineering services • Quality Filtration Systems – Principal Contractor.

Construction of the new water treatment works commenced in June 2011 and was completed in May 2012. The water treatment process comprises both ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology, which are advanced and proven treatment technologies.

The use of this treatment technology enables minimisation of the footprint of the treatment works, the impact on the environment (visual impact, noise impact, etc.) and also water losses associated with the process. Detail of the water treatment process is briefly described below.

LEFT Ultrafiltration module

Overview of treatment process Water is blended from the two fountains at the new De Kelders WTW. An iron oxidation step was introduced at the intake of the raw water

BELOW LEFT Ultrafiltration process diagram BELOW RIGHT Ultrafiltration

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IMIESA January 2014

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

buffer tank using an aeration technique. From the raw water buffer tanks, the water passes through a strainer and is then pumped to the UF process. The UF filtered water is subsequently treated with a two-stage brackish water RO process. Partial blending of the RO permeate and UF filtrate is done followed by a disinfection step before water is transferred to the De Kelders Reservoir.

Ultrafiltration process The core component of the Memcor CP Unit is a membrane filtration module. Each L20 Module is made of a bundled group of hollow fibre membranes surrounded by a protective plastic screen and sealed with polyurethane “pots” at both ends. The pots allow filtered water to pass from the hollow inner core or lumen of the membrane fibres to the filtrate pipe sets. Each module is placed inside a module housing.

Each L20 Module becomes a serviceable filter element that can be removed from the CP Unit housing for repair or replacement.

During the filtration process, feed water enters the module array through the feed ports in the end pipe sets, passes into the filtration modules and through the membranes.

Filtrate exits the module array through the filtrate ports and pipework flowing to the filtrate storage tank or service discharge point.

All valves and pumps are controlled by the Master Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)..

The flow rate is monitored at the feed flow w meter and variable speed drive (VSD) con-trolled feed pump. The filtrate pressure iss indicated and sensed on a pressure gauge andd by a filtrate pressure transmitter on the filtratee side of the Module Array.

Reverse osmosis process The core component of the RO Unit is a RO Membrane Filtration Module (Low fouling brackish water membranes). Each module is made of a parallel bundle of flat sheet membranes wound around a central permeate core. Water flows between the flat sheet membranes. Spacers keep the membranes apart and allow the filtered water to pass through the membrane to the other side. The filtered water from each membrane accumulates in the permeate tube. The permeate tube transports the water out of the module to be accumulated on the outside of the pressure vessels in a clean water manifold.

WTW automation Measured data from the De Kelders WTW is trended and displayed in graph format. The

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IMIESA January 2014

results form a presentation of a risk study and will reflect any inconsistent operations at the WTW. The resulting graphs are also an indication of the quality of performance of the WTW’s production.

The following measurements are shown: • total volume water produced and incoming volume water • feed and final electrical conductivity to and from the WTW • final pH of treated water.

The level of automation and data collection allow the plant to operate without a permanent

operator. A weekly service is required to keep the plant operated and maintained.

Conclusion The small footprint and automation of the equipment ensures membrane-based technologies are successful for treatment of potable water in remote areas. The building design and equipment placement fits in with the residential nature of the environment. The reduction of water transfer costs and potential loss of water through leaks make decentralisation of water treatment an attractive option.

ABOVE Reverse osmosis skid A LEFT RO housing and module L BELOW De Kelders WTW equipment B

South Africa

SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

Ingérop South Africa is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering and project management company with more than 120 qualified personnel involved in various projects throughout Africa.

As a member of the Ingérop Group of companies - a long established privately-owned French consulting engineering firm currently employing more than 1,500 permanent staff members – we have immediate access to international expertise and technologies enabling us to continuously provide our clients with innovative and appropriate world-class solutions.

Established in 1957, Ingérop South Africa has developed strong capabilities to serve both the public and private sector clients in the fields of: infrastructure, public transport, energy, water, environment and socio economic studies. Our range of services include consulting and feasibility studies on any subject relevant to our disciplines, design and construction supervision, as well as commissioning of works on major projects.

Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is another key element of the company's business strategy. Our CSI initiatives are aimed at establishing and sustaining positive social development in our surrounding communities. With education being one of our primary CSI focus areas, we continuously concentrate on improving and uplifting previously disadvantaged schools.

Ingerop South Africa supports the MH Joosub Senior Secondary School in Lenasia

Hatfield Station, Pretoria

LJVBPL Raccordement de Laval – West France

Cahorra Bassa Dam, Mozambique

Vidin Calafat Bridge, Bulgaria

Head Office: Block E, Edenburg Terraces, 348 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia P.O Box 3867, Rivonia 2128, Tel: (011) 808 3000, Fax: (011) 808 3001, jhb@ingerop.co.za Offices situated in South Africa: Gauteng, Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal & Limpopo Also present in: Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique and Senegal

IMESA CONFERENCE

GROWTH, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND SADC EXPANSION

Meeting people’s needs The Institute of Municipal Engineers of Southern Africa (IMESA) hosted its 2013 conference in Port Elizabeth at the revitalised and hugely expanded Boardwalk Hotel and Casino. Held at a stunning venue, over a thousand registered delegates enjoyed high-quality presentations and some first rate field trips.

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HE PRESIDENT OF IMESA, Frank Stephens, delivered his address to a large gathering and drew a very specific focus to the key direction for the institute. Stephens noted that membership of the institute is undergoing a growth spurt. “I sign acceptance of more than 10 applications for membership a week. Happily, many of the applicants are young – a much needed demographic in municipal engineering. Membership of the institute now stands at around 1 200 and is set to grow further.”

Strategic partnership Institutes are vital to the functioning of their industry and the ongoing development of their members. Stephens appeared delighted to announce a strategic partnership with the South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE), having signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of SAICE’s Civilution initiative. This critical partnership makes perfect sense for South Africa today, focusing on the responsibility engineers play in building

and shaping society. Civilution aims to create cooperation between civil engineers and government – and IMESA is surely the nexus of that relationship.

Beyond South Africa’s border IMESA is taking steps towards representation in the SADC region and aims to aid and assist municipal growth in service and infrastructure delivery there. Stephens noted that IMESA has formally reached out to municipal engineers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Mozambique. Several countries have indicated a desire for membership of IMESA, with Zimbabwe likely the first to take this critical and exciting step. Stephens is a board member of the International Federation of Municipal Engineers and has attended two board meetings of the federation: one in New Zealand and the other in the US. Later this year, he will present a paper on IMESA in Iceland.

A serious voice Stephens concluded by noting that IMESA provides regular input at national government level and has engaged very seriously with Treasury, the South African Local Government Association, the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency and the Engineering Council TOP The Gala Dinner was held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium LEFT Leo Meijer of Evides Water, IMESA President, Frank Stephens and Simon Takawira Muserere of Harare Water

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IMIESA January 2014

of South Africa; these interactions are being sought out more and more. IMESA is a force to be reckoned with and continues to actively – and humbly – play its role in shaping the very country we live in. It is a proud and important time in municipal engineering.

Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO) Another very proud moment for South Africa and IMESA is the fact that one of IMESA’s members, Dr Martin van Leeven, was recently elected president of the FAEO. Van Leeven is a longstanding member of IMESA and is also the MD of ILISO consulting. The FAEO was formed in 2011 in Switzerland, is headquartered in Nigeria and has finalised its constitution.

Having a South African as its first president is an immense achievement.

Van Veelen addressed the audience at the opening event and focused on what sustainability is really all about. Noting the approaching deadline of the Millennium Development Goals and the fact that a great majority of them will not have been met, Van Veelen noted that these are to be replaced by so-called Sustainable Development Goals. Van Leeven made an important point that in this instance, sustainable does not relate to environmental concerns so much as infrastructure that lasts and works. These goals relate almost entirely to the sphere of municipal engineering and with the constitution of the FAEO, the ability to deliver on these goals is going to be far greater than ever before.

IMESA CONFERENCE

ABOVE Then President of CESA, Naren Bhojaram, attending sessions on the second day RIGHT Former president of IMESA, Jannie Petersen, promoting the 2014 conference, to be held in Durban LEFT Adrienne Vienings of Waster Concepts shares the stage with engineering student Sarel Van Baalen

Day one: Franchising, skills audits and public transport A groundbreaking presentation – Quality service delivery for the community by the community – was delivered by Oliver Ive of Amanz’ abantu. It showcased several pilot projects and was written by the partners in this project, including Dr Kevin Wall, Olive Ive and Jay Bhagwan of the Water Research Commission, among others.

Ive made a brilliant point: in many cities in Africa, you can buy a tank of petrol, hamburger and soft drinks, but for some reason, the water supply is either contaminated or erratic – or both. There can be only one reason for this: shortfalls in skills and management.

Since the petrol station and burger joint are functioning just fine – and they are all franchises – why then not use franchising in the water sector?

Several pilot projects have put this concept to the test. Social franchising is simply the application of the franchising concept to achieve socially beneficial ends. The relationship dynamic exists between the franchisor, the franchisee and the customer. Franchisors and franchisees are mutually dependant: the franchisee requires the expertise, the processes and sometimes the branding too – a business-in-a-box concept. The franchisor needs the franchisee to keep the business concept alive and growing. Customers most often make no distinction between the two.

The franchisor provides training, a quality management system and procedures, as well as the support of the off-site skills held by the franchisee.

The first pilot was in the Butterworth area where a need to provide sanitation services to the local schools was identified. The sanitation systems in many of the schools were so bad and poorly managed that many

children risked their lives on a daily basis. The objective was to test an outsourcing project, with franchisees applying their learned skills in emptying, cleaning and maintaining the system as franchisee business, run by themselves along uniform principles, practises and

standards. After an expected dropout rate, the franchisees that persevered have shown that franchising these traditionally municipal services can work, making a profound difference to the education and health of the communities. 

THE SOUTH AFRICAN GEOMATICS INSTITUTE SURVEYS IMESA 2013

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S THE VOICE of the South African survey profession, and the standard-bearer of surveying and geo-spatial services, the South African Geomatics Institute (SAGI) encourages members to provide appropriate solutions for land development, infrastructure service delivery, resource management, land reform and administration, and geo-spatial information.

SAGI’s rationale for being present at the IMESA conference is to make engineers aware of the importance of using correctly qualified and registered surveyors on projects where public money is being spent.

In this context, the conversations we had with engineers, from both private and public sectors, were very enlightening and informative. As we spoke with engineers, the following picture emerged: • Almost all engineers have had a bad survey delivered, often because they assume that the surveyor knows what should be measured and included in the dataset, and are then surprised and annoyed when they discover gaps in the data.

• Young municipal engineers do not seem to be aware of the importance and need to use registered surveyors. However, some older engineers from well-established municipalities understood the registration issue and insist on registered surveyors.

• Regarding registration, many engineers regard engineering and topographical surveyors as being non-registered, whereas they view land surveyors as being registered. Therefore when putting out tenders for strip and contour surveyors, engineers do not see the need to look for registered surveyors unless they are looking for a cadastral product.

• There is a need for guidelines on survey standards and specifications, and many engineers welcomed the fact that SAGI is working on standards and templates to assist them with calling for quotes and tenders. This need is evidenced by various confessions that tender specifications and standards are often simply compiled through “cut and paste” from previous documents.

As a result of SAGI’s involvement at the IMESA conference, the organisation is committed to continue promoting the need to appoint well-qualified surveyors who are registered either in the professional or technologist category. This drive is aimed at reducing the risk to engineers and municipal officials when appointing surveyors using public funds.

SAGI is also working towards providing clear guidelines for survey specifications, including tender templates, to help engineers when calling for quotes or tenders.

By helping consulting and municipal engineers better understand survey specifications and standards, SAGI aims to improve the quality of service delivery in South Africa by reducing fruitless and wasted expenditure on poor quality or defective surveys.

SAGI membership is voluntary and open only to people registered with the South African Council for Professional and Technical Surveyors. SAGI represents more than 70% of the registered surveyors in South Africa.

For more information on how SAGI can assist your company or municipality with survey standards and specifications, please contact one of the branches. Details can be found online at www.sagi.co.za.

IMIESA January 2014

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LEFT TOP Delegates kept the conference hall full each day, thanks to a well-chosen programme

There are several pilot projects on the go and more than 30 water- and sanitation-based franchise opportunities have been identified.

The full story is scheduled for publishing in the February 2014 edition of IMIESA.

Youngest presenter delivers Congratulations must go to Sarel van Baalen, a young master’s student in engineering management at the University of Stellenbosch.

Van Baalen is the youngest person ever to have presented a paper at IMESA, which he did with skill and confidence. Van Baalen has put his mind to the concept of selfassessments as a catalyst for change. The significant shortage of organisational capacity in local government has not responded well to any of the interventions to date. Van Baalen undertook a study to determine whether self-assessment – a valuable tool in the private sector – might not be effective in the municipal arena.

He concluded that the proposed Organisational Capacity Self-Assessment Model for South African Municipalities does indeed hold the potential for performance improvement. This will be tested in the Western Cape and IMIESA hopes to publish more of Van Baalen’s findings.

Winds of change Nelson Mandela Metro, home to Port Elizabeth, has taken some fantastic strides since the last time IMESA held its conference here 10 years ago and had much to offer in the way of technical tours. First on the list was Van Stadens Wind Farm, which consists of nine 3 MW Sinovel Wind Turbines currently being constructed, and is due for commission in February 2014.

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IMIESA January 2014

The wind farm is situated some 20 km outside Port Elizabeth above the coast line, near the Van Stadens River mouth. The project is now 90% complete, and the approach by bus was majestic. Seemingly out of nowhere, these huge structures emerge, complete with giant rotors.

They add an architectural appeal to the barren landscape and command attention. With nameplate production listed as 27 MW, this R500 million project will be making a valuable contribution to South Africa’s energy mix.

The project is aligned with the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme and Integrated Resource Plan, and will mitigate existing Eskom grid losses in the area, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

Located in one of the best wind energy areas in South Africa, the project uses state-of-theart technology and is designed to minimise any negative impacts on the environment and its neighbours. Local community members share in the benefits of the project through a 5% interest held through the MetroWind Community Trust. The wind farm will not only create facilities and jobs, but also increase knowledge and skills, and provide a strategic opportunity to foster a community that is uniquely positioned to benefit from the growth of sustainable economic development.

Crossways Farm Village The second technical tour was to Crossways Farm Village, a new rural village consisting of 560 ha of farmland surrounded by nature reserves. Homes, shops and outdoor facilities, as well as light commercial units are all part of a working farm whose profits are shared among the community.

The fundamentals of the project include living on a working farm in a safe, unspoilt country environment and enjoying a wholesome range of dairy products produced on-site as well as farm-fresh fruit and vegetables just about all year round, providing a country lifestyle.

Natural produce, solid services infrastructure and technology infrastructure have been incorporated from inception. Delegates who attended the tour were highly enthusiastic.

Other technical tours on offer included a visit to the Coega Industrial Development Zone.

LEFT BOTTOM SRK Consulting and Fiberpipe were two of the more than 80 exhibitors whose presence added value to the event

Gala Dinner Sponsored by Hatch Goba, this year’s Gala Dinner was held the highly impressive Nelson Mandela Stadium. Stephens kicked off the proceedings by praising the highly deserving local organising committee (LOC) for its excellent work.

The LOC has indeed done IMESA proud this year, and the Gala Dinner was packed with top-notch entertainment, excellent food and beverages, and the opportunity for the whole fraternity to let its hair down and get to know each other away from the pressures of the daily life of engineering.

Building on success – eThekwini 2014 There can no doubting the high level of excellence that exists in IMESA and its service providers, consultants, manufacturers and suppliers. While the high number of delegates and exhibitors spoke to a growing sector, the innovations and expertise that were evidenced in the conversations, presentations and field trips indicates that South Africa remains able to deliver the very best to its people.

It is essential not to let the political obstacles to the delivery of infrastructure and services to all of South Africans cloud the fact that we actually do have the skills and expertise to thrive. IMESA is actively responding to the challenges it faces: bringing in young engineers, engaging with engineering students, educating school children and inspiring them to consider engineering as a career. It is highly rewarding to observe. Congratulations must go to the institute and – most importantly – the Nelson Mandela Bay LOC for organising a highly memorable conference of great significance.

This year’s conference will be held in eThekwini and the LOC is already working overtime to ensure another excellent event. Entries for the IMESA/CESA Excellence Awards are open, with a closing date of 28 June. Only projects completed by the closing date will be accepted. Entry forms and award criteria can be found online at www.imesa.org.za. For any queries and further information, call Debbie Anderson on +27 (0)31 266 3263.

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CESA 2013

SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LEADERSHIP

Conference establishes The annual Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) conference was held in Cape Town late last year. A scene of lively debate and challenging questioning, the conference saw some real issues being tackled and an awareness that change is coming.

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HE DIVERSE PROGRAMME began with then incumbent CESA president, Naren Bhojaram, leading the way by wresting the conference theme, ‘Leadership – key to sustainability’, and digging deep into what this actually means for the industry. Unapologetic, Bhojaram placed the living of values in all matters above any talk, promises or agreements. While mindful of how he phrased his message, he pulled no punches: sustainability means making tough calls in an environment where only the strong and principled can be tolerated.

Bhojoram was followed by the deputy mayor of Cape Town, Ian Neilson, who picked up the topic and ran with it, citing the development of Cape Town as clearly based on leadership and tough measures.

Walking the sustainable walk Abe Thela, president of CESA, is a man of refined logic and used this quality to walk delegates through CESA’s recommendations to its members on achieving cross-enterprise sustainability. Integrating sustainability must be done methodically and it is proposed that all of CESA’s member firms prepare a simple sustainability report as part of their annual declaration documentation.

Due to the need to contextualise sustainability within the consulting engineering framework, a steering committee was formed, and based on their findings, a meaningful reporting protocol was developed that should guide member companies through the process.

The fundamental components of CESA’s sustainability model are a simple road map for any company to follow: • Acknowledge – What is the company’s responsibility in terms of sustainability • Define – What areas are important to the company

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IMIESA January 2014

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• Apply – Apply the reporting process • Participate – Ensure a comprehensive representation of all the company’s stakeholders are included and participate • Stock taking – Annually review sustainability in material terms.

The constituents of a CESA Sustainability Report include: • Organisational profile Core business and services; location of enterprise; and all

economic, environmental and social charters, principles or other initiatives to which the organisation subscribes. Because this model is based on components rather than process, each member company is able to properly shape it for relevance.

• Sustainability strategy overview Signed policies, description of material sustainability issues, organisation’s objectives and targets, and stakeholder engagements.

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CESA 2013

challenging path 6

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• Acknowledging CESA Sustainability Indicators Indicator one is education, indicator two is economic and political certainty, indicator three is jobs, indicator four is to eradicate corruption and indicator five is responsible development.

Thela was clearly encouraging all CESA members to integrate sustainability across their businesses, with reporting protocols and a mechanism of reflection that would ultimately lead to the relevant mind shifts necessary to see organisations walking the sustainability walk.

• the inclusion of black women in the ownership and management of construction companies and businesses • the acceleration of technical skills and capacity of black youth, disabled persons and provide job and employment opportunities • building the entrepreneurial capacity and sustainability of emerging black enterprises in the construction sector • creation of an environment in which there is economic inclusive growth and representative construction sector.

The Construction Sector Charter Council seeks to produce what it calls a ‘Baseline Repor t’. The key elements to establish include a factual and substantive annual report to the Department of Trade and

Industry, from which barriers to transformation can then be identified and isolated, and overcome.

Leadership – the key to sustainability Thabo Masombuka, CEO of the Construction Sector Charter Council, gave a powerful address, focusing on sustainability from an enterprise point of view, and put leadership at the heart of transformation.

The impor t of Masombuka’s message emerges from the Construction Sector Code, which is unambiguous in its message. The key purpose of the code includes: • the creation of sustainable jobs and longterm employment opportunities in the rural and urban areas where construction project are being rolled out

9

When gold comes swarming Jason Drew was the guest speaker on the opening day, and he brought with him a truly innovative story of sustainability.

Unashamedly a capitalist, Drew left the corporate world and found a completely new way of forging a sustainable career. Drew has turned to Mother Nature to find his direction and calls himself an eco-capitalist. Taking recycling to a whole new level, Drew looks to natural waste in sewage, manure and abattoir blood to find his pot of gold. Noting the immense volumes of nutrient-rich waste

1 (From left) Trueman Goba, Peter Viljoen, Thabo Masombuka, Poobie Govender, and Lefadi Makibinyane 2 Pieter Viljoen, MD: Public Infrastructure, Hatch Goba 3 Author, entrepreneur, chemist, journalist and seasoned speaker, Siya Mapoko, got the conference going on high note 4 Nyeleti Consulting director, Abe Thela, was officially welcomed as president at CESA’s 2013 Conference 5 GOBA Chairman and member of the National Planning Commission, Trueman Goba 6 CESA CEO, Lefadi Makibinyane 7 Pieter Viljoen thanks Trueman Goba for his participation 8 Naren Bhojaram of Royal HaskoningDHV and former CESA President, handed over his presidency at the 2013 conference 9 Panel discussions and audience engagement enhanced debate and freed the proceedings up 10 The next generation: young engineers abounded at this year’s conference

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CESA 2013

being discarded each and every hour in each and every corner of our planet, Drew wondered if one man’s junk was another man’s riches. Taking the natural life cycles as his road map, he wondered if he couldn’t capitalise on it and took his first steps towards industrialising fly farming. He has succeeded wonderfully, and this eco-industrialist has a lot to teach us all.

The panel discussions The panel discussions were a welcome format, and it was refreshing to see CESA choose this effective format instead of simply relying on the presentation of papers.

There were three panel discussions in total: Enterprise Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, and the National Development Plan and Special Infrastructure Projects.

Farewell to Naren Bhojaram, welcome to Abe Thela, CESA President 2014 This year’s conference saw the end of Naren Bhojaram’s term as president of CESA.

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Bhojaram took up his presidency in 2011, just a year after those heady days of the World Cup. From day one, he walked a clear line of support for initiative by the South African government to minimise and eliminate corruption, while being tough and realistic about the intense damage it is doing to South Africa. Bhojaram has not wavered from this stance in his two years as president and his direct approach has been responsible for the cultivation of robust and honest criticism, debate and action – not least of which was the establishment of a fund and a hotline for the reporting of corruption in the world of construction.

The healthy criticisms and debate that emerged at this year’s conference can be rightly attributed to the culture of openness and honesty he has sought to promulgate. Bhojaram, formerly director of Royal HaskoningDHV for Southern and Eastern Africa, has since been appointed director of Rivers, Deltas and Coasts at the company.

An extremely accomplished individual, he is a mentor at Business Unity South Africa

and is a former chairperson of the South African Netherlands Chamber of Commerce.

Despite the incredible demands on his time, Bhojaram’s passion for uplifting disadvantaged communities through education has seen him actively promoting community upliftment projects and establishing the Saturday School for previously disadvantaged school students – a concept has recently been extended to coach juvenile inmates in correctional facilities to enable them to achieve their matric whilst incarcerated. IMIESA congratulates Bhojaram for the impact he has made both during his presidency of CESA and throughout his career.

It is with immense pleasure that IMIESA welcomes Abe Thela, a director at Nyeleti Consulting, as the new president of CESA. Thela (BEng) is a Professional Engineer who has specialised in municipal engineering for many years. A man of utmost integrity, he is known to be extremely generous with his time, which is highly valuable, given his incredible work ethic and multitude of commitments.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

BIGEN AFRICA

Maximising critical assets With an integrated view of asset management, Bigen Africa is able to offer clients comprehensive asset management solutions, which helps them better understand their assets’ performance.

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HE COMPANY aims to maximise the development potential of the region and continent. The company facilitates the complete set of systematic and coordinated activities and practices through which an organisation optimally and sustainably manages assets and asset systems. Over time, Bigen Africa

legislation impacting on asset management activities and practices,” explains Kolosa Madikizela, principal: Project Management and Facilities Management at Bigen Africa.

“Our exper tise is applied to the accurate assessment of assets, risks and safety needs in order to optimise asset preser vation.”

Why businesses need it Effective asset management is very important because, in recent years, competitive pressures have forced organisations to minimise asset total cost of ownership and streamline their asset management operations. As downtimes become increasingly expensive, both in terms of lost production

TOOLS AND METHODS

B

igen Africa makes use of a number of efficient asset management systems. The most effective are computerised maintenance management systems, which can be tailor-made to suit specific organisations to ensure that they function within the relevant strategies and objectives.

Asset management tools and methodologies used for preparation of infrastructure asset registers include, among others: • asset hierarchies coupled with a suited asset coding convention • depreciation replacement cost methodology depicted in a illustrative life cycle cost inter ventions based on condition assessment • asset assessment by using infrastructure assessment field guides.

With regard to equipment and software, some of the most common include: • Trimble handheld devices containing electronic asset field capturing forms and built-in GPS and camera • computerised asset management system, including the IMQS fixed-asset register module • other software including GIS software, CAD software, SQL database software, and IMQS valuation and financial asset register capabilities • computerised maintenance management system known as WISDOM.

has established a reputation for empowering clients to reap the benefits of good asset management and to resolve their infrastructure challenges.

Effective management Effective and proactive asset management is ver y important for ensuring that government departments get clean audits. The first step for government is to ensure that they have a relevant, up-to-date and accurate register of all their assets, in order to plan for better asset maintenance management. “We add additional value by ensuring compliance with the Public Finance Management Act / Municipal Finance Management Act, GRAP, National Treasur y regulations, Government Immovable Asset Management Act and other

Municipalities – or any organisation for that matter – can view their assets from the asset register and plan for maintenance and management in a sustainable and strategic manner.

“We work towards increased asset performance, decreased risk and optimised expenditure over the complete life cycles of assets and asset systems. Our asset management capability includes an intimate knowledge of the numerous acts, standards, guidelines and regulations impacting on the management of physical assets in the infrastructure environment,” she adds. It must be noted that asset management is not a concern isolated only to government; it is a concern for private sectors as well, though arguably to a lesser degree.

capacity and unfavourable publicity, organisations are compelled to maximise their asset productive life cycles via optimal asset maintenance programmes. “Asset management can no longer be viewed as a simple accounting tool,” Madikizela says. “More technical and engineering understanding needs to be brought into in order to ensure that all aspects of infrastructure assets are considered in order to maximise the profitability of critical assets.”

t +27 (012) 842 8700 • www.bigenafrica.com

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LIFE CYCLE ASSET PORTFOLIO RENEWAL OPTIMISATION

Drakenstein Municipality leading the way All municipalities in South Africa have to manage large por tfolios of infrastructure assets. The optimisation of ser vice levels, risk and expenditure for all assets over the entire asset life cycle, presents a unique challenge for these organisations. By Francois Joubert, senior asset management consultant, Aurecon; Deon du Plessis, head of Department (Civil Engineering), Drakenstein Municipality; Dr Chris von Holdt, unit manager: Environment & Advisory Services, Aurecon; and Abrie Fourie, engineer, Aurecon

D

RAKENSTEIN MUNICIPALITY is the largest local government in the Western Cape Province of South Africa after the City of Cape Town.

It delivers infrastructure support services to more than 260 000 people with an infrastructure asset portfolio comprising more than 32 000 individual infrastructure assets.

The municipality’s capital budget is typically in the order of 6% of the replacement value of the infrastructure and this amount must cover both the renewal of existing assets, as well as network expansions necessary to provide and improve services to customers. The asset managers at Drakenstein Municipality therefore face a significant challenge in apportioning the limited capital budget so as to maximise service delivery whilst maintaining asset condition and minimising the risk of asset failures.

The solution developed by Drakenstein Municipality is based upon asset portfolio optimisation models typically used to plan renewal programmes for road networks. This approach was extended to cover all of the other infrastructure categories typically managed Asset data

Renewal treatments and tactics

Risk & impact of failure model

Lifecycle modelling N Budget (Capital, Maintenance)

Affordable

by them. This has enabled the Drakenstein Municipality to optimise the performance of the entire asset portfolio, within specific risk and budgetary regimes. The model uses a sophisticated risk model which considers the social, environmental and economic risks associated with infrastructure services to prioritise capital renewal interventions.

Leading the way Drakenstein Municipality is one of the leading local governments with regards to the implementation of advanced asset management initiatives. The municipality was one of the first to complete comprehensive infrastructure asset registers along with the business processes required for the updating and maintenance of the registers.

While this has enabled the municipality to achieve compliance with the requirements of Generally Recognised Accounting Practice in terms of the financial treatment of its infrastructure assets, it also provides the municipality with a very good dataset to be used for modelling the renewal requirements of the asset portfolio.

The techniques described in this article were subsequently developed based upon the asset register originally compiled for financial compliance. The asset renewal needs for the infrastructure categories of electricity, road transport, sanitation, solid waste disposal, stormwater and water supply were covered in the modelling.

Y 20 Year capital renewal plan

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FIGURE 1 Asset portfolio renewal modelling process

The model The high-level process followed to complete the asset renewal modelling is illustrated in Figure 1, which will be used as the basis for this article. Primary inputs to the life cycle portfolio model are: • asset data • asset renewal treatments and tactics • risk- and impact of failure model.

The life cycle model is then used to optimise renewal and maintenance expenditure based upon certain budget scenarios and, if affordable, will enable the production of a prioritised 20-year asset renewal project list.

Asset data Existing asset data is the foundation for the renewal model. It is therefore important to ensure that the following attributes are collected for each of the infrastructure assets to be modelled: • asset description, quantity and quantity unit • current replacement cost (CRC), the cost to replace the asset with a similar asset at current prices • construction date, in order to determine the age of the asset • expected useful life (EUL) and estimated remaining useful life (RUL) of the asset in years. The operating conditions, e.g. environment and usage of the asset should be considered in determining these values.

• asset condition expressed as an index, where the condition of a new asset is 100%.

In addition, an assessment of the confidence level of the asset information is useful. In some cases, such as buried assets or where original

ASSET MANAGEMENT

TABLE 1 Types of assets included in the analysis for Drakenstein Municipality

Service type Facility type High voltage (HV)

design information is no longer available, it is necessary to estimate some of the above attributes, and an awareness of the accuracy of the data will enhance the modelling process.

The asset types included in the Drakenstein renewal analysis are listed in Table 1.

Asset renewal treatments and tactics Because different assets deteriorate in different ways, the determination of appropriate asset renewal treatments (“what must be done to the asset and when”) for each asset is an important input into the renewal model.

Appropriate asset renewal tactics (“what are the appropriate treatments for the type of asset”) need to be defined as inputs to the renewal model along with the timing of when in the asset life that treatment will be appropriate.

Medium voltage substation Bulk water pipeline

Pipes

High voltage substation Electricity Low voltage (LV) Medium voltage (MV)

Dam Pump station Water supply Reservoir

Water treatment works Stormwater

Solid waste disposal

Channel Culvert Landfill Transfer stations Bulk sewer pipeline Pump station

Sanitation

Road transport

HV overhead line; HV underground cable Auxiliary transformer; battery tripping unit; circuit breaker; current transformer; voltage transformer, earth switch; HV switchgear; neutral earthing resistor; other assets such as fences, access roads and buildings; outdoor AIS isolator; panels; power transformer; voltage transformer LV underground cable Consumer connection cable; street light cable Distribution transformer; mini substation; MV overhead line; MV underground cable; ring main unit Battery tripping unit; MV switchgear, ring main unit, Distribution transformer

Water pipeline

1. Asset deterioration The condition of an asset will deteriorate over its life, from a condition of 100% (“as new”) up to the point where it loses its ability to provide the intended service. The deterioration of an asset goes through a number of phases, depending on the asset type. These phases are based upon a typical asset life as illustrated in Figure 2.

In this example, condition 60 to 40 represents a phase where it is cost-effective to do a light rehabilitation of the asset. (This phase is called the Light Rehabilitation Band.

A phase where the asset still delivers a service, but the condition has deteriorated to such an extent that it is not cost-effective to spend money on its renewal is shown by condition 40 to 20. The asset is therefore allowed to deteriorate up to a point where it does nott provide the service anymore.

Condition 20 to 0 shows a phase where thee asset does not deliver the intended servicee anymore and needs to be reconstructed. Thiss phase is called the Reconstruction Band. Thee asset deterioration curves and bands aree unique for different asset types and suchh deterioration curves can be calibrated usingg asset specific variables.

Description of typical assets

Sewage treatment works Sewer pipeline Road Structure Taxi rank

Civil structure; other assets such as fences and access roads Civil structure; electrical plant; mechanical plant; other assets such as buildings and fences Civil structure; electrical plant; other assets such as fences and access roads Pipes Civil structure; electrical plant; mechanical plant; other assets such as fences & access roads Civil structure Civil structure Civil structure; other assets such as fences and access roads Civil structure; other assets such as fences and buildings Pipes Civil structure; electrical plant; mechanical plant; other assets such as fences, buildings & access roads Civil structure; electrical plant; mechanical plant; other assets such as fences & access roads Pipes Civil structure Civil structure Civil structure; other assets such as fences

2. Asset treatments Appropriate asset treatments need to bee defined for each asset type and the life cyclee FIGURE 2 shows Condition 100 to 60 as an initial phase where the asset provides a good service and renewal work is not cost-effective

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FIGURE 3 Asset deterioration curves for different renewal tactic options

treatments are triggered for assets where a ‘Do nothing’ renewal tactic is selected and the asset ceases to provide any service at the end of its useful life.

The typical asset deterioration curves for each of the renewal tactics is shown in Figure 3.

characteristics of the asset. asset The cost of asset treatments is typically inversely proportional to the condition of the asset, i.e. as the asset deteriorates, the cost of returning the condition to “as new” increases.

2a. Categorisation of assets In order to simplify the modelling of the deterioration behaviour of different types of assets, they were grouped according to their deterioration characteristics, as follows: • pipelines • civil structures and other assets • electrical and mechanical plant.

Some of the asset deterioration characteristics considered for each group of assets were: • Pipelines: Usually only full reconstruction treatments are possible because it is not really feasible to do minor repair treatments on.

• Civil Structures and other assets: Infinite light rehabilitation treatments at a reduced cost are possible. The underlying assumption is that civil structures can be maintained at a good condition with proper structural repairs and other assets without moving parts can be treated similarly.

• Electrical and Mechanical Plant: Lightt rehabilitation treatments are possible duringg the lifespan of the asset, but it can only bee applied a limited amount of times before thee asset needs to be replaced.

2b. Asset renewal tactics The asset treatment programme for an assett will be determined by the renewal tactic adopt-ed for a specific asset, and this is thereforee a key input into the renewal model. The fourr main types of asset renewal tactics that can typically be adopted are as follows: • RTF: Run to failure and full replace at thee end of the asset’s lifetime. This tactic iss appropriate for many types of municipal infra-structure, but must be supFIGURE 4 Facility and network redundancies ported by an

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IMIESA January 2014

inspection programme so that the failure of the asset can be detected. An example of an appropriate RTF strategy would be street lighting, where the lights are only repaired after failure. No treatments are triggered for assets where an RTF renewal tactic is selected.

• LLL: Perpetual light renewals. This tactic is suitable for assets for which the lifetime can be significantly extended through regular light renewals. An example would be building structures where regular repairs and painting will ensure a very long lifetime.

Repeated minor repairs would therefore be done on assets with an LLL renewal tactic.

• LRL: Light renewals alternating with full replacements. A good example of assets where this renewal tactic is appropriate is lightly trafficked urban roads, where a programme of regular resealing of the road, and a major rebuild at the end of the road’s lifetime is an appropriate approach. Alternating full- and minor repairs would therefore be done for assets with an LRL renewal tactic.

• DN: Run to failure and do nothing. This is a situation where there are insufficient funds available to do work on an asset. No

3. Risk and impact of failure model The renewal model uses a risk and impact of failure model to select the most appropriate renewal strategies for each asset, based on the available budget. A comprehensive risk model is therefore a primary input into the renewal model, where the risk associated with the failure of each asset in the asset register was calculated by multiplying the probability of failure with the consequence of the failure.

3a. Probability of failure The probability of failure of every asset was determined using the remaining life as a proxy variable so that as the asset ages, the probability of failure increases. It should be noted that the remaining life estimate already constitutes all the factors that may affect the asset and lead to it no longer being able to deliver the required level of service. Such factors may include usage, soil condition, breakage history and specific operating conditions.

3b. Consequence of failure Consequence of failure was determined by considering four different impacts: • environmental • health and safety • financial loss • service delivery.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

FIGURE 5 Twenty-year impact on average asset condition of various budget scenarios

The consequences of each of these were determined in conjunction with Drakenstein Municipality’s departmental managers, using 10 point scales with agreed relative weightings between the factors.

Municipal infrastructure assets are typically located in facilities and networks, as follows: • Networks: such as water, sewer, roads and electrical • Facilities: such as mini substations, reservoirs, water treatment works, pump stations.

These facilities and networks have the inherent redundancies illustrated in Figure 4.

The redundancy of assets within a facility is shown in the accompanying figure on the left hand side as pump station A with two pumps, a service pump and a standby pump. The redundancy of facilities within the system is shown in the figure on the right hand side as a duplicate pump station serving the same service reservoir. The consequence of the failure of assets is therefore affected by the degree of redundancy of facilities and networks, and this was taken into account in the risk model.

which is a powerful decision support tool for making consistent and informed decisions concerning the life cycle of assets. The software uses a heuristic optimisation that is a combination of true optimisation and prioritisation methods. This enables the process to be computerised with calculations that can be done in an acceptable time frame on a large number of assets.

The software allows the user to configure the asset deterioration curves, treatment types and treatment costs for the different asset types. These parameters are used in life cycle analysis for a specific budget to prioritise the treatment of assets in a logical way, based upon the minimisation of the risk to the organisation, in order to stretch the available budget as far as possible.

4b. Incorporating budgetary constraints Municipalities typically have limited financial resources for asset renewals. The most

significant benefit from the renewal model is therefore the ability to prioritise the most critical renewals and treatments in a situation of limited funds.

The impact of reduced budgets on the following can be modelled: • municipal risk • frequency of asset failures • asset condition.

In order to optimise renewal spend and identify the point of diminishing returns, a number of budget scenarios are usually modelled as follows: • an unconstrained budget (UCB) is used to determine the impacts if funding is unlimited • the zero budget (ZB), where no funding is available.

The unconstrained and zero budgets represent the outer envelopes of the results. In order to obtain a number of options within these outer envelopes the performance of the portfolio is also modelled for an initial estimated budget, obtained by averaging the unconstrained budgets per year. The initial estimated budget plus 50%, (PLUS 50) and the initial estimated budget minus 50% (MIN 50) is then determined as additional parameter points. The current municipal budget (CB) is then plotted on this curve to identify where the municipality falls with its CB. By plotting the six budget scenarios, a point of diminishing returns can be identified, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 with regards to the performance of the portfolio when measured through asset condition and risk exposure.

A point of diminishing returns can be identified from these graphs, where additional expenditure has a limited impact on condition

4. Life cycle renewal modelling In the last step, the various inputs too the renewal model, namely the asset data, the asset renewal treatments and tactics, and the risk and impact of failure model, can be combined with different budgetaryy scenarios to optimise the renewal of thee asset portfolio.

4a. dTims-CT modelling The renewal modelling was done using thee dTiMS-CT life cycle analysis software solution, FIGURE 6 Twenty-year impact on risk exposure of various budget scenarios

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FIGURE 7 Twenty-year impact on asset condition under various budget scenarios

different budgets on the performance of the asset portfolio.

Furthermore, the long-term impacts on municipal risk exposure under different budget scenarios can be modelled as shown in Figure 8 to assist with the communication of the long-term impact of funding levels on the risk to the municipality.

FIGURE 8 Twenty-year impact on municipal risk exposure under various budget scenarios for the water supply service.

improvement or risk reduction. This is represented by the estimated budget (EB). As illustrated in Figure 6, it is evident that there are benefits that can be achieved by increasing the budget above current levels, especially in terms of risk reduction.

4c. Typical results from the renewal model The renewal model produces a variety of reports to be used to assist with the budgeting process on an annual basis.

Using a selected overall budget level, the split in the budgets for the different asset classes (departments) can be calculated on an equitable basis, eliminating the typical approach of “silo budgeting”. Because these budgets are based on actual asset condition,

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IMIESA January 2014

optimised renewal treatments and risk exposure to the municipality, they are a useful tool to guide the municipality and remove the “last year plus inflation” approach to budgeting that is sometimes encountered.

Since the portfolio analysis is based on actual asset treatments and renewals, the underlying information is an obvious starting point in the compilation of a renewal project list. However, an interim step where individual asset renewals are grouped into projects needs to be undertaken in order to programme the renewals in a logical way.

The long-term impacts on average asset condition under different budget scenarios can be modelled as illustrated in Figure 7 to illustrate the long-term effects of the

Conclusion Drakenstein Municipality has developed a risk-based asset renewal model to aid with the long-term planning of infrastructure investments. This tool has proved valuable in optimising budgets. It is based on the standard financial asset register that all municipalities are required to compile, and can therefore be replicated elsewhere.

In this regard, it is valuable to note some lessons learnt and proposed improvements, as a conclusion to this article: Ongoing improvements in the accuracy of data in the infrastructure asset register need to remain a continuous process. An accurate asset register cannot be established within a short period, especially with hidden assets such as pipelines. Processes are required where maintenance and operating staff can continuously update the asset data as they work with the assets in the field. In this regard, Drakenstein Municipality has identified and documented all of the different processes that may affect its infrastructure assets, and have implemented steps to capture asset changes as they occur, in order to continuously improve the quality of its asset data.

Asset condition assessments should be done at regular intervals on critical assets to ensure that the risk of failure of these assets can be estimated with confidence.

A comparison of the theoretical outputs to actual budgets and projects is very useful and insightful. The first iteration of the asset portfolio analysis can be used to establish best-practice benchmarks, but these outputs should also be calibrated in order to accurately reflect actual conditions within the organisation.

It is important to track the operational and maintenance expenditure to calibrate condition assessments, and to develop and implement formalised maintenance schedules in order to ensure infrastructure assets achieve their full, expected lifespan.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

LAYERS OF ASSETS AND INFORMATION INTEGRATION

Infrastructure Management Query Software Infrastructure managers are increasingly subject to tight financial controls, pressure on existing infrastructure and the challenge of comprehending huge volumes of data across different asset classes.

I

NFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT Query Software (IMQS) has risen to the challenge of integrating the different asset layers with the associated layers of information. With more than 80 clients worldwide, including six of South Africa’s eight metros, this company has released Version 8 of its groundbreaking software which provides a holistic view of various types of assets and information presented graphically in an integrated asset management, GIS-based system.

Road Maintenance Management System IMQS provides a web based spatially enabled Pavement Management System application that contributes to our integrated Asset Management and Asset Registering suite of products. The Pavement Management System is a clearly defined set of procedures for collecting and analysing relevant pavement condition data to identify quantify and prioritise maintenance and rehabilitation needs of an entire road network. The system allows the

user to prepare budgets and work programmes (pro-active maintenance prioritisation), which in turn allows decision makers to provide optimum solutions for the funds available. Further, the system allows the user to analyse and model the condition of road segments and to report the conclusions in a variety of formats for different levels of management.

These formats include reports, graphs and maps. The entire road network is defined geospatially and displayed through the spatial map viewer. This network forms the basis of the roads infrastructure asset inventory in the municipal infrastructure asset register.

A pavement management system is essential for monitoring road networks and for communicating information and maintenance needs.

It ensures that available funds are spent in the right place at the right time to restrict the future reconstruction of roads to a minimum.

The management process is changed from a usually subjective method to a formalised

The Big 6 principle The company believes that an integratedd infrastructure asset register should be built upp from the ground level infrastructure inventoryy through an integrated system to provide thee infrastructure asset register with the correctt base data. It defines the Big 6 infrastructuress as water, sewer, roads, stormwater, electricityy (power), and property and buildings.

Water management system Urban water management is characterised byy a supply-sided approach throughout Southernn Africa. This traditional approach focuses on the development of more supply – namely the construction of new dams, reservoirs, tanks, reticulation systems and major water transfer schemes – based on the presumed need for new infrastructure. The need now arises for an alternative approach as supply-sided solutions only postpone the inevitable. Demand management aims at reducing the need for new supply infrastructure through a range of measures including: conservation-based tariff structures, effective water loss management, reuse of wastewater and creation of awareness.

FIGURE 1 (ABOVE) Pavement performance and prediction to project different funding scenarios and their effect on future road condition trends FIGURE 2 (RIGHT) Deterioration prediction of both surface and structure of a selected road link to determine optimal maintenance actions and to “predict” remaining useful life

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scientific method, ensuring that the total road network is maintained at an acceptable standard in an optimised manner.

Stormwater management IMQS provides a web-based spatially enabled Stormwater Management System application that contributes to our integrated Asset Management and Asset Registering suite of products. Stormwater is a strategic challenge to any authority and the resolution of these challenges can appeal to farmers, road authorities, municipal authorities and developers alike.

Rainfall cannot be managed; it can at best be predicted. Run-off can however be managed through infiltration, attenuation, evaporation and conveyance. Creative sustainable management remains a challenge, whether to create an attractive source of fresh water or to minimise disasters. In managing stormwater, extensive infrastructure is required to address the diverse management needs of, for example, floodplains adjacent to rivers, dams, wetlands, pipes, culverts or canals. Providing the services and the maintenance thereof is therefore a major challenge. Management systems should therefore also allow the user to define the stormwater infrastructure asset inventory that will form the basis of the stormwater assets in the authority’s asset register.

The system provides a facility whereby the Stormwater Management Service Department would be able to: • define the stormwater infrastructure asset inventory • minimise disruptions and damage • ensure residents are safe at all times • utilise the benefits of rainfall run-off • optimise funding towards stormwater management.

The system provides the following features: • the stormwater infrastructure inventory defined for asset register purposes • the capacity of the stormwater network, runoff peaks and volumes • the effect of simulated high flows • the magnitude and locality of problem areas • the priorities of the different problem areas • the budget needed to solve the identified problem areas • the maintenance needs of the stormwater infrastructure.

Solid waste management IMQS provides a web-based spatially enabled Waste Management Service Infrastructure application that contributes to our integrated Asset Management and Asset Registering suite of products. The system allows the Waste Management Ser vice Department to capture base data related to Waste Management Service infrastructure sites as well as view fixed assets contained within these sites. Additionally, a document linking facility would be provided in order to spatially link, search and retrieve documents.

The system provides the following features: • viewing a list of all fixed asset-components from the IMQS Valuation Asset Register as a snapshot-in-time • providing a standard capturing input form whereby Waste Management Services would capture the minimum required data, pertaining to Waste Management Service sites, in order to - establish base data for the MIS - establish a process to capture new asset data • ensuring extensive reporting over the data captured in the Waste Management Service Infrastructure MIS as a snapshot-in-time • ensuring the ability for document linking, searching and retrieval through spatial and logical, text-search functions.

Pipe integrity inspections The Pipe Integrity Inspection module provides the user with the capability to navigate through countless hours of CCTV footage of underground FIGURE 3 Stormwater network definition as well as visual representation of effects of high run-off on a particular section of the stormwater network

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pipe networks within a georeferenced environment. The ability to visually assess the condition, capacity and utilisation of underground pipe networks opens up a total new meaning to integrated infrastructure asset management seeing that these attributes can be transferred seamlessly to the component of that specific infrastructure element in the financial asset register.

Asset management/compliant asset register The Accounting Standards Board is required in terms of the PFMA to determine Standards of Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP). IMQS’s geospatially based GRAP compliant asset management modules render asset information across more than 80 metropolitan, local and district municipalities in South Africa.

LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT Reporting solutions / overview IMQS is an easy-to-use reporting and querying application. Reporting is done in the form of alphanumeric reports, graphs and GIS-type maps.

Reports are generated on selection from the basic data and reflect the status in the data warehouse. All reporting is done in a predefined format but allows for customisation by the user as well as additions and modifications by IMQS as requested by clients.

Due to the fact that IMQS is based on a modular concept, where reporting is done per infrastructure or asset type, the user can obtain reports or perform queries for a single asset type (e.g. water distribution or road system) only, or for multiple asset types simultaneously. The data hierarchy also allows for reporting at different levels of detail.

The total IMQS reporting functionality and data warehouse structure allows for comprehensive reporting on strategic, management and operational level.

TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING

METERING AND WATER LOSS

Bad metering, bad billing,

bad water security Much has been written about the unacceptably high non-revenue water losses suffered by most municipalities.

It is common knowledge that there are few water supply authorities that can claim a water loss of less than 30% of their potable water input.

I

T IS ASSUMED, with good reason, that one of the primar y factors for this incredible water loss is aging reticulation infrastructure. Two primar y components of a water reticulation infrastructure are pipework and meters. A number of municipalities have recognised the importance of accurate metering, both from the view point of increased revenue recover y from billing and, perhaps even more importantly, identifying where the water losses are occurring.

Regulating replacement The accuracy of volumetric-type mechanical water meters used mainly for domestic metering deteriorates over time. This deterioration results in ever-increasing volumes of water not being measured. Some municipalities have identified this and are actively embarking on meter replacement programmes. In Germany, for example, the legal requirement for the replacement of mechanical domestic meters is six years. The South African Water Meter Manufacturers’ Association has proposed legislation setting the target at ever y

10 years. The reality at present is that the vast majority of meters in this countr y have been in ser vice for between 10 and 15 years.

“There is no economic sense in repairing or recalibrating old water meters (frequently 15 or more years old) when far more costefficient and accurate technology is now available. In the first instance, old water meters that have been repaired are generally not compatible with new data transmission technologies – a pre-requisite for efficient reticulation management. Secondly, new generation meters have vastly improved measuring ranges and superior accuracy,

“It is generally accepted that, on average, more than 35% of all water fed into the municipal reticulation systems is unaccounted for” which render old meters inefficient and inaccurate. There are immense savings to be made from embracing smart technology in the water sector” said Basil Bold, managing director of Sensus South Africa.

He continues: “It is generally accepted that, on average, more than 35% of all water fed into municipal reticulation systems is unaccounted for, i.e. lost due to pipe bursts, leakage, reser voir over flows, theft, inaccurate metering and purification losses. I believe the starting point to address these issues is better measurement. Improved

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TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING

measurement offers possibilities to identify and address major inefficiencies, develop new holistic water management strategies and educate the consumer with a view to encouraging a culture of water conser vation. The average consumer is probably more aware of the price of a litre of milk than how much their water bill is and why.

Measurement is knowledge, and the implementation of smart technology within our water sector is, I believe, the way for ward to addressing the countr y’s critical water issues.”

Besides some tweaking, the fundamental components and basic principle of commonly used volumetric domestic meters have not changed in over 30 years. The question needs to be asked as to the effectiveness of meter replacement programmes given the relatively short accurate lifespan of the replacement meters.

New meters, more saving A project undertaken by one of the largest and most proactive municipalities in South Africa revealed an average improvement of 9% in billing, after replacing the older mechanical meter technologies with new and improved technologies. These findings indicate that staying with meters where technologies have remained basically static for decades is a costly exercise.

Smart metering, smart grids At the recent international Water Berlin exhibition, it was interesting to note that all of the major meter manufacturers were exhibiting the next generation of smart meters, which in most cases extended beyond the smar t meters to a so-called “smart grid” capable of assimilating TOP The iPerl smart water meter RIGHT The Volumetric Meter with Smart Meter Module.

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IMIESA January 2014

and transferring data on both water and electricity meters directly to a central database in near real time.

The new generation of smar t

meters incorporates two basic features: a measuring technology having no moving parts and an electronic radio frequency inter face allowing for remote reading of the meters. The fact that smart meters are not subject to wear means that their accurate service life can extend to 10 years and, in the case of the new Sensus iPerl, even guarantee an accurate ser vice life of 15 years.

Total cost and benefits The downside of the new technology is the initial capital outlay, which could be three or more times that of conventional mechanical meters.

Although the electronic meter is more expensive, the cost of installation and ownership is greatly reduced. These meters do not require a protective housing, the cleaning of strainer blockages or replacement due to stoppages. They can be installed off the verge within the customer’s property, resulting in less tampering and vandalism. Additionally, meter reading errors are eliminated as these meters are read remotely. Despite incontrovertible evidence reflecting a staggering drop in water loss coupled with a substantial increase in revenue, it requires a leap of faith to make the change to smarter metering technology.

The interim solution is to opt for a newer generation volumetric meter that has been smar t meter enabled.

Typically, this entails a volumetric meter employing the ver y latest construction materials, which are lighter, more sensitive and have better wear resistance. More impor tantly, however, it can be fitted with an intelligent RF module. The module replaces the old and unreliable reed switch, which is not suitable for billing purposes, with an accurate, highresolution inductive inter face. The module incorporates the intelligence normally associated with a true smart meter such as a meter serial number, total recorded volume,

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TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING

for ward/reverse flow, leak detection, etc.

This information is transmitted at frequent inter vals to the central database. Besides ensuring accurate billing, it allows water supply authorities to warn consumers of possible leaks and excessive consumption in near real time.

The prepaid dilemma Another alternative is prepaid water meters.

While prepaid electricity meters have been proven in this countr y, and indeed in many developed countries, the same cannot be said of prepaid water systems. The fundamental difference between prepaid water and prepaid electricity is the fact the electricity meters have power available to drive the data transmission module whereas prepaid water is reliant on batter y power, which is also required to operate the shut off valve. As a result, prepaid water meters are

44

costly devices incorporating a mechanical water meter, a mechanical shut-off valve and the necessar y electronic control hardware.

Unlike electricity prepaid meters, the meters are installed externally and exposed to the elements and are more likely to be exposed to tampering. Prepaid water systems require the installation of a costly secondar y billing system required to manage credit loading and management of tokens. Perhaps the biggest issue relates to the perception that the shutting off of water as a result of payment default is perceived as punitive. This results in consumers rejecting the system and actively looking for ways to bypass or disrupt it.

Finally, there is also the health issue, which forbids the total cut off of water to consumers as well as the legal nightmare should the water supply be shut off during a fire.

A culture of accuracy support a culture of payment There is a perception that consumers do not want to pay for water, but one of the surprising outcomes of smart water installations is the fact that bad debt and the legal costs of debt recover y reduces to a point where it is no longer a major loss factor. It has been noted that the average consumer will accept the responsibility to pay if the bill is accurate, timeous and easy to pay (by mobile phone, for example). Furthermore, being kept informed of consumption (which includes warnings of possible leaks or excessive consumption) encourages consumers to manage their water consumption.

It is generally accepted by leading water meter manufacturers that smar t metering solutions will supersede both current mechanical metering systems and prepaid metering systems.

IMIESA January 2014

Specialist Waste Management Consultants Sustainable and appropriate engineering solutions with integrity and professionalism

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VOLVO TRUCKS

Dynamic Steering P R E C I S I O N I N N OVAT I O N S

MAN TRUCK AND BUS World-class and affordable public transport solutions

AMMANN AND ELB CONSULTING A partnership for life

PAN MIXERS SOUTH AFRICA Africa’s largest manufacturer of concrete brick, block and paving machinery IMIESA January 2014

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CENTREPIECE | INSIDE

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING AND SERVICES VEHICLES

Introduction The machiner y and vehicles that go into municipal infrastructure and ser vices are highly specialised and require large investments.

T

HE SCOPING OF A municipal project hinges on the equipment and machinery already available, and the expense and logistics of making up the shortfall, be that through purchase or rental.

In this, the first edition of Centrepiece, two leaders in the supply of bus and truck equipment provide insight into their latest offerings, as well the nature of the business of supplying bus operators, including training and maintenance.

SERVICES Public services use a wide variety of specialised vehicles, some with unique specifications and others already on the books. Services include public transport, emergency services, fire services, waste management and VIP services.

MATERIALS’ EQUIPMENT We then move to the machinery involved transporting, storing and mixing the materials used to build our infrastructure. Two suppliers of materials and equipment focus on the importance of ensuring topquality materials, storage and delivery.

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CONTENTS COVER STORY

VOLVO TRUCKS

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J

ust a few months after the launch of the new FH series, Volvo Trucks is presenting yet another world-class technical innovation: Volvo Dynamic Steering. This combines conventional hydraulic power-steering with an electronically regulated electric motor fitted to the steering gear. The result is precise steering that gives the truck driver a safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable working environment.

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MAN TRUCK AND BUS

T

he company has a distinguished market presence in Africa that is hallmarked by technical leadership, enhanced vehicle productivity and classleading warranties. As a major supplier to South African bus operators, the company plays a vital role in ensuring municipal public transport is world class, safe and affordable.

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AMMANN

A

mmann manufactures not only asphalt mixing, concrete mixing and mineral processing plants, together with the respective control systems, but also compaction machines and pavers.

IMIESA January 2014

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CENTREPIECE | COVER STORY

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING AND SERVICES VEHICLES

Volvo Dynamic Steering Just a few months after the launch of the new FH series, Volvo Trucks is presenting yet another world-class technical innovation: Volvo Dynamic Steering. This new technology combines conventional hydraulic power-steering with an electronically regulated electric motor fitted to the steering gear.

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IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

T

HE RESULT IS precise steering that gives the truck driver a safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable working environment. “This patented technology benefits the truck driver in all operating conditions. On the highway, the dynamic steering system offers unbeatable directional stability. At low speeds, even a heavily loaded truck is so easy to steer that you can do so with one finger,” says Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks.

An electronically-controlled electric motor attached to the steering shaft is the big new technological innovation in Volvo Dynamic Steering. The electric motor, which works together with the truck’s hydraulic power steering, has a maximum of 25 Nm of torque and is regulated thousands of times per second by the electronic control unit.

“The task of the electric motor is to deliver perfect steering feel for every single moment of operation. For instance, the system’s

CENTREPIECE | COVER STORY

sensors note that the driver wants to drive straight ahead and automatically ensures that no interference from the road surface is allowed to filter up through the steering wheel,” explains Gustav Neander, project manager for Volvo Dynamic Steering.

He adds: “The electric motor’s assistance makes the truck exceptionally easy to steer at low speeds. Even a heavily loaded construction truck operating off-road on a rough surface can be steered without the slightest effort. Truck drivers who’ve tested the system during the development process have all been highly impressed.”

Superior in all operating conditions The system’s benefits can be summarised in four points: • At low speeds, the electric motor takes over the work from the driver’s muscles.

Instead, the driver can relax and steer without having to strain his or her shoulders and arms. Another benefit is that Volvo Dynamic Steering centres automatically even when reversing.

• Irregularities in the road surface, such as cracks and pot-holes, are dampened by the system. This means that the steering feels more stable since the driver does not have to compensate with constant minor adjustments of the steering wheel.

• On the highway, this precise control leads to increased directional stability, which in turn gives the driver a more relaxed driving experience with full control at all speeds. The dynamic steering system eliminates virtually all those small steering wheel movements that are unavoidable on today’s roads.

• A steeply cambered road surface or a side wind is quickly detected by the self-learning system, which automatically compensates so that the driver can steer straight ahead without having to tug the steering wheel to counteract any sideways movement. This is a significant improvement of road safety and driver comfort.

a more relaxed driving experience that should counteract this kind of problem in the working environment,” relates Neander.

He concludes: “Volvo Dynamic Steering elevates the steering of heavy vehicles to an entirely new dimension. The technology makes the driver’s working conditions more relaxed and controlled.”

Volvo Trucks provides complete transport solutions for professional and demanding customers, offering a full range of medium to heavy duty trucks. Customer support is secured via a global network of 2 300 dealers and workshops in more than 140 countries.

Volvo trucks are assembled in 16 countries across the globe. In 2011, more than 115 000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, as well as drive systems for marine and industrial

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME AND VOLVO TRUCKS

The epic split

A

s one of Hollywood’s most famous action stars, Jean-Claude Van Damme has had to perform countless daring stunts and in Volvo Trucks’ latest video, The Epic Split, he carries out one of his most spectacular stunt yet.

Standing between two moving Volvo FM trucks with a foot on each side mirror, Van Damme performs one of his world-famous splits as the two trucks drive in reverse.

Demonstrating the unique stability of Volvo Dynamic Steering, he calmly holds his position for the entire length of the drive.

“It’s going to be quite unusual, and the first time we’ll ever see anything like it – in a movie or a commercial,” said the Belgian

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superstar, on set at a deserted airfield in Spain. “Before doing the split between the trucks, I saw the storyboard and thought it looked amazing. It’s very majestic and very powerful.”

The film demonstrates the stability and precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering. It follows on from Volvo Trucks’ previous viral hits including The Chase, The Hamster Stunt, The Hook and The Ballerina Stunt.

“Previous Volvo Trucks’ films have a documentary style and we wanted to make something more poetic,” says Andreas Nilsson, the director behind The Epic Split.

“The film is very clean and simple – there isn’t a lot of information and we just let the stunt illustrate what the trucks can do. It’s like a slow-moving, carefully choreographed modern dance.”

See ‘The Epic Split’: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10

Steering is elevated to a new dimension Volvo Dynamic Steering addresses the most frequent occupational injuries suffered by heavy goods vehicle drivers. Official figures from the Swedish Work Environment Authority reveal that truck drivers are over-represented in occupational injury statistics. “Almost four out of ten truck drivers complain of pain in the back, neck, shoulders or arms every week. Our improved steering system offers

IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

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CENTREPIECE | PUBLIC TRANSPORT

MAN TRUCK AND BUS

The lion of Africa’s bus manufacturers MAN Truck and Bus has a distinguished presence in Africa, hallmarked by technical leadership, enhanced vehicle productivity and class-leading warranties. As a leading supplier to South African bus operators, the company plays a vital role in ensuring municipal public transpor t is world class, safe and affordable.

T

IAGO DIAS, national accounts manager of MAN Truck and Bus’s bus division talks about the company’s product offerings to the South African municipal market, including the vehicles, technical support, training and financial services.

MAN was recently in the news for the successful completion of the delivery of 80 MAN buses in Limpopo. What made this such an important project?

The public transit operator, Great North Transport (GNT), wanted to modernise their fleet to increase the commuting experience of their customers. The terrain in some of the areas they operate can be fairly rough, with simple gravel roads. The commission was for 80 of our Lion Explorer buses, which are highly suited for this purpose. Ten of these buses have already been in service with GNT since July, with the remaining vehicles to be delivered by November 2013.

Technically speaking, what distinguishes the buses?

The Lion’s Explorer buses are three-axle intercity buses, with 80 seats and air suspension, making them very comfortable even on gravel roads in rural areas.

The diesel engine is compliant with European standards and the buses are equipped with a comprehensive range of safety systems such as Electronic Braking System (EBS) and ABS. MAN Truck and Bus is known for its

be operating the buses from its depots in Mokopane, Marble Hall and Hoedspruit. From there, the vehicles travel up to a hundred kilometres a day, on predominantly gravel roads. GNT transports around 37 million passengers a year.

As national accounts manager, you have direct experience in shaping and delivering the product and service offerings from MAN Truck and Bus. What differentiates the

learned to formulate creative approaches to structuring deals and tailoring delivery in ways that would have been difficult to replicate elsewhere. Essentially, that is a microcosm of what MAN Truck and Bus is good at.

We take a tender, look at the circumstances in which it will likely operate, and respond with an approach that is not only feasible, but that essentially seals the business case.

Is it challenging to achieve this? One of the most important components of this role has been supporting my colleagues back at headquarters in Munich, helping them understand the bus markets in our African territories and the various challenges they pose.

The cross-border countries operate in a similar way to South Africa; countries further north posed significant barriers to entry, particularly in areas where many African governments can’t engage in cross-border finance.

“MAN Germany and ABSA bank have formed a joint venture (JV) called MAN Financial Services (MFS). Naturally, the idea is to finance as much of any product as possible”

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IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

comprehensive product offering. How are these realised in this delivery?

To ensure smooth operation of the buses, we is training GNT’s service personnel in the correct handling of the vehicles.

Servicing will be carried out by MAN’s dealership Unitrans in Polokwane, Limpopo. GNT will

company from the rest? In my own business experience, which has taken me from MAN in South Africa to a Nissan dealership in Swaziland and all the way back again, excellence goes beyond the fundamentals of knowledge, connections and marketing. You have to be creative. In Swaziland, I

CENTREPIECE | PUBLIC TRANSPORT

You’ve touched on finance and barriers to entry; considering your approach to these matters and MAN’s vision, can you describe how deals are structured nowadays? MAN Germany and ABSA bank have formed a joint venture (JV) called MAN Financial Services (MFS). Naturally, the idea is to finance as much of any product as possible. There are many considerations in structuring these sorts of deals, particularly as the deals are typically between MFS and the operators. In South Africa, the government is very serious about transformation; it’s looking to empower smaller operators.

We deploy private consultants to assist them, conducting our own assessments of the type of

contract they have been awarded and what they need to do in order not to default.

The operators are working off tenders from local government. MAN – via MFS – is providing support that ultimately builds on its own business case. This is good for both parties, but it can’t eliminate risk.

What are your thoughts on this? Each entry-level bus will cost in the region of R1.2 million, a significant investment. As I pointed, MAN is very involved at all stages of the deal and we ensure that the right people are involved to provide assistance in building viable business cases that are effective from the get go. But at the end of the day, it

is up to government to ensure that there is effective public transport for all South Africans.

So while they push a policy and have every right do so, that policy needs follow through.

How would you envisage this? I recall a deal where the bus system was working effectively, but because of policy, the permits where reallocated.

These went to a consortium of small bus operators and taxi owners. MAN had several meetings with the Department of Transport to formulate a supportive framework in which the new consortium could operate, but it was clear that the department felt it was MAN’s responsibility to drive the process.

As the private supplier to the

government appointed operator, we can support to a certain degree, but we cannot enforce.

When should government step in? Before handover of the stock. There would be a number of benefits to this, especially on the financial side of things. MAN Truck and Bus can influence MFS, but there is nothing more comforting to financial service providers than a sound, enforceable, policy driven framework. This should include longer-term contracts, dedicated bank accounts for the holding of subsidies to ensure that financial obligations are met and a measurable transfer of skills. The private sector can’t support or enforce this – that is government’s job.

IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

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CENTREPIECE | PUBLIC TRANSPORT

You are currently awaiting the outcome of the Tshwane Rapid Transport tender, which is totally separate from the earlier one. How has this been going? It was reissued on the 29 April 2013 with identical specs to the first tender, which was issued in November 2012.

In 2008, MAN developed This is the first Gauteng tender a low-entry bus, based which asked for a low-floor on European standards, platform. The Rea Vaya system in but adjusted for South Johannesburg is entirely raised Africa’s more stringent floor and Port Elizabeth went for specifications for rear-axle mezzanine level. Cape Town went load requirements. The the same route as Johannesburg, first tender for this bus but was also the first to use low was awarded to MAN by floor. The raised level approach the City of Tshwane. What really reflects the case studies South Africa SOUTH AFRICAN MAN undertook in South BUS MODEL RANGE America; Europeans prefer the low floor approach • A84 – 18.280 HOCL-NL 206 kW, 42 seated and it definitely has passengers, 4x2 rear engine, low-entry city advantage. Both require a bus chassis, Voith or ZF automatic transmission certain amount of station • HB1 – 18.240 BB FOCR 176 kW, up to 65 seated passengers, 4x2 city/commuter chassis, ZF infrastructure, but the manual transmission requirements for low-floor • HB2 – 18.240 BB FOCR; 176 kW, up to 65 seatare cheaper and it is ed passengers, 4x2 city/commuter chassis, Voith simply more practical for automatic transmission • HB3 – 36.390 LL FOCR; 287 kW, up to 137 seated passengers, all potential passengers 8x2 city/commuter chassis, ZF Tipmatic transmission and routes. In an entirely • HB4 – 26.310 LL FOCNR; 228 kW, up to 79 seated passengers, 6x2 closed system, the raised chassis, TipMatic transmission floor approach is fine, • HB4 – 26.350 LL FOCNR; 257 kW, up to 79 seated passengers, 6x2 chasbut it simply can’t offload sis, TipMatic transmission HB4BT – 26.310 or 26.350 LL FOCNR; 228 kW or 257 kW, up to 115 seated onto a pavement, so passengers, 8x2 bustrain, TipMatic transmission there’s no flexibility.

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Do the operators always own the buses? Not at all. A recent deal in Mpumalanga with the Department of Education demonstrates this. In 2011, the department developed a project in Mpumalanga to ensure scholars could be transported safely to and from school in a standardised manner. It was a more complex exercise than you might imagine. From the financial side, the bank was worried about the sustainability of the operation as a business.

Other operators in the area – notably taxi operators – perceived it as a threat to their own customer base. And in

Transporting children raises the issue of risk and safety. What are the safety features on MAN buses?

Structurally, all MAN buses are roll-compliant according to ISO standards. This entails extra structural support, ensuring the saloon of the vehicles keeps its integrity in a roll situation. Seat anchorage is very powerful, ensuring they never come loose.

From a technology point of view, so much has developed in terms of control and safety. Now that vehicles are less mechanical and more electrical, programming vehicles is easy, customisable and flexible. All MAN buses

shortcomings. All drivers who have completed must have had prior competencies; our courses ensure they are absolutely familiar with all aspects of the vehicle. Enforcement of speed limits and driver safety generally is up to the operators.

total, MAN needed to deliver 100 buses – that’s around R120 million.

In the end it was decided that the department itself would own the buses, which comes with its own amortisation benefits.

This also assured MFS from a risk point of view. Working with the department we engaged with the smaller operators and a consortium of operators was created to manage the operation.

The finance was approved towards the end of 2012 and, after less than a year, MAN has only 28 buses of 120 left to deliver.

have Electronic Control Units, which allow speed parameters to be set, length of idling to be limited and even additional breaking systems through gearbox retarders.

was the background to this design? South Africa’s need for inner city passenger transport was growing, and given the European trend for low-entry buses, we decided to adapt that design for the local market. In South Africa, the maximum load for rear axles is 10 200 kg, compared to Europe’s 11 500 kgs. This meant we had to adapt the body to suit the MAN A84 chassis.

IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

The recent Pinetown tragedy, among others, also raises the issue of training.

How involved is MAN in driver training programmes.

There is definitely a shortage of experienced drivers, so MAN offers a training programme to all buyers, which includes a driver assessment, one or two days of practical training, and further assessments of driver

How successful has this tender with the City of Tshwane been? Very successful – it has recently been renewed.

If you were to summarise your thoughts of meeting the need for good, reliable and safe public transport in South Africa, what would you focus on? We need to work towards integration of these systems and the public’s need.

A private system, which has no bells and whistles, makes money and is sustainable. Some of the higher end bus systems in the country are not running to capacity as they are not priced for the lower end of the market.

BRTs are designed to move masses at high volume; they need to be priced according to the market.

PRIME 140

Ammann Construction Machinery South Africaň229 Hull RoadňRynfieldňBenoni Phone 0 11 849 39 39 ň 0 78 488 29 45 rocco.lehman@ammann-group.com

EasyBatch 90 -140

345 Rivonia Road, 1 Eden Crescent, Johannesburg 2196 l Phone 011 772 1400

Ammann is a leading global supplier of mixing plants, machines and services to the construction industry, with core expertise in road building. A well designed and flexible range comprises quality products and a firstclass service. Ever since 1869 we have been setting benchmarks in the road-building industry, thanks to countless innovations and solutions which are as competitive as they are dependable With ELB equipment as our newly appointed distributor, we have the perfect fit “Productivity partnership for a lifetime”

CENTREPIECE | PLANTS & EQUIPMENT

STRATEGIC POSITIONING

Ammann takes aim with With global par tnerships; manufacturing facilities in Europe, India and South America; and a par tnership with ELB Equipment, Ammann South Africa is set to take a leading position in the African construction sector.

A

MMANN CONSTRUCTION is the South African presence of the well-established and highly regarded Swiss company, the Ammann Group.

The man responsible for Ammann’s market presence in sub-Saharan Africa is Rocco Lehman, whose many years in the business have armed him with an insight and deliberation in the market place that is fast seeing the Ammann brand establishing in South Africa and neighbouring countries. This interview with Lehman explores the nature of Ammann SA, its growing position in the market place and the new deal recently forged with ELB Equipment.

Amman’s vision for Africa The genesis of Ammann’s African head office in Johannesburg was part of the Swiss company’s strategy to focus on markets away from the struggling markets of the northern hemisphere. South Africa became the centre for the African market due to its relative sophistication and the expertise available, such as Lehman’s, which could help the company work the market strategically.

One of Lehman’s first strategies was to find strategic partners around South Africa.

“Amman consists of essentially two types of product: the asphalt products and the machine products. Although the desire has always been to have both sides of the business covered by one umbrella, this has been a big challenge. Over the years, we have established a number of partnerships with dealerships around the country, but fundamentally, these have been limited in their scope.”

Looking to improve its presence in South Africa, Ammann SA has particular interest in the Zambian and Kenyan markets, and is viewing other markets well, albeit with caution. “Angola is a big market, but a little closed off to outsiders at the moment.

We have recently appointed representatives there whom we met at Bauma Munich, and things are starting to TOP LEFT The BlackMove is a wheeled mobile asphalt mixing plant LEFT Ammann offers a comprehensive product range of state-of-theart compactors

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IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

happen. The Mozambique has some major infrastructure projects going on, especially in the rural areas when it comes to roads.

Nigeria is massive, but it is highly regionalised and the market is a complicated one. There is so much potential in Africa, but a focused approach will be needed, targeting specific developing regions.

Partnering for presence Ammann sees itself as one entity with a big footprint, and to reflect that in the market place, it became clear that a larger, more established and financially stable entity was needed as a partner. This last point was essential, as there are simply not that many smaller dealerships in Africa that have the sufficient capital to carry the stock. In Africa today, long lead times for this type of equipment thwarts sales.

Lehman reflects that over the past 18 months, several approaches were made to potential partner companies, with agreements almost being reached, but which somehow did not feel quite right. “There has to be a cultural fit, although on paper some of these companies had what we were looking for. The culture we have in Ammann is quite specific and I kept feeling we had simply not yet found the right partner. We needed a company that could commit unequivocally to the Ammann brand; a company that had the capacity, the finance and the presence to fulfil our mandate. Additionally, we needed a partner that was not carrying competing equipment.”

Partnerships for life Lehman points out that the interest in ELB Equipment was mutual. “Our first meeting with ELB Equipment, I knew we had found the right partner. I also knew I would have a big job persuading Amman in Switzerland of the same thing.” Several paradoxes made the case even more persuasive: ELB Equipment,

CENTREPIECE | PLANTS & EQUIPMENT

new partnership at the time of the initial meetings, was carrying competitive equipment from a Japanese supplier. Although the product line is being phased out, Ammann in Switzerland indicated that they wanted that product line written out in the contract. ELB declined this, as they still have clients using the range and are determined to see them properly cared for.

“For me this was a positive, not a negative at all. Ammann’s own philosophy is ‘Partners for Life’ and I was able to show Amman Switzerland that this was precisely what ELB was demonstrating,” explains Lehman. This critical point, in business, is to look at the behaviour of an organisation, not simply its slogans. Moreover, this competing range was hard sell, and if ELB Equipment could sell that range in South Africa, it demonstrated sales strength.

“ELB Equipment checked all the boxes: they have the footprint in Africa in Zambia and Kenya (among others) that I was looking for, and quite clearly the infrastructure, influence and strategic sales capabilities that are essential, in my opinion. Our head office in Switzerland did not know ELB Equipment and were naturally cautious. It took a while to convince them, and I invited our senior representatives to come to South Africa to meet with ELB Equipment.”

Being global, locally While establishing Ammann in South Africa, Lehman has had his own clear philosophy: be global, locally. “Although the Swiss have a very specific way of going about things, Ammann remains a Swiss brand wherever they are working, but they need to value and appreciate the regional business cultures. Amman SA has become strong enough to be acknowledged with within the group. The success of our five-year plan is convincing and, step by step, Ammann is learning how to be global – locally.” Signing the deal with ELB Equipment has been the icing on the cake for Ammann SA, following a very successful introduction in the market place. “How the partnership ultimately works out remains to be seen – as with all new ventures – but our dealings with the company over the last few months has settled our confidence.”

What of its asphalt plant side of Ammann’s operations? Despite the deal being focused on the equipment, the sale of the machines will feed back opportunities on the plant side.

In fact, with the deal in place only a week now (at the time of writing of this), this has already happened: ELB Equipment referred one of their clients directly to us regarding an asphalt plant.

So it is by no means isolated to the machines.”

As with any new deal of this magnitude, there are some jitters, but Lehman remains confident: “There is some anxiety, but I think within six months these jitters will be allayed.”

Many markets, one presence Ammann’s global presence goes beyond supply and includes manufacturing as well. For the African market, this is highly strategic.

The group recently launched a joint venture with India-based construction industry supplier and machine manufacturer Apollo. Currently known as Ammann Apollo, the company is the leader in its field in India, and its strategic benefit to Ammann’s presence in the African market is the ability to manufacture equipment that can compete, price-wise, with less expensive manufacturers.

“The Ammann Group has managed to be in the right place at the right time,” says Lehman.

“Buying out a significant share of Apollo has taken us to being the number one paving company in the world. This allows us to be pricecompetitive with Chinese manufacturers, which are competing strongly in the African market.

We have sold plants straight out of India into Botswana and Mossel Bay in South Africa. This kind of thinking and action is what makes the Ammann Group so unique. Strategically, the group is streets ahead, its ethics are of the highest order and nothing is more important to the company than its name.

business of this nature is the ability to find the right staff with both the skills and the attitude that gets things done. As management, we spend a lot of time on the floor, training our technicians and our sales people, helping them to become the best they can be. Talent remains scarce in South Africa, so those who are around must simply to that little bit extra.

Again, I refer to Amman’s philosophy: partnerships for life. This applies as much to our staff as it does to our clients.”

The Ammann Group has much value to bring to the market. With its roots strongly embedded in Europe, its presence in Africa by way of Ammann SA delivers new technologies and a much higher capacity for research and development in construction machinery than smaller local players. It is also grounded on an uncompromising ethic and Lehman places special emphasis on this. “It is vital that our current customers who have come to us through smaller dealerships know that we will continue looking after them. Although this deal changes how we engage with the market, all our customers receive our commitment. There may be hitches along the way, but these will be sorted out.”

Ammann SA has gathered up an impressive number of pieces of its strategic puzzle, and it appears to be fitting together nicely. Injecting new life into the construction and road building industry, its new partnership with ELB Equipment has certainly made it a force to be reckoned with.

Being Swiss, the South African way Lehman is a pragmatic and practical businessperson. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, his philosophy is simple: getting the job done, no matter what. “A key element in running a TOP RIGHT A batch asphalt mixing plant, the Speedy Batch RIGHT One of Ammann’s continuous asphalt mixing plants, the Prime 140

IMIESA January 2014 | CENTREPIECE

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Inside Mining

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IMESA

IMESA

BIENNIAL PROJECT EXCELLENCE AWARDS Tuesday 28th Oct 2014 | Durban ICC

IMESA in collaboration with Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)

is calling for project entries C AT E G O R I E S 1. Structures and Buildings 2. Water/Wastewater 3. Roads/Stormwater 4. Environmental 5. Community Upliftment

EXPLANATION 'IVE RECOGNITION TO WELL ENGINEERED CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE Portray the art and science of civil engineering for infrastructure to the general public and INDICATE HOW THE PROFESSION FINDS ANSWERS TO CHALLENGES 4HE PROJECT MUST BE IN 3OUTHERN !FRICA

CLOSING DATE 11 JUNE 2014 (Only completed projects as at 28 June 2014 will be accepted for the Awards) ENTRY FORMS / AND AWARD CRITERIA Download from IMESA website www.imesa.org.za QUESTIONS $EBBIE !NDERSON n )-%3! n s CONFERENCE IMESA ORG ZA

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SAPPMA

PLASTIC PIPE INDUSTRY

Environmental impacts investigated The Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA) concluded a study in 2013 that aimed to investigate the environmental footprint caused by the manufacturing and use of plastic pipes.

E

XPLAINING THE REASON behind the study, SAPPMA chairman Jan Venter says: “The dramatic increase in the modern world’s population, industrialisation and urbanisation are making people realize that present energy sources are limited and bound to run out unless they are better preserved. It is also leading to renewed effort to develop alternative energy sources on an economic and commercial scale. Energy is subject to the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy can only be transferred or transformed from one form to another – it cannot be created or destroyed. All of this has led to an increased awareness of the quantum of energy to produce, operate and maintain systems. Piping systems are costly elements in infrastructure and it is therefore to correct to also evaluate the energy costs associated with it.”

Embedded/embodied energy of plastic pipe In order to quantify and correctly assess the amount of energy that is used to manufacture a material or product, an embodied energy analysis is performed. This involves assessing the overall amount of energy that is needed to extract the raw material, manufacture the products and maintain it.

The basic factors that influence the embodied energy of a piping system are: • pipe size (quantity of material used) • type of material used • durability and design life of the system • the amount of energy required to pump the fluid • amount of maintenance required during its lifespan

• the use of recycled material • can the material be recycled after its useful life?

Studies using 1 000 m of 100 mm nominal size pipes were conducted in Australia, arriving at comparative sizing based on a flow rate of 10.4 ℓ/s and a head loss of 7.84 m with the following results: Although the material energy of ductile iron is a lot less than that of plastics in terms of mass (MJ/kg), the picture reverses when the wall thickness and mass per meter are taken into consideration (MJ/m). Similarly, the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted by the production of plastic pipe is far below that of ductile iron.

Transportation Thanks to its low mass, the study has shown that the cost of transporting plastic pipe is considerably less than that for the equivalent pipes in steel or concrete.

Pumping cost “It is vitally important to consider the amount of electricity used in the pumping of fluids through pipelines,” Venter says, adding that it is estimated that 60% of the world’s electricity is used by electric motors and 20% of this is used for pumping. “Because of the specific properties of plastic pipe, the walls offer very limited resistance to flow (low friction) and even more importantly, remain virtually unchanged throughout its design life.”

Comparative calculations show that the increase in power or pumping cost after 50 CAST IRON

GALVANISED IRON

19.7

10.0

PIPE MATERIAL DICL PVC-U PN12 PE 100 PN 12.5 PVC-M S1 12 PVC-O S1

EMBODIED ENERGY IN GJ 1 100 312 312 225 200

TABLE 1 Embodied energy coefficients for pipe types (GJ)

years is only 13.6% for thermoplastics compared to the massive 62.6% for steel. The situation gets much worse beyond 50 years, as Table 5 demonstrates:

Recovery and recycling Plastic pipe can easily be recycled and is indeed being recycled on a relatively large scale because of the high value of polymer used in the manufacturing process. Although it is difficult to find old, unused pipe simply lying around that can be collected for recycling, a recent survey has shown that approximately 14 000 t of HDPE and PVC pipe was recycled at external facilities. In-house recycling by pipe manufacturers is estimated to be in the region of 8 000 t, bringing the total for these two pipe materials to about 22 000 t per annum.

“Plastic pipe is not wasted and therefore does not contribute to environmental pollution.

100% of recycled pipe can be reused, although strict quality requirements set by SAPPMA allow TABLE 2 Embodied energy coefficients for pipe types (GJ)

REINFORCED CONCRETE 6.0

PVC 3.5

IMIESA January 2014

59

SAPPMA

Material energy (MJ/kg) Pipe weight (Kg/m) Energy (MJ/m) Oil consumption (kg) CO2 emitted (kg)

PVC

HDPE

56 5.7 319 6.9 20.8

76 5.4 410 26.8 26.8

HDPE

REINFORCED CONCRETE

STEEL

31

297

141

TABLE 4 Approximate mass in kg/m of 600 mm diameter pipe

most of it to only be used in non-critical applications,” Venter says. Although ductile iron and steel pipes can also be recycled, the energy cost to do so makes the process considerably more costly than for that of plastics. Basic Years Thermoplastic Ductile iron Steel

60

Polypropylene 73 4.4 318 20.7 20.7

PET

Clay

83 5.8 481 31.4 31.4

10 33 330 21.5 21.5

Ductile iron 25 40 1 000 21.7 65.2

calculations show that the power consumption to recycle plastic pipe is approximately R0.09/kg, compared to R0.23/kg to R0.45/ kg for steel, bearing in mind that many steel pipelines are internally lined with material that first needs to be stripped from the steel.

Conclusion The results of the local tests support the findings of the European’s Denkstatt Study, which

TABLE 3 In another study done in Europe the following results were obtained

analysed the environmental impact of 173 products throughout their entire life cycle in a study entitled ‘Plastics’ Contribution to Climate Protection’, which was funded by the European plastics industry. This study identified plastics’ share of citizens’ carbon footprint and provided a carbon life cycle analysis of plastics compared to their alternatives in packaging, transportation, building and construction, and eco-product enablement (e.g. solar panels, wind turbines). Initial results revealed that while the carbon footprint of an average European TABLE 5 Comparative calculations showing that the increase in power or pumping cost after 50 years

0

10

20

30

40

50

% increase

100

% increase

33 446

34 288

35 163

36 073

37 019

38 004

13.6

43 352

29.6

38 004 43 595

40 100 47 581

42 380 52 451

44 581 57 451

47 581 63 618

50 560 70 876

33.0 62.6

67 008 11 4059

76.3 161.6

IMIESA January 2014

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SAPPMA

consumer amounted to approximately 14 t of CO2 per capital, a mere 1.3% (170 kg) stemmed from the use of plastic products.

The preview data released during this event unveils that plastic saves 2,300 million GJ in energy every year. This equates to 50 million tonnes of crude oil – the size of 194 very large oil tankers. They also prevent greenhouse gas emissions of 120 million tonnes per year.

Notes Members of the SAPPMA Technical Committee compiled the research findings from the following sources of published results from Europe and Australia, as well as their own calculations and research conducted: References: 1. Piping Systems Embodied Energy Analysis, by MD Ambrose, GD Salomonsson and S Burn of CSIRO 3. Plastics Recycling Survey 2009 – Plastics Federation of SA 4. The European Association of Plastics Manufacturers 5. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation 6. Sasol Polymers

SAPPMA Technical Manual SAPPMA recently released its revised 2013/14 Technical Manual for engineers. According to Jan Venter, SAPPMA chairman, the purpose of this annually updated manual is to provide basic, relevant and updated information when engineers and other professionals need to select and specify plastic pipes that are to be used in water supply and wastewater disposal applications.

“Pipelines form key part of a South Africa’s infrastructure and should therefore be long term.

Modern plastic pipe materials are easily suitable for hundred-year lifetimes and the engineers involved in specification processes need to be equipped with the most recent and independent design information when they are making their decisions,” Venter explains.

However, SAPPMA also warns that poor quality plastic pipe is not necessarily obvious from a visual point of view. “This makes it even more important for design engineers or specifiers to apply all available precautions in the selection of manufacturers, suppliers and installers,” he adds.

Apart from covering the differences between the various types of plastic pipes and explaining the basic procedures that need to be taken when engineers selecting of specifying the correct pipe, the 2013/14 edition is influenced by some of the latest international trends and developments coming out of the overseas plastic piping industry aimed at quicker and safer installations, reducing manufacturing costs, reducing down time and improving overall efficiency. It also includes sections on HDPE fabricated fittings as well as the jointing of HDPE. SAPPMA’s technical manual does not replace published text books and codes on the subject, but should be used as a basic guide in the use, selection and specification of plastic pipes.

“This is a publication for the industry by industry experts who are in the best position to advise engineers on the correct size, strength and material properties for a range of different applications,” concludes Venter.

Copies of the publication will be made available to design and civil engineers via SAICE or can be purchased directly from SAPPMA at a cost of R200.00 per copy. For more information, contact Louise Muller at admin@sappma.co.za. Copies are limited and will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

IMIESA January 2014

61

Supporting Partner

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Peter Ross, General Manager, Europe and South Africa, Shell Collins Donkor, Regional Director, Ghana Highways Authority Saied Solomons, Chief Executive Officer, Southern African Bitumen Association Dennis Rossmann, Material Specialist, Project Manager, South African National Roads Agency Abdelaziz Dahbi, President, Moroccan Road Association and General Manager, Bituma

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Market reporting Consulting IMIESA JanuaryEvents 2014 61

COMPANY PROFILE

FIBERPIPE

Corrosion-free GRP Fiberpipe is currently the only glass reinforced pipe (GRP) manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa. The advantages of GRP pipes and fittings are increasingly appreciated in markets that reach beyond South Africa’s borders, including Zimbabwe, Namibia and Malawi.

reinforced thermosetting plastic pipes), AWWA C950 (fibreglass pressure pipe for water services), ASTM D3754 (fibreglass sewer and industrial pipe), ASTM D2996 (filament-wound fibreglass pipe) and AWWA C950 (fibreglass pressure pipe). The 113-employee company’s 13 500 m2 factory, located in Germiston South, boasts a continuous filament winder for the manufacture of Flowtite products and a non-continuous winder for the manufacture of Vectus products.

t +27 (0)11 864 2040 • www.fiberpipe.co.za

G

RP SYSTEMS are a cost-effective piping solution as the pipes are corrosion free, have a proven resistance to acidic environment in water and sewage systems, and are lightweight and therefore easy to handle. The advantages of Fiberpipe’s GRP pipe systems go far beyond its light weight and resilience, as the table illustrates.

Advantages of GRP Hein Momberg, managing director of Fiberpipe, has placed significant focus on ensuring customers get the most value from company’s products: “Fiberpipe’s combination of manufacturing and sales engineering services enables us to deliver value-added services based on the requirements of its customers.

Through partnerships, we find workable solutions aimed at achieving maximum utilisation of pipe systems where operational effectiveness is sought.” The company provides training in installation and maintenance, free of charge to South African customers, among other value-adds.

GRP pipe and fittings are used in potable, raw and industrial water applications, as well as in seawater, wastewater, bulk water and sewer applications.

The GRP products are manufactured according to the following local and international standards: SABS 1748-1 (glass-fibre-

62

IMIESA January 2014

CHARACTERISTIC

ADVANTAGE

Corrosion-resistant

 long, effective service life  no need for linings, coatings, cathodic protection, wraps or other forms of additional corrosion protection  low maintenance costs  hydraulic characteristics are essentially constant over time.

Lightweight (1/4 weight of ductile iron pipe, 1/10 weight of concrete)

 low transportation cost (able to nest pipes)  eliminates need for expensive pipe handling equipment.

Long standard lengths, 12 m

 fewer joints reduce installation time  more pipes per truckload means lower delivered cost.

Smooth bore

 low friction loss  lower operating costs.

Superior hydraulic characteristics

 extremely smooth bore  Hazen-Williams flow coefficient of approximately C=150  low friction means less pumping energy needed and lower operating costs  Manning’s flow coefficient n + 0.009  minimal slime build-up means lower cleaning costs  excellent abrasion resistance.

Precision Flowtite coupling with elastomeric gaskets

 tight, efficient joints designed to eliminate infiltration or exfiltration  ease of joining, reduces installation time  accommodates small changes in line direction or differential settlements without additional fittings.

Flexible manufacturing process

 custom diameters can be manufactured to provide maximum flow volumes with easy installation for slip lining projects  custom lengths can be manufactured to provide maximum flexibility for ease of direct bury or slip lining installation.

Advanced technology pipe design

 multiple pressure and stiffness classes to meet the design engineer’s criteria.

STORMWATER PIPES

STORMWATER PIPE RETICULATION

Advanced pipeline design

After many years of inadequate stormwater management, the South African Defence Force, in par tnership with the Depar tment of Public Works, under took a massive inter vention, which included the installation of a shaft and some intricate pipeline reticulation. By Mark Richter, Pr SciNat MSAIEG; Shakira Sattar, Pr Eng; and Vinesh Sookan, Pr Eng MSAICE

T

HE DAMAGE CAUSED by erosion on and adjacent to the military-occupied part of the Bluff in recent years has resulted in considerable annual expenditure in repairs and maintenance. Major structures at both the top, such as Block E of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Bluff Military Base, and the bottom of the slopes have been threatened or damaged by the erosion gullies, with poorly managed stormwater being the biggest culprit.

The severely eroded sides of the Bluff dune were repaired using geofabrics to provide resistance to ongoing erosion and to create a stable area for the natural vegetation to

LEFT & BELOW Sinking a stormwater shaft

IMIESA January 2014

63

STORMWATER PIPES

single shaft at Block E, significant pipeline reticulation was required to connect as many of the stormwater intakes on the military base as possible. Where local gradients precluded the drainage of stormwater via the shaft, the balance of the stormwater disposal was carried out using soakpits.

re-establish. In order to ensure that all stormwater is managed, the designers opted for a shaft near Block E – an area of high accumulation – which is some 54 m deep and discharges the stormwater into the ocean via an outfall pipeline, some 139 m in length, at the low tide mark. Considerable stormwater pipeline reticulation was also included in the design so that accumulations on areas of the military base could be disposed of via the shaft.

The scope The project, initiated by the Department of Public Works, consists of the following main elements: • stormwater pipe reticulation • soakaways • shaft • inclined tunnel outlet (jacked pipe) connecting to the base of the shaft • erosion gulley and washaway repair.

The project was awarded in November 2011 and was to have an 18-month contract period.

The approximate value of the contract is R20.5 million; however, additional work is likely to result in an increase of this amount by about 5%. The stakeholders of the project are shown in organogram 1.

History and background Major structures at both the top and the bottom of the slopes have been threatened or damaged by the erosion gullies and related slips. In 2001, poorly managed stormwater within the military base Block E experienced a dramatic loss of soil adjacent to the

ORGANOGRAM 1 Project stakeholders

seaward facing side of the building, caused by a leaking stormwater service over a period of about six days. There was thus an obvious need to manage stormwater to prevent large-scale erosion.

In 2010, a new erosion gulley formed on the west-facing slope of the Bluff and the client engaged a team of consulting civil and geotechnical engineers to provide remedial measures for the immediate reinstatement of the badly eroded slope and a solution for the longterm management of the stormwater in the SANDF military base as a whole. While available funds for the project only allowed the construction of a

RIGHT Construction of stormwater reticulation BELOW Horizontal pipe jacked tunnel BELOW RIGHT Reinstatement of slope using geofabric steps

64

IMIESA January 2014

Geotechnical investigation A geotechnical investigation was carried out to provide an indication of the ground conditions beneath the military base. Critical aspects such as materials composition, excavation requirements, lateral support, soil permeability and groundwater had to be determined to provide the necessary design for the shaft and tunnel system, stormwater soakaways and the reinstatement of the eroded slopes. The fieldwork comprised borehole, Light Dynamic Cone Penetrometer tests, geophysical surveys, and percolation/ permeability tests. Relevant laboratory tests were also scheduled. At the shaft location, one borehole was drilled to a final

New for old

ABOVE Erosion gulley below Block E

KROHNE WATERFLUX meets SANS1529-1:2006 fit for trade metrology – exceeds class D Specifications

BELOW Reinstatement of slope

depth of approximately 72 m to confirm the ground conditions for the shaft.

Ground conditions: tunnel and shaft The shaft was sunk through the sandy soils of the Berea Formation.

These soils gradually grade into calcarenites and calcareous sandstones of the Bluff Sandstone Formation below a depth of about 30 m. Ground conditions at the new stormwater shaft can be roughly characterised by six layers according to colour and density differences: • LAYER 1 0 to 3.5 m – reddish orange-brown, loose to medium dense, silty fine sand • LAYER 2 3.5 to 11 m – yellowish brown, dense, silty fine to medium sand • LAYER 3 11.0 to 20 m – as above, but very dense • LAYER 4 20.0 to 30 m – yellowish brown, dense, slightly clayey gravelly silty fine sand

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Its unique, RILSAN®-lined measuring tube is wear-free and without mobile measuring parts, eliminating the need for maintenance. This reduces follow-up costs for statutory recalibrations – as an overhaul or replacement of the water meter is no longer necessary.

Both the low initial costs and the significantly reduced operating costs pay off in daily operation. Employ the WATERFLUX instead of mechanical bulk water meters and create financial freedom for new projects – simply exchange new for old.

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IMIESA January 2014

STORMWATER PIPES

• LAYER 5 30.0 to 64 m – yellowish brown, very dense, slightly clayey gravelly silt fine sand • LAYER 6 64.0 to 72 m – bedrock, consists of porous, slightly weathered calcarenite or calcareous sandstone of the Bluff Sandstone Formation.

Groundwater conditions Groundwater level exists at roughly sea-level on the edges of the ridge and has a domed profile, rising to the highest level at the centre of the ridge, following a gradient of about 1:12.

The stormwater pipeline reticulation comprises approximately 2 km of trenched pipe. Concrete pipe sizes range from 375 to 1 200 mm diameter and have concrete spigot and socket joints. Reticulation for the NavComm area in the military base drains to soakpit caissons, while that of Block E area drains to the shaft. Design incorporates a 1 in 10-year return storm design.

FIGURE 1 Military base area showing shaft location and route of the tunnel to the outlet of the beach

Stormwater soakaways The stormwater soakpits comprise 1 800 mm ID [inside diameter] concrete pipes, which are sunk as caissons. These soakpits are designed as full retention underground tanks.

Materials Classification The Berea Formation dune sands invariably classify in terms of the USPRA system as A-3(0), are non-plastic and highly erodible.

They comprise of the following: • fine sand (30 to 40%) • medium sand (50 to 60%) • silt and clay (5 to 8%).

Design of stormwater disposal system – stormwater pipe reticulation

FAR RIGHT Laying of concrete pipes RIGHT Soakpit caissons 1.8 m diameter, drainage socks protruding from concrete shell

IMIESA January 2014

67

STORMWATER PIPES

LEFT Reinforced concrete shaft – slip form method RIGHT Jacking pit for pipe jacked tunnel

Water will dissipate through 75 mm diameter preformed outlet holes that are stoppered with a geotextile ‘socks’ filled with stone. The geofabric prevents soil ingress into the soakpits, while allowing the water to dissipate into the soil. Much of the stormwater will dissipate vertically through the base of the caisson, which rests on a dumprock mattress. This mattress was constructed by under-excavating below the caisson base and the dumprock placed in the void.

Stormwater shaft and inclined tunnel (jacked pipe) The shaft was let out in the tender as a design and construct. It is 54 m deep and comprises a 2.8 m OD [outside diameter] and 1.8 m ID circular reinforced concrete section.

It was constructed using slip form methods and concrete design strength is 35 MPa. The outlet tunnel consists of a 139 m long jacked

68

section of 1 200 mm diameter ID pipe. It is a Class 100D pipe.

Repair of erosion gulley on inland side of Bluff dune Part of contract comprised the reinstatement of the Bluff dune slope where a severe erosion gulley had formed when a scour valve

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STORMWATER PIPES

Collapse of poorly supported trench

• slip repair using geofabric reinforcement techniques.

on a water supply pipe was opened in error.

This caused a failure of the discharge pipe and resulted in the erosion of the slope. This erosion gulley is located above the harbour facing Durban Bay below the Harbour Control

70

Tower. The extent of the erosion gulley is some 1 000 m² and 3 m deep.

Reinstatement of the slope involved the following: • routing of stormwater at road level

Construction phase Pipelines The construction of the pipeline reticulation was carried out with the following providing numerous challenges for the contractor: • non-cohesive sand, generally of very loose and loose consistency, requiring lateral support since there were space constraints preventing battered excavations • shored trenches were generally required, with one section of trench some 4 m deep experiencing serious collapse.

• many unknown ser vices, some ver y old, caused significant delays to the trenching operation.

Shaft The shaft comprised a slip-formed caisson. The first two pours were required to provide a cutting edge for the caisson, which with successive poured sections, sink of its own weight. Due to hard calcareous bands encountered at shallower depths than

IMIESA January 2014

Drain/sewer cleaning specialist

• Recycling combination units • Jetting units • Vacuum units – wet and dry • Water tankers • Honey suckers • Trenchless technology

soil

Tel: 011 452 3232 www.rescuerod.co.za drainsunblocked@rescuerod.co.za

STORMWATER PIPES

indicated from the drilling results, the caisson had to be assisted in sinking by applying kentledge and dynamic loading.

Shaft sinking was impeded by sandstone bands and concretions from as shallow as 16 m below ground level. These sandstone lenses were not identified in the borehole cores until about 62 m depth. It was confirmed that the grinding action of the core-barrel pulverised the weak sandstone and the arisings from the borehole resembled dune soils, confirming that there is thus no easy method to identify sandstone layers/concretions from normal drilling methods. The contractor had to use water jetting methods and dynamic loading as well as applying kentledge to break through these unexpected layers.

Pipe jack The horizontal tunnel was advanced from the beach towards the shaft by using pipe jacking methods. Due to the considerable length of the tunnel and the build-up of friction forces between the

tunnel shell and the in-situ dune soils, frequently exacerbated by the hard calcareous sandstone or calcarenite bands or lenses encountered, inter-jack stations were required every seven pipe lengths (17.5 m). Typical jacking pressures were of the order of 25 kPa, but increased to 30 kPa when calcarenite lenses of bands were encountered. Friction forces were reduced by injecting bentonite into the pipesoil annulus void to lubricate the pipe and reduce jacking pressures.

It is worth noting that high rainfalls occurred during March 2013 and another erosion gulley occurred adjacent to the one under remediation, indicating that the real cause of the problem is related to the inefficient drainage of the concrete contour road below the Harbour Control Tower. As a result, additional work has been requisitioned as a variation to the contract. This work will involve the remediation of the culvert on the road and installation of a pipe of adequate size to remove the water downslope to the stormwater management system of the harbour area below.

Conclusion The repair to the erosion-damaged areas within the Bluff Military Base is currently under way and represents the culmination of several phases of investigation into the adoption of a comprehensive stormwater management system. The dune soils making up the Bluff in this area are highly dispersive and erodible. Even minor events of rainfall or leaking services that result in uncontrolled runoff have the potential to cause significant erosion damage.

The current contract, some R20.5 million in value, involves the design and construction of a central stormwater shaft some 54 m deep near Block E where the most severe erosion damage has been noted to date. A horizontal tunnel some 139 m in length connecting to the shaft will provide an outlet for the stormwater to discharge into the ocean. About 2 km of stormwater pipe reticulation will discharge into the shaft. Where gradients in some areas do not accommodate reticulation, the stormwater will be disposed of by several large stormwater caissons.

Eroded slope areas have been remediated using geofabric steps to reinstate the slope to natural gradients. The steepness of the slope has contributed to difficult working conditions and the use of hoppers and chutes have been necessary for the movement of soil to areas requiring reinstatement. Significant upgrading of the stormwater pipes was also carried out to ensure adequate capacity is available to cater FROM TOP Dynamic loading on caisson Slip-formed caisson shaft

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IMIESA January 2014

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STORMWATER PIPES

LEFT FROM TOP Interjack station to relieve sleeve friction Washaway repair (note: old gabions installed after earlier event) Reinstatement of slope using geofabric steps

for storm events. A relatively detailed geotechnical investigation was required to define geotechnical design parameters for the works.

The construction phase has encountered many problems related to the erosive nature of the soil, the loose collapsing sands that require shoring of trenches and the shallowerthan-anticipated calcarenite or calcareous rock bands within the dune soils, giving rise to challenging ground conditions for shaft sinking and tunnelling in general.

While the contract nears completion, additional vulnerable slope areas have been identified, the remediation of which are being handled as part of the current contract.

While the current contract cannot be allencompassing, it will go a significant way in ensuring that the sensitive and iconic Bluff landform is protected from the erosive effects of stormwater.

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Call for Papers ǣ Ȉ Political and Legislative Perspectives Ȉ Social and Environmental Impacts Ȉ Financial Considerations Ȉ Transport and Traffic Ȉ Water and Sanitation Ȉ Roads and Stormwater

30 APRIL 2014 to Wiero Vogelzang | wvogelzang@gibb.co.za IMESA t +27 (031) 266 3263 email conference@imesa.org.za

The aggregates and sand used in construction projects are at the very core of our built environment

A S P A S A

THE AGGREGATE

SAND

PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA

LEGALLY GREEN Ensuring legal mining of aggregates

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT Nurturing development

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Guidelines and spot inspections

ASPASA

ASPASA

Building our country The Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA) is a voluntary producers association that helps to improve the quality of aggregates produced by its member companies for construction projects around the country.

T

HE ROLE THAT ASPASA plays is critical considering that almost ever y structure made by man relies on aggregates for strength and stability. In fact, construction aggregates are the primar y ingredients of all concrete structures and foundations (80% of concrete is aggregate), as well as being the single most important ingredient used to build our roads (94% of a road is aggregate).

The aggregates and sands used in construction projects are naturally occurring minerals that are mined by a specialised sector of the mining industr y in South Africa – mainly from quarries. Government strictly regulates sand and aggregate quarries due to the importance of obtaining a reliable supply of quality materials. It also aims to ensure that the minerals and materials are removed in a manner that is sustainable and protects the rights of workers, as well as the environment and surrounding communities.

Responsible association “As a private sector association representing producers in the industr y, we uphold these aims. In addition, we strive to create an economically viable industr y with good interaction between all par ties involved, from the industr y, as well as the relevant government departments and other stake holders,” says Nico Pienaar, director of ASPASA and of the Southern African Readymix Association (SARMA). “Our focus remains largely on creating an environment

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IMIESA January 2014

that is fair and equitable, gives our members space to manoeuvre and to make a good living. On the other hand, we expect members to comply with all relevant legislation, as well uphold the strictest standards in quality, health, safety and environmental issues. Annual audits are in place to assist members to achieve set requirements and also to ensure that they comply with the relevant legislation.

“We also encourage skills development and nurturing of expertise though our close working relationship with the countr y’s

training authorities, as well as hosting regular workshops and seminars.”

Working together Pienaar explains that quarries represented

by ASPASA work closely with the government and the Chamber of Mines and are able to give input on a wide spectrum of legislation that affects the industr y, including input on critical issues surrounding the environment, as well as health and safety matters.

These important issues are represented through expert committees with senior and knowledgeable specialists ser ving to give informed input on all matters. Through these committees, programmes are also developed to assist the industr y to meet development objectives and improve the overall standards on member mines.

A specialist technical committee also represents the industry on matters that can influence the industry. It works with other industry bodies to ensure that specifications for construction work are up to standard and cost effective. Other work carried out by the association includes assistance with human

The role of quarries In instances where natural sand and gravel is unavailable, commercial aggregates are created by crushing large stones or by drilling and blasting rock formations and processing them into various sizes of rock and manufactured sand. . Additional processes are required to produce different grades and types of aggregates and sand through drilling and blasting. These crushed stone products can be used for different purposes, ranging from creating different grades of concrete, road surfaces or even for drainage purposes and to stabilise land. Approximately 130 quarries are represented

by ASPASA.

ASPASA

one stone at a time resources, remuneration surveys, workshops on Aids and labour law, employee product assistance (medical aids, pension, etc.).

The association also actively promotes the industr y as well as the importance of using ASPASA-accredited companies.

Adopting change “In addition to this, ASPASA supports the adoption of a proactive strategy to foster change and to encourage black economic empowerment and transformation in a sustainable and economically sensible manner,” says Pienaar. For this reason, the association subscribes to the aims of

the BBBEE charter for the mining industr y. In particular, the pillars of transformation related to: • human resourcNico es development Pienaar, director, ASPASA and SARMA • employment equity • encouraging greater community participa• encouraging greater HDSA ownership tion and development • participation and facilitating beneficiation.

• promoting greater procurement from “These are not only supported, but we HDSA (Historically Disadvantaged South believe will contribute to sustainable develAfricans) companies opment in South Africa,” he concludes.

“We strive to create an economically viable industry with good interaction between all parties involved.”

IMIESA January 2014

79

ASPASA

STANDING FOR TOMORROW

Legally green building products

N

OT ENOUGH attention is paid to the constituents of concrete.

According to Nico Pienaar of the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA), any green building that makes use of sand and stone from illegal mining operations cannot be classified as being green – far from it.

Illegal mining of aggregates continues to scar our landscape, contaminate our waterways and makes large tracts of land unsuitable for future use.

Illegal operators are also under no obligation to remediate the land once mining ceases.

“Supporting illegal mining operations is just as morally unacceptable as supporting poaching,” says Pienaar.

Illegal operators generally don’t remediate land

80

Follow the paper trail In order to ensure that the aggregates and sand used in concrete is obtained from a legal source, it is advisable to deal only with ASPASA members. They are audited on an annual basis to ensure they uphold all relevant legislation, as well as internal policies and practices. “What’s more, mines and quarries belonging to ASPASA have thrown their full

weight behind programmes that help to protect the environment and adopt sustainable mining practices in their everyday operations,” he says.

Likewise, Pienaar advises that concrete suppliers should be able to prove that the supplying mine is operating with a valid mining licence from the Department of Mineral Resources; has land-use rights from the local, provincial and national authorities; and complies with all relevant environmental protection requirements. Everyone involved in the building and construction industries should only use aggregates from legal and environmentally conscious companies belonging to ASPASA. “Any structure built with illegally mined materials will stand as a monument to the destruction of our environment for years to come,” he concludes.

IMIESA January 2014

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ASPASA

WATER TREATMENT

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Getting it right the first time

A complete set of guidelines has been published by the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA) to assist members to prepare for health and safety inspections and meet government requirements for safer quarries.

E

VEN WITH THE BEST-RUN operations, inspection days can become disorganised because of poor preparation and can give inspectors the wrong impression of the quarry. With comprehensive guidelines in place, quarry management can facilitate quicker inspections where the necessary documents and processes can be prepared in advance and simply be implemented when inspectors arrive.

Nico Pienaar, director of ASPASA, says that inspection days usually spell tense times

TOP A collapsed quarry can take lives

for quarry management as their processes and procedures are tested and examined in fine detail.

Perceived violation can have far-reaching consequences and both parties often view one another with mistrust if even minor problems arise. Another advantage of adhering to procedures is the elimination of inconsistencies arising from individual inspectors’ own interpretation of regulations. ď ľ

IMIESA January 2014

81

ASPASA

“The inspection guidelines are yet another tool that we have put at the disposal of managers to make health and safety a part of their everyday management function.”

Nico Pienaar, director, ASPASA and SARMA

“That is why we developed our health and safety audit programme some years ago to assist members with health and safety issues. The industrial safety, health and environment audit is done annually at all ASPASA member sites and is a prerequisite for membership of ASPASA,” he says.

“We also strive to ensure that laws and regulations that are applicable to ASPASA members are practical and we therefore work with role players to ensure health and safety problems are reduced and eliminated.”

Quick reference Committed to zero harm “ASPASA has worked tirelessly with members to improve health and safety on our quarries.

The inspection guidelines are yet another tool that we have put at the disposal of managers to make health and safety a part of their everyday management function while instilling a responsible culture within the workforce,” Pienaar says.

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IMIESA January 2014

“As the fifth biggest sector within the mining industry we work closely with the Department of Mineral Resources and aim to promote better relations between mines and the department inspectors. For many years we have advocated that members maintain an unwavering commitment to health and safety at our quarries and mines, and this has paid off.

The guidelines cover broad issues ranging from how to prepare for an inspection, contractor management, common shortcomings and words of caution, as well as contesting citations, safety considerations for all areas of a quarry operation and many more. Checklists are also provided to enable responsible parties on site to check and double-check that their systems and procedures will meet inspection criteria.

ASPASA

D

ESPITE INITIAL CRIES THAT project prices would escalate, there has been little if any evidence of rocketing project prices. Fur thermore, the regulation of borrow pits brings stability to legally operated quarries that operate within the confines of mining, environmental, and health and safety legislation.

In the past, it was deemed acceptable for construction companies and even municipalities to excavate sand and aggregates from informal borrow pits for the duration of specific projects. This was done to speed up operations and reduce the need to transport materials over long distances. The consequences of unregulated excavations, however, had disastrous effects on the environment and surrounding communities, as well as negatively impacting legally operated quarries nearby.

Mining is mining According to Nico Pienaar, director of the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA), people mistakenly think they can remove ground wherever they want to, but this is not the case.

“The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act is clear that once this material is taken away from its natural state and put in another form, it is being mined.

“Users need to go through the same process as legal mining operations to get the necessar y permissions to mine the material required. This includes rezoning the land at local government level, undertaking the necessar y environmental studies required on a regional and national basis, water use licences, as well as obtaining a mining licence from the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR).

“Borrow pits can be an essential part of the construction industr y’s efforts, but it must be done legally and in a manner that does not harm the environment, nor negatively affect surrounding communities and detract from future land use possibilities.

Equally important is that workers are subject to the same safety and health requirements as legally operated quarries,” he says.

Report illegal borrow pits Pienaar adds that in some instances, illegally operated borrow pits are being started mere kilometres away from legitimate suppliers of sand and aggregate, most likely to make use of a “free” resource. Such operators usually

What mine is mine?

Road crews and construction companies may not excavate natural sands, aggregates and minerals from borrow pits without all the necessar y permissions from local, regional and national government authorities.

pay scant regard to sustainable practices and make use of cheap, unqualified labour.

Once projects are completed they simply move on, leaving the workers jobless and the surrounds scarred forever.

“We are working closely with all relevant authorities to close down such operations and we strongly advise our ASPASA members

Excavation of natural sands from borrow pits requires the necessary legal permissions

to report suspected illegal operations to us.

We have the full backing of the DMR and will act upon ever y case that we receive,” he concludes.

Illegal mining forums ASPASA is actively involved in the Gauteng Illegal Mining Forum of the Tshwane Municipality.

This timely and proactive forum will look at all illegal mining activities within the jurisdiction of the municipality with the aim of shutting these operations down and bringing their owners to book.

Similar initiatives are set to be launched in other municipalities around the country and the metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni are already well advanced with their plans to launch similar initiatives.

IMIESA January 2014

83

WATER AND WASTEWASTER

WATER-WISE RESEARCH AT HISTORIC GROOTE SCHUUR

Water springs into action

A site study of the historic Groote Schuur estate in Cape Town has turned up a number of new findings, including the fact that it could be sustainable if its inherent water resources are properly managed.

G

ROOTE SCHUUR ESTATE in Cape Town has been home to the VOC granary, Cecil John Rhodes and South Africa’s presidents. The ‘Groote Schuur Minute’ between the ANC and FW de Klerk, then President of South Africa, was also signed at the estate.

In a new development, the estate has been the site of a study to determine its groundwater potential for irrigation, to ensure that these historic grounds are well-maintained in an eco-friendly way. This study is part of a larger irrigation storage and supply system upgrade to be undertaken by the Department of Public Works, the client. The lead consultant (civil engineering) is Aurecon and the groundwater

assessment and hydrocensus have been undertaken by Muizenberg-based water and earth sciences consultancy Umvoto Africa.

The hydrocensus has involved investigating all current water points within and surrounding the project area.

Assessing the aquifer As much information as possible has been gathered on factors such as construction of existing boreholes (depth, diameter, casing, etc.), yield of the borehole, how much water is used, what it’s used for, samples for hydrochemical analysis, and more. This gives a good idea of the aquifer characteristics in the vicinity. This on-site research is being

“The project has been interesting for various reasons, not only because of its historic context, but also unravelling the complex surface water-groundwater interactions that occur in the area.”

Rowena Hay, MD, Umvoto

84

IMIESA January 2014

supplemented with a desktop-based groundwater assessment using data sources such as geological and hydrogeological maps, Google Earth mapping, old reports and Department of Water Affairs (DWA) databases.

Using the DWA's old National Groundwater Dababase, Umvoto has already discovered two possible boreholes drilled back in 1961.

According to Umvoto MD Rowena Hay, these had been forgotten over the past decade, due to the numerous contractors that have done work on the site over the years.

Springing up “The project has been interesting for various reasons, not only because of its historic context, but also unravelling the complex surface water-groundwater interactions that occur in the area. These interactions have led to the development of numerous springs, which have been used for many years, in the Wynberg, Newlands, Rondebosch and City Bowl areas.

TOP Umvoto trainee hydrogeologist Sinawo Jack sampling water from the borehole adjacent to the Genadendal building within Groote Schuur Estate

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WATER AND WASTEWASTER

Two (Nursery Spring and Glenn Spring) are visible within the estate.�

The springs are fed by groundwater leaking out of the Peninsula Formation sandstone that forms Table Mountain, which lies above the Cape Granite Suite and Malmesbury Group shale, which are relatively impermeable.

Rainwater flows into open surface fractures and faults within the Peninsula Formation aquifer, and then into larger fracture systems that extend from the Cape Peninsula into the underlying Malmesbury Group shale.

Groundwater emerges at specific points or diffuse areas as springs or seeps, where these LEFT Google Earth image showing springs in the vicinity of Groote Schuur Estate (yellow polygon).

Red lines represent fractures, the blue line represents the base of the Peninsula Formation and the dashed light blue line represents the Liesbeek River BELOW Conceptual cross-section illustrating origins of springs from groundwater leaking out of higher formations underlying Table Mountain or Devil’s Peak

86

fracture and fault systems have closed sufficiently in the Malmesbury Group (either due to mechanical weakness or weathered clay infill) to cause the pressure head within the water to force it to the surface.

The perennial, strong spring flow and high water quality suggests the spring water is from the Peninsula Formation aquifer, despite exiting from the Malmesbury Group shales (which are generally low-yielding with poor water quality).

Integrated irrigation Early indications are that there is sufficient groundwater from both estate springs as well as current boreholes to supply a large portion, if not all, of the estate’s irrigation requirements, keeping this historic part of Cape Town in good condition for future generations.

Future work will include measuring seasonal spring flow and developing infrastructure to incorporate the springs into the current irrigation system. The sustainable yields of the current boreholes, as well as determining whether new pump infrastructure will be required, will also be investigated.

IMIESA January 2014

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SAICE AWARDS

C

IVIL ENGINEERING IS a particularly visual discipline, and the awards ceremony, which was hosted by the South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE) president Manglin Pillay, was superbly produced, with footage and visuals of winning projects projected onto multiple screens.

A feast for the eyes – and ears – the presentations highlighted the magnificence of civil engineering and how significantly it permeates our lives. The three main categories were: • SAICE national projects • SAICE technical division projects • SAICE institutional awards.

SAICE SETS THE REAL STANDARDS

larger-scale labour-intensive road construction projects.

Excellence in civil engineering

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE PROJECTS The civil engineering industry makes a huge contribution towards infrastructure creation and the resultant economic and social development in South Africa. Exceptional projects were entered and the adjudicators decided on a winner and two commendations.

SAICE attracted a record 35 entries for its annual awards last year. Celebrating at the prestigious gala event were the leading lights in the South African engineering sector.

SAICE NATIONAL PROJECTS The winners of the 2012/2013 Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Project Achievements are:

• Community-based projects Winner Labour-intensive construction of L1756 road This project, which was executed under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), is a road built by the community.

The 0.6 km all-weather road access, previously a dirt track and now a 6 m wide brickpaved road, is fully functional, with vehicles

88 88

IMIESA IMI MIESA MIE SA January Jaan Jan anuua uar aar ary ry 2014 2013 201 013 013 13

and taxis now able to reach Emzamweni High School and Mzimba Primary School in comfort. The two edge restraints and verge provide safe passage for the school children.

It provided an excellent opportunity for four local emerging contractors to gain managerial and contracting skills, while workers from the community received financial reward and practical training in a number of sustainable activities. The client, the Department of Transport, will use the experience as a basis for future

Winner The Johannesburg Nor thern Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) Biogas to Electrical Energy Johannesburg Water is the first water and sewage utility in South Africa to make use of the groundbreaking technology that enables the production of electricity from biogas. The Northern WWTW is the first of Johannesburg’s six wastewater treatment facilities to undergo expansion and upgrade to improve sludge digestion and comply with the Department of Water Affairs’ South African Guidelines for Wastewater Sludge Handling and Disposal. High energy costs coupled with the increase in biogas production from the high-performance digestion

Winner T5 International – Senenga completed road across the Lui River flood plain

SAICE AWARDS

facilities presented Johannesburg Water with the unique opportunity of implementing a biogas to energy project. The use of cell lysis technology in the application of biogas to energy for a WWTW facility is certainly unique in South Africa. It has increased the efficiency of the overall biogas to energy system and saved on electricity costs for Johannesburg Water.

Commendation Atlantis Corridor ‘MyCiTi’ System The pilot phase of the Atlantis Corridor MyCiTi system, comprising 16 km of dedicated bus rapid transport (BRT) lanes, is located in the Cape Town CBD. The route includes an uninterrupted transport facility along its entire length, 13 raised median trunk bus stations, more than a hundred feeder bus stops and the Stables Bus Depot.

The City of Cape Town has successfully emerged as a pioneer in the implementation of engineering innovations in Integrated Rapid Transit systems in South Africa. The initial phases of this project celebrate the best of indigenised design elements, new professional benchmarks in local concepts and the drive for world-class public transport infrastructure in Cape Town and South Africa.

Opportunities have been taken to transform derelict parts of the city into aesthetically TOP Winner Community-based projects – Labour-intensive construction of L1756 road RIGHT Winner Technical excellence projects – The Johannesburg Northern Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) Biogas to Electrical Energy IMIESA January 2014

89

SAICE AWARDS

LEFT Commendation Technical excellence projects – MyCiti BRT station architecture BELOW LEFT Commendation Technical excellence projects – Train over the construction of a road underpass between Price Street and Hoy Street in Newclare, Johannesburg

pleasing and functional facilities. Areas previously blighted by ad hoc and informal usage have been formalised and replaced by world-class public transport facilities and services. The MyCiTi system is benefiting the communities it serves by offering passengers safe, reliable, affordable and convenient public transport services.

Commendation The construction of a road underpass between Price Street and Hoy Street in Newclare The City of Johannesburg’s urban development policy focuses on the need to create compact cities and limit urban sprawl to use urban infrastructure effectively. The primary measure to support this policy is the Rea Vaya BRT system.

The road-under-rail crossing linking Price and Hoy Streets, which run parallel to the railway at the Newclare railway station, assists with traffic flow in this area. The structure is an underpass having a total length of 52.5 m. A large volume of very hard quartzite was encountered in the embankment, and this unexpected occurrence at a critical time delayed the jacking by close to six months. During the 18-month contract period, 30 local labourers were employed and trained in basic construction activities. Small to medium enterprises were employed for managing the traffic on the roads adjacent to the site, as well as the paving of the sidewalks. The adoption of two semi-complete structures for the crossing is considered innovative.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS OF EXCELLENCE INVOLVING SOUTH AFRICAN ENGINEERS Winner M10 Senanga to Maziba Bay Road, Zambia In June 2010, the Zambian Road Development Agency commissioned the building of the Senanga to Sesheke Road (M10) from Senanga (km 0) to Maziba Bay (km 81). The new route, located along the eastern bank of the Zambezi River, was built in difficult sandy terrain and crosses 14 large streams and rivers that flow across the route into the Zambezi River.

This new section of the M10 has been constructed to bituminous surfaced main road standard on a new alignment to avoid the flood plain where the current gravel road is. Rock quarries were opened on Winner SAICE technical divisions projects – Environmental Engineering Division – The Sihlanzimvelo Stream Cleaning Project

90

IMIESA January 2014

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IMIESA January 2014

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ENERGY

Zest acquires EnI Electrical (est 1984)

2008

Zest acquires Zest Energy (est 2008)

2009

Zest Electric Ghana opens

2010

2013 WEG acquires Zest WEG Group Zest WEG Group acquires Hawker Siddeley Transformers (est 1956)

2010

Manufacturing facilities on 4 continents 55 000 motors produced per day 3rd largest electrical manufacturer worldwide WEG products distributed in over 185 countries 2.5% of WEG’s annual net income spent on R&D

Electrical, Instrumentation & Control Engineering Installation

EnI Electrical

Mini Substations Transformers Switchgear

WEG Transformers Africa

Packaged Switchgear Motor Control Centres E-Housing

Containerised Substations

Shaw Controls

ZEST Energy

Electric Motors Variable Speed Drives Soft Starters Transformers Switchgear Diesel Generator Sets

ZEST Electric Motors

2020 And beyond

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SAICE AWARDS

Winner Technical excellence projects – Structural Engineering Division – Dr Chota Motala Interchange N3

the banks of the smaller tributaries and had to be carefully worked due to environmental concerns. Part of the road passes through a National Forest Area where the impact of the road had to be minimised. This was a commendable achievement given the very remote location of the project, more than 700 km from Lusaka.

SAICE TECHNICAL DIVISIONS PROJECTS Environmental Engineering Division Winner BMK Engineering Consultants submitted the Sihlanzimvelo Stream Cleaning Project. This R41 million project, commissioned by eThekwini Municipality, subcontracted 45 cooperatives consisting of up to eight unemployed women. Each cooperative was allocated a five-kilometre stretch of river close to where they live, with the instruction to clear it of litter, rubble and invasive vegetation. BMK assessors monitored the

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rivers with differentially correct GPSs and photographs submitted via 3G to build up a database of how the project was progressing.

Project Management and Construction Division Winner South African fibre optic cable project UWP Consulting, along with SRK, Nemai and Sivest/MCorp, submitted Phase 1 of the project. The client was FibreCo and the budget was R470 million. Managing 40 active working fronts and 1 700 site personnel along 1 000 km posed several challenges, including vast geographical areas, numerous local authorities, an array of infrastructure owners and a volume of rock that could not be calculated accurately. Construction was completed in less than 18 months: a record for South African fibre optic projects.

excellence: the bridge structures are very elegant; the horizontal, vertical and cross section geometry and levels yield an excellent finish to the road surface; and zero construction-related accidents occurred.

Highly commended Tugela River Pedestrian Bridge (Kwajolwayo) was a joint-venture submitted by Nankhoo Associates and GDB Engineers. The project, which was commissioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, changed the lives of the Kwajolwayo community. The 134 m bridge allows workers and learners to get to work and school without risking the high waters during the summer

Structural Engineering Division Winner Dr Chota Motala Interchange N3 The improvements to the Dr Chota Motala Interchange on the N3 were submitted as a joint venture project by ILISO Consulting and Aurecon for Sanral. The widening of the road from four to six lanes was fraught with unforeseen challenges that caused the budget to increase from R300 million to R440 million, and delayed completion by eight months.

However, in three areas the team displayed RIGHT Highly Commended Technical excellence projects – Structural Engineering Division – Tugela River Pedestrian Bridge (Kwajolwayo) BELOW Winner Technical excellence projects – Water Engineering Division – St Helens Rock Pump Station

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SAICE AWARDS

1

and without disruption to their income and education. An extension was required to allow an emerging contractor to complete certain tasks, but the final cost of R4.9 million was well within budget.

SAICE INSTITUTIONAL AWARDS FOR 2013 2

1 SAICE Civil Engineer of the Year – André Frieslaar 2 SAICE Young Civil Engineer of the Year – Logan Moodley 3 SAICE Technologist Achiever of the Year – Mahendran Mannicum SAICE Student Chapter of the Year – Cape Peninsula University of Technology SAICE Branch of the Year – The SAICE Durban Branch SAICE Division of the Year – The SAICE Water Engineering Division 3

Transportation Engineering Division Winner Greening of KwaZulu-Natal Roads Naidu Consulting submitted the Greening of KwaZulu-Natal’s Roads – a R35 million project commissioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport. During construction of a 5 km section of the R102, 100% of reclaimed asphalt was used in the Bitumen Stabilised Materials (BSM) base-course layer. Benefits of this method include massively reduced heat generation, reduced transportation costs, no need for dumping or quarr ying of new aggregate and a 50% reduction in cost of a conventional asphalt base. Compilers of the TG2 Manual intend using this project as an example of the correct design and construction of BSMs. Water Engineering Division Winner St Helens Rock Pump Station Royal HaskoningDHV submitted the overhaul of the St Helens Rock Pump Station in Port Shepstone. The client, Ugu District Municipality, commissioned the upgrade to cater for the growing rural and peri-urban communities of the South Coast. After an investment of R83 million, the guaranteed supply has been increased from 54 Mℓ/day to a pumping capacity potential of 108 Mℓ/ day. Through careful management and planning, the entire overhaul was undertaken without the pump station missing a single day of operation.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE – A SPECIAL AWARD Commendation Rehabilitation of the Armco Pipe Arch Culvert Naidu Consulting was approached by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport to effect the rehabilitation of an extremely deteriorated Armco Pipe Arch Culvert on the road between Greytown and Mooiriver. Although imminent collapse could have had catastrophic results, the department stipulated that the road remain open during construction. An innovative design using horizontal bracing and the old culvert as permanent shuttering saw the job completed in three months at a cost of R1.4 million – a saving of R4.2 million had conventional methods been used.

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INSIGHT

Sulzer Pumps – Pumping Excellence for Water Applications

The Heart of Your Process

$V D ZRUOG OHDGLQJ PDQXIDFWXUHU RI KLJK HIƄciency water transport and booster pumps, Sulzer Pumps is meeting the demands of the water industry’s most critical pumping applications.

range of solutions combines many years of industry experience and leading edge technology.

With 90 years of experience in South Africa, we have a strategically located manufacturOur pumps are designed and optimized to ing facility as well as sales and service faciliSURYLGH KLJK HIƄFLHQF\ RSHUDWLRQ RYHU DQ ties within the region to provide you with the extended period of time, giving our custom- knowledge and expertise of our business. ers a competitive edge. Sulzer Pumps’ wide

Sulzer Pumps Sulzer Pumps (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd Phone +27 (0) 11 820 6000 Fax +27 (0) 11 820 6205 marius.ackermann@sulzer.com www.sulzer.com

INSIGHT

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SAICE AWARDS INSIGHT

AECOM-SAICE Photo Competition 2013

S

AICE INITIATED the photo competition to celebrate the beauty of the industr y and to show the world that civil engineering can be visually pleasing. The photo competition is sponsored by AECOM, a company that provides a blend of global reach and local knowledge, and innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments.

OPPOSITE PAGE Winning photo: Paradise Valley Viaduct Photographer – Shiren Kasipersad TOP LEFT 1st Runner up: Longhaul fibre optic trenching on the N1 near Bloemfontein Company – UWP Consulting Photographer – Hendrik Pretorius ABOVE 2nd Runner up: Reaching for the sun Company – UWP Consulting Photographer – Jaco Heyl TOP RIGHT Highly commended: Little strokes fell great oaks Photographer – Carl Alfons RIGHT Highly commended: Onwards and Upwards Photographer – Steven Marrow

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PROFILE

FROM PIPELINES TO TREATMENT

A rare combination B The Rare Group is a distributor and ser vice provider of piping and related products covering the entire fluid conveyance cycle, across all fluid sectors.

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ASED IN KLIPRIVIER, Gauteng, the company has, until recently, specialised in the trading of pipe-related products, pipeline installation and water treatment.

The company signed R30.9 million a deal in November last year that will enable it to manufacture high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes up to 1 000 mm in diameter for the mining, infrastructure, agricultural and industrial markets. Rare acquired a pipe manufacturing plant, fixed assets and property in Meyerton. This will be Rare’s first venture into manufacturing HDPE pipes.

IMIESA January 2014

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INSIGHT

Africa’s Fro om insta allattio on to main nten nanc ce The company has also appointed Tony Dean, a well-known plastic pipe industry leader, as MD of the new pipe manufacturing division of Rare. The new division will trade under the name Rare Plastics. Dean previously managed some well-known plastic pipe businesses in South Africa and Botswana, and comes with over 30 years’ industry experience.

According to the CEO of Rare Holdings, Wally van Coller, this acquisition will improve Rare’s competitiveness in offering piping solutions to the industry by supplying a turnkey service ranging from manufacturing through installation and maintenance.

JSE AltX-listed with an ISO 9001:2008 accreditation, Rare already carries an extensive stock range for the petrochemical, mining and water market sectors at its 11 ha premises in Kliprivier. Its trading division sells a comprehensive range of products, combining steel and plastic pipes, fittings, couplings and valves in a complete package to mines, the petrochemical industry, contractors and end users. All products represented by Rare conform to international and national quality standards. The company’s trading customers include the petrochemical, mining, water and engineering industries. Major contracts are based on solid relationships with Sasol and large mining groups.

Rare has been a solution-based supplier to Sasol for the past 13 years, and its contract to supply all the group’s carbon steel pipes, fittings and flanges at its Sasolburg and Secunda plants has been extended for another year. Van Coller says: “Rare was awarded its first contract with Sasol in 2000.

Since then, Rare has won the Sasol contract three times, securing Sasol as a significant partner over the years.”

Alw ways stocke ed – allways s pre epa ared d The company keeps an inventory of about 25 000 line items to ensure a world-class service to the Sasol plants. “If there is a plant breakdown of planned maintenance shutdown, for example, Rare offers Sasol a 24-hour supply service,” explains Van Coller. “We have developed a partnership with Sasol in which Rare is regarded as a solutions-based supplier and not only a commodities supplier.”

Brroadenin ng th he foottprint In order to tap into the KwaZulu-Natal petrochemical and water markets, Rare has a sales branch in Durban. It has also

established an office in Perth, Australia, in December 2013 to offer a doorstep service to the large Australian mining houses that have extended interests in African mines.

Furthermore, Rare is well represented in Zambia where it has a successful local company, Rare Construction Zambia, which is currently executing pipeline installation projects for various mining groups. Rare’s involvement in Ghana includes a site establishment and pipeline installation equipment with vehicles in Tarkwa, which enables Rare to execute pipeline installations in Ghana.

Pip pellines for the mining sec cto or In Zambia, Rare’s pipeline services division recently completed a R6.3 million infrastructure contract to refurbish steel piping for First Quantum Mine’s copper mine in Kansanshi, and has moved on to additional refurbishment contracts on the same site. Through the company’s 100%-owned subsidiary, Rare Construction Zambia, it was awarded a contract to refurbish 10.2 km of HDPE-lined steel pipe in 12 m spool sections that comprise four different pipelines on site. These pipelines convey abrasive and corrosive mining slurry from the plant to the tailings dam.

Rare began the construction of the pipeline in February last year and completed three lines on site, all of which have been commissioned successfully, without any delays.

One of the most successful projects completed by the company was the supply of a complete fluid conveyance solution to the Chambishi copper solvent extraction plant project at Chambishi Metals’ copper mine, in Zambia. The project, with a value of R16.5 million, was completed in 2012. The nature of this project required precise planning for equipment, materials and personnel. Rare had to ensure that the required materials were checked at source before deliveries could take place and it had to coordinate the shipping of materials to ensure efficient use of space.

Tre eatting acid mine drain nage waterr In 2012, Rare secured the sole right in South Africa to water treatment technology that can successfully remove suspended and dissolved solids from acid mine drainage water.

Electrochemical treatment, which uses electricity to treat water without the need for bulk liquid chemicals or large volumes of biomass, is a highly efficient, clean technology. With no moving parts and adaptive software, system maintenance is straightforward and supervisory control can be carried out remotely.

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leader in natural resource and development solutions

Tel: +27(0) 11 441 1111 www.srk.co.za

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Africa Gateway Suppliers

IFC

Gast International

87

Systems Automation & Management 93

Afrimat Aggregates

80

Group Five Pipes

73

SBS Water Systems

86

AECOM South Africa

21

HHO Africa

17

Sizabantu Piping Systems

75

Hydrodifusion Fittings

68

SRK Consulting Engineers

99

IMQS

85

INGEROP South Africa

25

Sulzer Pumps

95

Jan Palm Consulting

44

The Rare Group t/a Rare

98

Krohne South Africa

66

Tosas

KSB Pumps and Valves

69

UWP Engineering

92

MAN Truck & Bus

50

Valve & Allied

72

Volvo SA

45

Aggregate & Sand Producers Association of SA Ammann Construction Machinery South Africa

53

APE Pumps

89

Argus Africa Bitumen 2014

61

Aveng Manufacturing INFRASET

29

Barloworld Equipment

100

79

9

Mercedes-Benz SA

OFC

Barloworld Equipment Metso

46

Nankhoo Engineers

90

Bentley Systems International

43

National Asphalt

82

Bigen Africa

33

Osborn South Africa

10

Bosch Stemele

32

Precision Meters

Fiberpipe

62

Quality Filtration Systems

Fleet Africa

51

Flo-Tek

65

IMIESA January 2014

Water & Sanitation Services

100

OBC

WEC Projects

12

WEPEX

74

23

Wilo

71

Rescue Rod

70

WRP

IBC

SIKA

81

Zest WEG Group

91

2

A Mi M Miy Miya iya G Gr rou oup C Company Co o Group

Water Demand Management and Water Resource Specialists Providing quality support to the South African water industry since 1997 • Pressure Management Specialists • WDM Training and Support • Data acquisition & Monitoring (GSM /GPRS) • Water Loss Reduction

For further support contact Tel:+27(12) 346 3496, Fax: +27(12) 346 9956, Email: wrp@wrp.co.za • Internet: www.wrp.co.za