LAFARGE READYMIX
CONTENTS 2
MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL MARKETING MANAGER
3
COMPETITION
4
PRODUCT LAUNCHES
7
MARKETING ACTIVITIES
14 INTERESTING PROJECTS 15 TWELVE THINGS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO DIFFERENTLY
Grey Matters can only be a success if you tell us what is happening in your area. Please submit any newsworthy projects or events that can be used. Send your story and pictures to Natalie.lume@lafarge.com.
PAGE 1 l GREY MATTERS l JANUARY 2013
LAFARGE READYMIX
Message from our National Marketing Manager
Here we are at the beginning of a new year after what was a tough year in a very competitive market. This is our third edition of Grey Matters and we hope that everyone will enjoy reading it. 2012 was a busy year, we successfully launched Hydromedia in six areas around the country generating much interest and even a few orders. We have also launched our new Low CO2 Concrete. This shows that Lafarge is constantly innovating and encouraging innovation in order to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Placing and Finishing Services was launched late 2011 and has proven to be a lucrative service, generating extra margins as well as offering a solution to our customers. Neville Wearne National Marketing Manager: Lafarge Readymix
We embarked on an exciting radio advert campaign with Bok Radio in Cape Town, promoting Hydromedia and were a major sponsor at the National Architects convention held in Cape Town in September. We hosted our annual Artevia Awards evening in Cape Town which showcased many of our Artevia projects completed throughout the country. Representatives of the Group Marketing team visited South Africa at the end of November and facilitated the first round of Sales Force Effectiveness training at Area Manager level. All sales teams will be invited to join similar training sessions early this year. Some of our brave (or crazy) staff members decided to cycle the 94.7 Cycle Challenge in Johannesburg in November. This was to raise funds for the Ntsonkotha Senior Primary School in the Eastern Cape who are in desperate need of ablution facilities. Some of our suppliers decided to partner with us and help us with our mission to raise R800 000. We will continue with this drive this year until the target amount is reached. These were just few of the major events where the marketing team has been involved throughout 2012. Please read about our other events in the newsletter and encourage your colleagues to read it as well. Do not forget to enter the competition in this issue as we are giving away a R1000 voucher prize. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this newsletter and wish all the readers a happy and successful 2013.
Neville Wearne
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COMPETITION
Congratulations Nishal Congratulations to Nishal Surjoo, winner of the second Grey Matters crossword puzzle competition. We hope you enjoyed spending your prize! You too can be a winner by completing this issues crossword puzzle, Good Luck! This month we are giving away a R1000 Pick ‘n Pay voucher! Nishal Surjoo
Complete the crossword puzzle and win! How to enter 1.
Complete crossword
2.
Scan and email/fax completed crossword to Natalie.Lume@lafarge-za.lafarge.com Fax: 086 630 5067 (Don’t forget to include name, and number)
Prize R1000 Pick ‘n Pay voucher
Closing date for entries is 1 February 2013 All correct entries will be entered into a lucky draw and the winner will be announced 15 February 2013
Across 2.
What did Lafarge sponsor at the SARMA conference? 4. What was the prize won in the Decorex competition? 8. Who is the Lafarge Green Star SA Accredited Professional? 9. How many delegates visited the IFLA World Congress? 10. What value added product was used in the Podium at Menlyn project?
Down 1. 3. 5. 6. 7.
Where in Cape Town was the AZA 2012 Conference held? Name of winning house in the Artevia competition How many boats did Readymix have at the Boat Race? Name of new product launched? Where is the Imizamo Yethu settlement?
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PRODUCT LAUNCHES
Meeting the demand for low carbon footprint concrete Lafarge’s Low CO2 Concrete, or ‘green’ concrete, has been developed to support contractor clients in meeting South Africa’s increasingly stringent environmental protection standards, which are aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of our built environment. It is becoming the norm for prestige office building projects to be designed and built to achieve both ‘Office Design v1’ (environmental attributes of prospective developments) and ‘As Built v1’ (environmental attributes of completed developments) star ratings from the Green Building Council of South Africa. Progressive developers are setting targets for low energy usage, greener footprint buildings and every aspect of design, construction and materials is coming under scrutiny for its impact on the environment. Improving the CO2 performance of concrete focuses primarily on reducing the impact of the high CO2 emissions arising from the traditional cement clinker production process. By incorporating clinker replacement products with negligible carbon footprints in the concrete mix, such as fly ash or slag, CO 2 performance is enhanced and the consumption of non-renewable raw materials and fossil fuels is reduced. Fly ash is a reactive cementitious by-product of South Africa’s pulverised-coal fired power stations, while slag is a by-product of the steel manufacturing industry. The Green Star SA Rating system, operated by the Green Building Council of South Africa, is currently the only rating system in South Africa for sustainable construction. For concrete as a construction material, the Green Star ratings vary depending on whether the product is conventional, precast or stressed concrete. However, the same principle applies to all applications where a single ‘green’ credit is awarded for achieving a minimum percentage clinker reduction and a further credit for an even higher specified clinker reduction. Depending on the application, we can earn clients a third credit by incorporating recycled aggregate in the concrete. The Vodacom Innovation Centre in Midrand recently became the first building in South Africa to be awarded the prestigious 6-Star Green Star SA rating. Lafarge Readymix was a proud contributor to the 6-Star award by supplying a Low CO2 concrete grade concrete mix that met the specified 60% clinker reduction. Offering innovative sustainable solutions for concrete construction is a key strength of Lafarge Readymix, and the last two years, Lafarge has seen an increasing trend for developers to see the benefit in providing cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly buildings for their tenants. Lafarge anticipated the movement to sustainable construction and are more than able to support clients wanting to achieve ‘green star’ status for their buildings.
The Vodacom Innovation Centre in Midrand
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PRODUCT LAUNCHES
Hydromedia gets launched in three more areas
Hyromedia was a very big part of 2012, with six launches that took place across the country, the latest taking place in Polokwane, Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth, this means that over 200 professionals nationally attended the launches.
Hydromedia launch in Polokwane
Hydromedia has been developed in most of our Readymix operations across all provinces and the year to date volumes are sitting at 400m続 which includes demonstrations. The South African sales target for 2013 is to sell 2000m続 of Hydromedia. The local Hydromedia applications, such as the splash pad in Bela Bela, have drawn the attention of our colleagues abroad and knowledge is being transferred with other Business units. Hydromedia plays an important role in Sustainable Construction and could contribute to various Green Building categories such as Emissions, Water and Materials in the Green Star rating systems.
Polokwane water feature with Hydromedia Panel
Hydromedia launch in Nelspruit
Anton Combrink discussing Hydromedia water feature in Port Elizabeth
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MARKETING ACTIVITIES
Lafarge partners with UCT students In July, a group of second year Architecture Students from the University of Cape Town helped to construct a washing platform in the Imizamo Yethu settlement in Hout Bay. They dug trenches, built formwork and even cast foundations, all in conjunction with some of the members of the community. They also constructed pre-cast concrete components in preparation for this event ahead of the time and these elements make up a part of the platform. Lafarge was instrumental in making this year's platform possible with the donation of 4.5m続 of readymix concrete, which was used to cast the staircase and it was sufficient to provide a much-needed sidewalk along the street. Initial reports from the community are that they are very happy with the platform and no doubt, this small project will help a little to ease the difficulties of daily life in the township.
Concrete being poured
The platform currently
Lafarge Golf day Lafarge hosted a customer golf day on 16 May. The Readymix business sponsored a hole and had a table with refreshments and brochures for teams passing by.
Branding at Readymix hole
Lafarge golf day at Houghton golf club
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MARKETING ACTIVTIES
Artevia Competition winners announced
The second annual awards function of the Lafarge Artevia™ decorative concrete competition was held at the Lagoon Beach Hotel in Cape Town. This annual event was launched at the end of 2009 in partnership with Chryso Southern Africa and Lanxess, to showcase the excellence of construction projects using Artevia™ decorative concretes.
Anton Combrink Readymix GM handing over the award to the overall winner Johan Coetzee from QS Concrete Grinding & Polishing.
The overall winner of the 2012 competition was Cape Town-based QS Concrete Grinding & Polishing for the Harris’ private home in Camps Bay. QS Concrete Grinding
& Polishing
director, Johan Coetzee,
received a R25 000 travel voucher as first prize
The Artevia™ Polish category was won by Concrete By Design for their outstanding distribution of stone in the concrete, and the quality of the finishes at the Maidman’s private home in Durban.
Owner Alma
Vorster received a R15 000 travel voucher prize as winner of this category
Overall winner: House Harris in Camps Bay
The Artevia™ Exposed category was won by Horticare for the Smith’s private residence in Johannesburg. The landscaping, quality of finish as well as the colour choice blended very well with the home’s theme
Horticare’s
owner,
Shaun
Alcock,
also
received a R15 000 travel voucher for winning this category.
Polish category winner: Concrete By Design for House Maidman
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MARKETING ACTIVITIES
Lafarge’s Artevia™ is a versatile, decorative medium offering architects and builders almost limitless textures and colours in durable concrete. The product has stimulated a new trend in modern concrete design and
Exposed category winner: Horticare for House Smith
sets higher standards of quality finishes in the concrete application industry. Durability of colours is achieved by using integral high quality Lanxess pigments, which are UV stable and mixed homogeneously throughout the concrete. For the 2011/2012 competition, we have encouraged innovation to display the tremendous potential of Artevia™. We also aim to broaden the involvement to include specifiers and architects to reflect the key role that they play in the development of concrete as a truly decorative construction medium. Hannes Engelbrecht, announced commendations for two
Commendation: Ocean Side Trading for Summer Square
other projects of which the owners each received a R10 000 travel voucher. These were Ocean Side Trading from Johannesburg for the Summer Square at the HP Offices in Sandton and CSD Building from Durban for the Izinga cycling path in Umhlanga. Entries for the 2012/2013 Artevia competition will open early this year.
Commendation: CSD Building for the Izinga cycling path
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MARKETING ACTIVITIES
SARMA Conference 2012 Sarma in conjunction with Aspasa held their annual conference on 18 and 19 June at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Gauteng. The focus of the conference was on sustainability and there were very interesting guest speakers. Lafarge sponsored the guest speaker gifts and also had banners displayed in the conference venue. There were around 140 delegates which meant the opportunity to network was plentiful. Guest speaker gifts sponsored by Lafarge
Off to the Rugby On 23 June the Readymix team in Port Elizabeth invited some customers to join them at the South Africa vs. England Rugby match. They were also joined by the East London Readymix team and the Port Elizabeth Aggregates team. Before heading off to the match they had a braai at Moregrove Quarry and then headed off to the game in taxi’s. This exciting game ended with a 14 all score. Despite South Africa not winning, it was a day and match enjoyed by customers and sales staff that attended.
Group of Lafarge staff and customers who attended the match
The 49th IFLA (International Federation of Architects) world congress was held from 5 - 7 September at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Readymix participated by having an exhibition booth at the conference. Six hundred delegates across the industry worldwide attended and came from fields of Landscape Architecture, Landscape Engineering, Urban Planning, Government and associated professions to debate and discuss current topics and exchange experiences. The conference was a success and Lafarge was a very visible building materials brand.
Delegates attending the conference
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MARKETING ACTIVITIES
The Star Interbuild Africa 2012 is a recognised and established building services and construction exhibition, the largest trade event of its kind in Africa. Interbuild 2012 was welcomed with good weather and a fantastic atmosphere of eager exhibitors and intrigued delegates. Lafarge Readymix, Cement and Gypsum teamed up again and had a stand at the exhibition. The Stand was visited by many and compared to Decorex these visitors proved to be very qualified leads.
Lafarge exhibition stand
AZA 2012 Conference The AZA (Architects South Africa) 2012 Biennial Conference, presented by SAIA (South African Institute of Architects), in partnership with the Cape Town Institute of Architecture took place at the Cape Town City Hall from the 13 – 16 September. As a Gold sponsor Lafarge had an opportunity to setup a exhibition comprising of a display of some the most beautiful projects completed. Our display was found in one of the breakaway rooms also called the Lafarge room which increased our visibility.
Display in the Lafarge Room
The official Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) Convention and Exhibition is South Africa’s leading green building conference and exhibition, providing access to the most recent, cutting edge, thrilling information delivered by international and local thought leaders. The GBCSA's annual Convention took place from the 23 – 25 October at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Lafarge was an exhibitor at the conference, showcasing the complete range of value added products. Exhibition area at the conference
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MARKETING ACTIVITIES
Durban's night out... On 11 September Avi Bhoora, Area Manager for Kwazulu Natal Readymix, and his Durban sales team invited their customers to join them for a night of fun and entertainment at the Barnyard theatre. The show that was attended was called “Icons of the 80s”. The night was spent listening to the many classics by Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Adam Ant to name a few. The Durban sales team and customers had an enjoyable evening.
The stage is set for the production
Concrete Boat Race 2012 The concrete society of Southern Africa once again hosted the Annual Concrete Boat Competition on 29 September at the Victoria Lake Country Club. The Readymix marketing and the Readymix sales team both entered a boat in this years competition. The construction of the boats had to meet a very strict criteria, the most important of which was that the boat must float. The boats had to be made from a freely available, commonly-used cement, mortar or concrete. The binding agent had to be predominantly cementitious in composition. Many Lafarge employees attended with their families and despite the cold weather it was a fun filled day for everyone. Sol Makola rowing for the Readymix sales team
Well done to our 94.7 Cycle Challenge team We congratulate our newly-formed ‘potent’ cycling team on completing the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge race on 18 November. It is the world’s second largest timed cycle race after the Cape Argus and the sweltering heat added to the challenge. Our team proudly took on the task and crossed the finish line with big smiles on their faces. Their efforts had helped to raise part of the R800 000 needed for the construction of new facilities for the Ntsonkotha Senior Secondary School, near Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Our 94.7 Challenge cycle team: Downhill DIVA: Jenny Gouws Panther PANDORA: Marié Marx Random RAZOR: Jacques Schutte The long-leg LEGEND: Ben Laubscher Racing SNAKE: Neville Wearne Dare DEVIL: Barjo Vorster
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The Lafarge cycling team
MARKETING ACTIVITIES
Lafarge’s very own Green Star SA Accredited professional Herbie Groenewald, Hydromedia Product Manager, attended the Green Star Accredited Professional course in Cape Town in April this year. Thereafter he successfully completed the on-line examination to become an Accredited Professional. Green Star SA Accredited Professionals have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Green Star SA rating system, both in content and practical application during the building design and construction process. Project teams that include an Accredited Professional from the beginning of the project are awarded two extra points toward their Green Star SA certification score. Well done Herbie! Herbie Groenewald
Visiter scores at Lafarge Decorex Stand Decorex Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest decor and design exhibition that offers a wide variety of fascinating colours, forms, shapes and silhouettes of the moment. It is an award-winning event that offers an abundance of choices from contemporary collectibles and signature pieces to the kitchen sink. Unfazed by a surprise snowfall and subsequent freezing temperatures, over 52 000 visitors turned out to visit Decorex Johannesburg at the Gallagher Convention Centre from 8 ‐ 12 August.
Signage at the entrance
Lafarge Readymix, Cement and Gypsum sponsored one of the busier entrances to the exhibition allowing visitors to see Lafarge first before going into the exhibition. At Decorex a competition was running where a Lafarge Big Boy Scooter could be won. Visitors had to complete an entry form and answer a simple question that went into a lucky draw. Congratulations to Meneer Mokgalaka, a teacher from Pretoria who has won the prize. The feedback from all involved was positive and we look forward to Decorex 2013. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this exhibition a success.
Lafarge stand at the entrance
Meneer Mokgalaka with his new Scooter
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INTERESTING PROJECTS
Lafarge innovation showcases stunning architecture at the Podium Menlyn in Pretoria is being developed as an A-grade business hub and Lafarge has recently played a vital role in one of the district’s landmark projects, namely the Podium at Menlyn, an architecturally striking business centre at the intersection of Atterbury and Lois Streets. From the outset, the project proved challenging. There were time constraints; the location, being at a busy intersection, provided its own problems; and the design aspect in itself was unusual, calling for a specialised concrete solution. Construction company WBHO (Pty) Ltd approached Lafarge knowing we could find a solution which would achieve the best results. Lafarge proposed Agilia Vertical to WBHO and trialled it on a mock-up wall. The results met the expectations of the architect and the construction company and it was decided that this specialised concrete be used on all off-shutter walls. The Lafarge Agilia range of readymix consists of four advanced products, namely Agilia Vertical, Agilia Horizontal, Agilia Foundations and Agilia Deep Foundations, all with their own unique qualities, able to provide solutions for almost any challenge. Agilia Vertical was chosen for the Podium project because of the intricate yet appealing design. The architect specified off-shutter finishes on all vertically exposed walls, which had unusual imprints. Lafarge had to mirror, in concrete, the same effect that was prevalent on the modern glass facades. It was important to get it right the first time on every wall and ensure a good off-shutter finish, to enhance the visual appeal. Due to the steel reinforcing, the difficulties presented with the use of conventional vibration, and the importance of off-shutter finishes, standard concrete was out of the question. Agilia Vertical is designed to deal with all of these challenges as it has been created around flow and viscosity rather than slump; it requires no vibration; and it is easy to pour, especially within congested reinforced structures and areas of pour accessibility. It is designed for superior off-shutter concrete finishes and better colour consistency, plus, from a technical perspective, every pour ensures accuracy and consistency. Ultimately, the concrete produces aesthetically pleasing structures and allows for intricate design work. Lafarge Readymix supplied a total volume of 11500m³ concrete, of which 360m³ was Agilia Vertical, over the nine-month period it took to construct the building. The final results are impressive and the Podium at Menlyn now stands testament to great architecture and innovative, aesthetically pleasing use of concrete. This project has been entered in the Fulton Awards which will take place in June 2013.
The concrete mirrors the modern glass facades
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The beautiful Podium at Menlyn