4401 - r&d - 3d mag presentation - t1

MAINTAINING THROUGH INNOVATION

COMPANY PRESENTATION

“Maintaining through Innovation is both an ethos that we instil in the work we deliver, as well as

a promise to our clients regarding their experience of our service.”

As a market leader we pride ourselves on exceptional service delivery.

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Background

R & D Contracting was established in 2006, with the vision of servicing the industrial and commercial sectors of the market by adding a level of service innovation not yet experienced in the South African market.

Our streamlined operation is very well equipped to manage any maintenance challenge necessary. It’s our guiding principles surrounding health and safety, quality controls and the high-level supervision through the entire process of the job that ensures our offering is innovative in every sense. With our management team boasting over 45 years of experience in the field, we understand what it takes to meet the high expectations of service delivery in the market.

ManageMent Structure

To streamline an organisation effectively means not only ensuring you’re big enough for the task, yet small enough to work swiftly through the delivery, more importantly to maintain control in the right areas all the time through a hands-on approach without losing sight of the job.

At R & D Contracting, we subscribe to a ‘tripod management style’ in all our operations whereby our clients are able to deal directly with the three company managers – the General Manager, Production Manager and Sales Manager when required.

The hands-on work ethic and down-to-earth attributes of our Managers themselves is a clear advantage in instilling the quality control from the top of the company down to all staff involved on-site.

Why r&d?

• We pride ourselves on an innovative style of service delivery, adding a fresh approach to the industrial and commercial maintenance industry.

• Our hands-on management style, core specialisations and guiding principles ensure the highest standards in quality, reliability and service.

• Our transparent BEE status is a clear sign of our commitment to both the macro transformation compliance and on a micro level, our synergy and shared objectives within the management team.

• Our management team boasts a combined 45 years of experience in various specialised fields within general maintenance contracting.

• We adhere to and apply the most stringent health and safety procedures to ensure the safest possible working conditions.

• The streamlined and dynamic operation enables a fast turnaround on all aspects of service delivery.

• We only use the highest quality netting systems for easy access to the work face for multiple technicians.

ABOUT USHome / About Us

Maintaining through innovation is both an ethos that we install in the work we deliver, as well as a promise to our clients regarding their experience of our service.

our MiSSion

As a market leader we pride ourselves on exceptional service offering. We are a dynamic, streamlined and highly specialised industrial and commercial maintenance company.

our VaLueS

We offer an array of solution driven services based on accurate site analysis, selective product specification and project oriented methodology ranging from core drilling and mast refurbishment to specialised access and large-scale industrial rebranding.

our SoLution

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ABOUT US

0861 072 6333, Remo Torrente 083 255 3415 or David Williams 083 235 9006

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FULL-SERVICE IndUStRIaL MaIntEnanCE company

SPeciaLiSed acceSS and netting SySteMS


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rooF reFurBiShMent and Sheeting inStaLLationS

induStriaL coatingS

aSBeStoS reMoVaL and encaPSuLation

turnkey SPeciaLiSt Signage aPPLication

core driLLing

concrete and SPaLLing rePair

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rooF reFurBiShMent and Sheeting inStaLLationS

• We excel in providing roof refurbishments, removal and installation of new sheeting, incorporating new purlins, skylight vents, gutters, down-pipes, handrails and the installation of maintenance coating.

• Our attention to detail and superior quality of workmanship is a direct result of our teams having had the very best training.

• Our maintenance procedures comply with the most stringent of quality standards and always adhere to the strictest safety regulations.

induStriaL coatingS

The most important part of any project is surface preparation

• Painting as a rule is perceived as a fairly simple task, but by far the most important part of any project is surface preparation.

• Preparation techniques are as important as the specification of coating products suited to prevailing environmental conditions and the creation of a clean abraded surface significantly increases the life expectancy of the coating system.

• All coatings are applied by our experienced brush hands, full time on-site Supervisors monitor quality including Health and Safety with regular management site visits ensuring compliance.

• Specifications are graded on a site specific basis taking into consideration the site location, environmental and exposure conditions.

• Strict adherence to supplier application directives is enforced which allows for long term results and superior quality.

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SPeciaLiSed acceSS and netting SySteMS

• We have several highly trained and experienced teams to utilise and safely manage the most sophisticated and contemporary access systems and equipment.

• Safety remains our primary concern and area of expertise. We only use qualified teams with the most modern and up to date equipment and therefore always provide you with the appropriate solution that does not compromise on safety.

• If you are looking for mobile access system, scaffolding, and rope access or netting systems, we have the expertise and infrastructure to deliver it to you efficiently and effectively.

concrete SPaLLing and rePair

• Successful concrete repair is very complicated. Incorrectly treated concrete repairs will rapidly reoccur and may lead to further problems.

• The quality and longevity of our finished product directly correlates with our initial assessment, where the appropriate specifications and method statement is applied to the site specific requirements.

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aSBeStoS reMoVaL

• Asbestos removal is a hazardous operation and as a result all contractors need to be certified according to legislation. The contractor’s certification is renewed on an annual basis.

• The act stipulates that all processes are to be monitored and recorded in agreement with its disposal and handling procedures.

• We make certain that our staff members are medically monitored to ensure that they have not been exposed to any harmful material. This includes exit medicals on completion of the scope of work.

• After we have successfully completed cleaning operations, depending on conditions, we seal the asbestos in with a sealer coat to prevent future exposure or we dispose of the asbestos.

• We make it our responsibility to guarantee that a registered disposal company disposes of all materials collected from operations.

core driLLing

• Our core drilling division is very versatile and we are able to drill from ground level right up to, and including, very high applications.

• Our core sampling division is geared to drill a 25mm to 400mm diameter hole down to a depth of 900mm which could be sent for analysis.

• We use only top quality drilling equipment and tools to ensure accuracy and efficiency that delivers the best service to meet your expectations.

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turnkey SPeciaLiSt Signage aPPLication

• This is our area of expertise whether you require re-branding or the removal of existing branding.

• Our innovative approach allows us to turn your signage into a focal point rather than an afterthought.

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MARKETSHome / Markets

Mining

R & D provides a wide range of services to the mining industry which includes asbestos removal, sheeting and cladding scopes as well as other related services such a corrosion protection and the like. These services are offered using a wide range of techniques which include rope access, netting, scaffolding and all other conventional access methods.

PetrocheMicaLS

We offer the same services as normal to this industry but are focused on maintenance scopes through the refinery from storage vessels through to communications facilities such as towers. We can offer high specification coating systems for internal and external linings.

Bridge and highWay

Our main are of focus within this environment is concrete spalling and corrosion protection of structures.

teLecoMMunication Markets

PuLP and PaPer

Our capabilities include corrosion protection, concrete placement, steel erection, equipment installation, pipe fabrication, pipe installation, boiler installation, and sheeting.


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coMMerciaL

We supply advanced waterproofing systems within this area as well as building maintenance using rope access which offers a remarkably cheaper alternative when applying coating to elevated structures

Food

We offer hygiene coatings within this industry which have proven anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties to ensure the environment within

the food production area is sterile and easily cleaned. We also of course offer our entire ambit of services within the industry as

well.

Water and WaSteWater

PoWer

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CASE STUDIESHome / Case Studies

aFriSaM

Infrastructure refurbishment project tackles corrosion issues.

The Afrisam ReadyMix plant in Coemore, KwaZulu-Natal, is one of the leading suppliers of superior quality construction materials and technical solutions. Afrisam, founded as far back as 1934, has established itself as an organisation committed to delivering value to its customers and seeking to deliver superior performance on all frontiers.

aBi deVLand

New roofing system will vastly improve in-plant lighting and ergonomics.

When the time came for Amalgamated Beverage Industries (ABI) to refurbish the roof of its bottling plant in Devland, it looked for a business that has earned a reputation in the industry for its expertise in dealing with unusual roof designs.

CoCa-Cola Canners

R&D’s Coca Cola success worth shouting from the roof tops.

The Coca-Cola Canners of SA plant in Wadeville is one of the largest beverage manufacturing plants in Africa. When R&D Contracting were asked to provide a solution for the maintenance and repair of the roofing at the plant, it involved challenges on a number of levels. Not only did the company need to take into consideration both functionality and aesthetics, but furthermore, the project needed to be completed without impacting the plant’s busy production schedule.

niSSan South aFrica

Implementing new, 54 000m² roof requires a pioneering approach.

Nissan South Africa’s assembly plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, produced over 50 000 vehicles during 2014. This massive plant, which assembles the NP200 half ton bakkie and NP300 Hardbody one-ton pick-up, along with various other model Ds and derivatives, plays a key role in the company’s strategy to secure a significant share of the new vehicle market in Africa and South Africa.

niSSan South aFrica

Implementing new, 54 000m² roof requires a pioneering approach.


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Infrastructure refurbishment project tackles corrosion issues.

The Afrisam ReadyMix plant in Coemore, KwaZulu-Natal, is one of the leading suppliers of superior quality construction materials and technical solutions. Afrisam, founded as far back as 1934, has established itself as an organisation committed to delivering value to its customers and seeking to deliver superior performance on all frontiers.

As a business renowned for its technical expertise and ability to provide high quality construction materials and excellent service, it is no surprise that when the time came for the company to refurbish its Coemore plant, it turned to an organisation equally renowned for its skills and customer service.

R&D Contracting was brought on board to assist in the refurbishment of much of the plant’s steel infrastructure. This included providing corrosion protection in the relatively harsh coastal environment, where humidity, salt and rust combine to create major challenges for businesses.

The project required the repainting of the plant’s siloes, as well as its hoppers and conveyers. In addition, structural steel, including walkways and stanchions, required corrosion protection.

Project PLanning

According to Sibusiso Dludlu, R&D’s Site Supervisor, The project initially demanded that a quality control plan be developed, following a site inspection. In addition, he adds, regular and ongoing site inspections are conducted not only by R&D and the client, but also by an accredited third party inspector.

Dludlu, who began his career as a casual labourer with the company, some eight years ago, is a shining example of R&D Contracting’s focus on upliftment.

He suggests that having worked his way up the ladder to the senior role he now fulfils, he has gained the kind of hands-on experience that has enabled him to sharply focus on bringing his skills to bear on this project.

“It is clear that the refurbishment of the Coemore plant is necessary to maintain its longevity, while at the same time boosting Afrisam’s corporate image. Once on site, I immediately took note of the serious corrosion issues – which had the potential to create safety challenges if left untreated, by impacting on the infrastructure’s structural integrity – and began planning exactly what would be required to solve these problems.”

“Our work at this plant, which began in December 2014 and will conclude shortly, has encompassed three of the ReadyMix silos, as well as the scale platform and loading

bay. In addition, we have dealt with the hoppers and four conveyers, as well as stairwells, stanchions and related infrastructure.”

Obviously, he says, since this project involves painting corrosion resistant coatings onto the steel, the one major challenge his team faced was that of the weather, so it was inevitable that some delays were caused by rain.

harSh enVironMent

According to David Williams, Managing Member and Technical Sales Director at R&D Contracting, the environment in which the plant exists is an aggressive one. Not only are there the typical challenges coastal buildings have to deal with, including salt corrosion and humidity, but there is also the generally tough nature of a manufacturing environment. In addition, being a cement plant, there is also an inordinate amount of dust that has to be contended with.

“Obviously, the salt is one of the key reasons for the corrosion in the first place, but issues like dust and in particular, humidity, play a big role in how and when we are able to actually paint the surfaces, and thus also in the choice of coating used,” he says.

For this reason, he explains, it was necessary to utilise a three-coat industrial coating system, as opposed to the usual two-coat system.

“Generally, we like to utilise an epoxy polyurethane coating system, as epoxy primers need to be corrosion inhibiting. In this instance, we made use of Sigmacover 630, a two component, surface-tolerant, high build polyamine cured epoxy primer coating, which is a surface tolerant epoxy.

“The three-coat system is specified for coastal environments and involves utilising two coats which of the chosen finish, which are applied in contrasting colours. So, for example, the intermediate coat may be red, while the top coat is painted in grey – this makes it easy to see whether any areas have been missed once the top coat has been applied.

Williams says that for the Afrisam project, R&D Contracting made use of Sigmadur 550, a two component, aliphatic acrylic polyurethane finish, which offers excellent resistance to atmospheric exposure conditions and is also resistant to splashes from mineral and vegetable oils, paraffin and petroleum products and even mild chemicals.

“In addition to this, we also applied what is referred to as a stripe coat, which in effect is an additional layer painted over bolts, edges, joins and hard-to-reach places. These are the areas that are most prone to corrosion, so this stripe coat simply provides an added layer of protection.”

aFriSaM

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He points out that other challenges the company dealt with during the project included ensuring timeous delivery of product ensuring the correct mixing of the epoxy coatings, the problem of soluble salts and other contaminants.

“While soluble salts are not unique to the coastal region, they are a major challenge in this environment and had to be dealt with carefully and effectively.”

“We solved the problem presented by these salts with the simple solution of washing everything down with a high pressure hose. This was done with normal, potable water, as borehole water could itself have contaminants like chlorine or other chemicals in it.”

The top coat colours used by R&D, as requested by the client, continues Williams, were Squirrel Grey for the main infrastructure, Golden Yellow for handrails and Traffic Black for stanchions, while the siloes themselves were painted Traffic White.

SaFety chaLLengeS

Site supervisor Dludlu explains that when it comes to projects of this nature, R&D Contracting always puts safety at the forefront. To this end, he says, the company conducted site-specific risk assessments, to determine the best and safest ways of completing the project.

“In the end, we decided that the best method would be rope access. Scaffolding was ruled out for a number of reasons. Not only is it expensive, but it is difficult to move around and, probably most crucially, the Coemore plant is live. In other words, trucks are coming in and out all day, there is constantly moving machinery – such as the conveyers – all of which preclude the effective use of scaffolding.”

“Rope access enabled us to overcome these challenges, although it obviously creates its own challenges. Nonetheless, it certainly made it easier to get in a full day’s work in the middle of the live plant. In addition, using rope access minimised our establishment and de-establishment times for the project.”

Dludlu points out that safety is always a critical concern for R&D, which is why all employees working on the painting had to undergo a Level One Rope Access course, delivered by an accredited service provider.

“All these employees were certified at Level One, while I myself am certified at Level Two. In addition to this, we also conducted a site-specific risk assessment, and then also ensured that weekly talks were conducted with the group, where safety points were regularly hammered home.”

“Inspection lists were also regularly checked over by a technician and signed off by the supervisor. These lists covered the tools and equipment and were part of a constant safety protocol to ensure that the ropes, harnesses and ascenders and descenders remained in perfect working order.”

He adds that due to the nature of this particular project, which required rope work at height, R&D had to bring in experienced people that had done this sort of work before. However, in keeping with its drive to empower labour local people, many of the basic jobs that did not involve rope work were awarded to people from the area.

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Asked about the difficulty of working in a live environment, he suggests that the issue was solved by simply changing the company’s work week. In effect, he says, instead of starting on a Monday and finishing on a Friday, they would start on a Saturday and finish on a Wednesday, with employees taking the Thursday and Friday off.

“In this way, we were able to ensure we could safely work on areas of the plant like the conveyers, which are operational Monday to Saturday. Ultimately, a project of this nature could be described as our ‘bread and butter’. We have been doing projects like this for many years and are able to bring all our vast experience and know-how to bear on delivering exactly to the specifications as laid out by the client.”

“Thanks to our experience and skills, Afrisam will now be able to operate its plant safe in the knowledge that its steel infrastructure will be able to withstand the elements for a long time to come. This project is yet another clear indicator that whatever the environment or the challenge, R&D Contracting is able to overcome these and deliver a solution that is high quality and completely effective,” concludes Dludlu.

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CASE STUDIES: aFriSaM

r&D ContraCting installs state-of-the-art roof for aBi DevlanD

New roofing system will vastly improve in-plant lighting and ergonomics.

When the time came for Amalgamated Beverage Industries (ABI) to refurbish the roof of its bottling plant in Devland, it looked for a business that has earned a reputation in the industry for its expertise in dealing with unusual roof designs. Since the ABI plant had been built using a very specific ‘origami style’ roof, a contractor with both this specific proficiency and an extensive track record in the commercial and industrial maintenance sector was required. Based on previous experiences with the organisation, ABI turned to R&D Contracting to solve its roofing challenges.

The ABI bottling plant in Devland is a world-class manufacturing site, which has been producing cool drinks for the South African market for decades. However, as with any older facility, the plant’s roof was reaching the end of its natural lifespan, having become victim to corrosion, caused by the harsh vagaries of South African weather. The engineers who originally built it adopted an ‘origami style’ for the roof, which utilises very specifically folded steel that is designed to be self-supporting.

When it came time to replace the roof, says David Williams, Managing Member and Technical Sales Director at R&D Contracting, retaining the origami style was not cost-effective, as although it is self-supporting, it utilises large volumes of steel. “Instead, we decided to base the design of the new roof on a previous project we had completed for ABI at its Wadeville Coca Cola canning plant,” he says.

Williams explains that the project currently sees R&D removing around six tons of steel from the roof every week. This is being replaced by a far lighter zinc aluminium composite – known as zinc alum – that is just 0.55mm thick. He states that on average, the company is installing between 12 and 18 metres of the new roofing per day.

The galvanised support beams are specially designed for the project, and are certified by engineers, prior to implementation, he adds. Williams also points out that R&D is using sisalation underneath the zinc

alum roofing for the purposes of insulation. This is also far thinner than the previous insulation used, but thanks to a reflective coating on the outside, is just as effective at keeping the factory cool.

“The sisalation is a key innovation here, as it improves vastly on the old roof, which utilised sponge, fitted between double steel, for insulation purposes. Sponge works fine in a new roof, but as the roof ages, it becomes easier for this sponge to get wet. I can tell you that vast tracts of wet sponge add an enormous additional weight load onto the roof. Fortunately, this is all negated now by the far lighter zinc alum roofing and the sisaltion we are using instead.”

intenSe PreParation

Williams explains that the project is expected to take approximately 10 months from site set-up to conclusion. This, he adds, does not include the additional time required for preparation and fabrication prior to starting.

The preparation included ensuring that the zinc alum roof sheets were rolled to the correct size, that the supporting beams were properly prepared and certified, and that everything was delivered to the site on schedule.

“In addition, there were aspects like health checks and safety lectures for the workers, ensuring that all the necessary tools are available on site and making sure that the site manager has access to an office with Internet connectivity, so he can stay in touch with the head office, so any potential challenges can quickly be dealt with.”

“Another feature of this project is that R&D is focused on improving skills. This means that we will bring in three or four new employees to gain experience here, over the course of the entire project. By allowing them to learn on the job, they are able to gain valuable experience that will stand them in good stead as they continue their career,” says Williams.

This high level of preparation is vital, continues Williams, because ABI needed the plant to remain fully functional during the re-roofing project. The nature of the plant is such that it would not be cost effective to ABI to shut it down for any extended period, which is yet another reason why the company turned to R&D in the first place – the company has a reputation for being able to undertake projects like this without impacting on the work done within the facility.

He points out that the intense preparation beforehand has so far meant that the project has remained on track and, when the new roof is fully installed, it will be both safer and more

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ergonomically friendly than the one it has replaced, meaning it should provide effective protection from the elements for several decades at least.

Better Light, More ergonoMicaLLy Sound

Johny Kruger, Site Manager at ABI Devland, points out that the ergonomics of the new roof can be found in how effectively it improves the natural light coming into the plant.

“The old roof had been designed with raised segments, which in turn had glass fibre sheeting on the sides. This was supposed to allow light in, but it is very old technology and was probably not really ideal even when it was implemented – let alone when one considers how little light was coming in after decades of weathering,” he says.

Kruger indicates that in order to increase the natural light coming in, R&D utilised polycarbonate sheeting to allow sunlight into the building. He says that one in every five roofing sheets was made of this polycarbonate material, which diffuses the light and ensures that there are no bright pinpoints of light at certain times of the day. These, after all, can be blinding and thus create a safety hazard.

“We are utilising a colour known as Opal White, which offered the best diffusion of light when we tested different colour sheets. Even though only 20% of the roof is composed of these sheets, we expect it to increase the amount of available light entering the building from under 400 lux to upwards of 1300 lux.”

This, continues Kruger, not only improves working conditions within the plant, but also reduces ABI’s electricity costs. In fact, he says, R&D estimates that within a decade years, the electricity savings alone will enable ABI to recoup the cost of the entire roofing project.

“Safety laws around lighting inside a plant of this nature are quite strict and as I understand it, the minimum lux that is acceptable is around 500 lux. With the new roof, the plant achieves over 1 000 lux, even on cloudy days – and this is from natural light alone, it doesn’t take into account the electrical lighting that is also present.”

The other important benefit of this sheeting is that it improves the ergonomics within the plant as well. For example, says Kruger, better lighting helps to keep employees more awake and thus less likely to make errors; it reduces eye strain; and it generally improves the working conditions for employees. This has additional tangible benefits, since happier employees are more productive employees.

“In addition, we will also be installing extractor fans in the roof, which will help to remove fumes from

the from the exhausts of the ever-present forklifts. This will also help to improve the general wellbeing of employees in the plant and the overall working environment,” states Kruger.

SaFety iS criticaL

According to Williams, the company has approximately 15 staff on site at any given time, which makes the issue of safety, health and environment (SHE) a critical one.“SHE is very important to R&D and ABI, and is a vital component of a project of this nature. Quite aside from the obviously crucial safety measures taken while working on the roof itself, we also take the health and welfare of employees a step further. There are regular medical check-ups scheduled for all our employees. These focus specifically on hearing-, eyesight- and respiratory-related matters,

He adds that after each employee has undergone their first medical check-up, this is used as a baseline against which all subsequent tests can be measured and compared, in order to check for deviations from the norm.

“As for our employees on site at ABI, the company also takes it upon itself to conduct regular ‘toolbox talks’ with employees. These meetings revolve around site-specific SHE issues and involve basic explanations of what to do and what not to do,” says Williams.

Furthermore, he indicates that R&D also conducts a site-specific risk assessment every week at the facility. Workers operating on the roof are also fitted with redundant safety lines – in fact everything up there is double secured – to ensure that risk is minimised, both for R&D’s workers and the ABI employees inside the plant.

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“It is particularly important from an ABI perspective to know that its plant can continue functioning normally and ensure that the integrity of its bottling lines is not compromised, even as R&D goes about replacing the roofing. To this end, safety nets that can hold up to 400kg per square metre are placed underneath the working environment. These provide additional protection for our staff – should they accidentally slip and fall – and also added protection for employees in the factory from any accidents occurring that involve large items of equipment. This net is an additional safety measure, above and beyond the double-securing that is undertaken on all our equipment.”

“It is always satisfying to be involved in a project of this nature. Not only are we able to radically improve ergonomic conditions within the plant, we are able to bring our technical skills and expertise to bear in a way that will provide ABI with a new roof that will withstand the elements for decades to come. Furthermore, a project like this enables R&D to further hone both its skills set and its development of better roofing techniques. At the end of the day, R&D Contracting is a solutions-oriented company and we are always eager to find new and better ways to do things,” concludes Williams.

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CASE STUDIES: CoCa-Cola Canners

R&D’s Coca Cola success worth shouting from the roof tops

The Coca-Cola Canners of SA plant in Wadeville is one of the largest beverage manufacturing plants in Africa. When R&D Contracting were asked to provide a solution for the maintenance and repair of the roofing at the plant, it involved challenges on a number of levels. Not only did the company need to take into consideration both functionality and aesthetics, but furthermore, the project needed to be completed without impacting the plant’s busy production schedule.

To this end, R&D Contracting stuck to its guiding principles surrounding health and safety, quality control and the high-level supervision through the entire process of the job. The company implemented a safety netting and mesh system; designed to protect workers and machinery from falling debris, while installing M16 Chemical anchors which was doubled up for reduncency and load tested before installing the safety net cables. R&D’s innovative thinking, experience and attention to detail thus ensured the project was completed with minimal impact to the plant.

A key consideration for the venture was that it required the redesigning of the old roof system. This needed to be done in such a way as to ensure that the technology being implemented could match the existing construction, without compromising structural or functional integrity. Additionally, the new design was expected to improve internal ambience, lighting and worker comfort, while also being a suitable design to fit with the client’s high public profile.

R&D adopted a sectional approach to the project, installing the safety netting and mesh over one section of the plant at a time, while replacing that particular segment of the roof. The company even went as far as to custom design and build a hoist unit to transport new and salvaged material from height. Over the past 12 months, R&D has also installed steel works, PVC wire, Alububble and sheeting, while spacers have been fitted to raise the rafters to accommodate existing steelworks.

There is little doubt of the project’s success, with internal Lumen readings having improved by 500%. Moreover, the new roof has created a sleeker and more modern appearance to the structure, without removal or damage to any supporting members or change in the water flow pattern. R&D’s use of modern materials has also resulted in an almost 25% reduction in weight of the roofing system. Crucially, throughout the project, factory production remained unaffected by any execution of the scope of works. From start to finish, R&D delivered the highest levels in quality, reliability and service, thereby ensuring project effectiveness and complete client peace of mind.

CoCa-Cola Canners

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CASE STUDIES: niSSan South aFrica

iMPLeMenting neW, 54 000M² rooF requireS a Pioneering aPProach.


The plant itself has been in operation since the 1960s, meaning that certain parts of the facilities were reaching their end-of-life, notably the plant’s roof. In particular, water leaks were becoming more and more apparent, due to wear and tear, and it was decided that the time had come to replace the structure.

Nissan SA decided that a contractor with a robust reputation in the industry, strong proficiencies in the field of roofing work and an extensive track record in the commercial and industrial maintenance sector was required. It was thus no surprise that the organisation turned to R&D Contracting to solve its roofing challenges.

MaSSiVe Project

According to R&D Contracting’s Site Manager, Nikki van den Berg, the initial planning stage of the project was begun in October 2014. This, he explains, encompassed order planning, tender documents, equipment orders and initial site planning. This was followed by site establishment, moving all the necessary equipment on site and ensuring that all employees involved in the project were trained to requirements.

“Only once all this was done could the actual site preparation begin. This involved the cleaning of gutters and surfaces, prior to beginning the actual installation. In projects of this size, is inevitable that there is a long preamble before the actual work gets underway. After all, being prepared is critical to a project’s success,” he says.

Van den Berg adds that the total scope of the project is huge, with the roof area covering some 54 000m². The company has already completed some 19 000m² of the roofing, and according to the current schedule, the project should be completed in September 2015. Once completed, he says, the installed roof will come with a 25-year life expectancy, which was something specifically requested by the client.

“In addition, R&D is also contracted to install the downpipes and launders that will transport water from the roof gutters away from the building.”

“These downpipes and launders have created the one real challenge we have faced on this project – namely, the need to install these on weekends only. As we are working inside the assembly plant with these downpipes, we are only allowed to operate during periods when the plant is shut down. This is purely for safety reasons,” he says.

SPeciaLiSt rooFing SySteM

Van den Berg states that R&D was informed that the original roof had been installed as far back as 1967, making it very old and clearly in desperate need of refurbishment. With millions of rands worth of specialised equipment within the plant, water leaking through the roof and its potential to cause damage had become a huge challenge.

“In order to overcome this challenge, we chose to implement a specialised system that is designed to negate the possibility of water leakage, particularly around the screws which are used to hold the roof in place.”

“By fitting a new roof using the AshGrid spacer system from Ash and Lacy, we were able to avoid such challenges, as this system utilises a clip-lock operation that allows the roof sheets to simply be clipped into the spacers already placed on top of the original roof,” he states.

Furthermore, he explains, since the spacer brackets are fitted to the original roof with 25mm tech screws through the existing roof purlins, and the new roof sheeting is simply clipped onto these brackets, the existing roof is completely concealed and there is no danger of any leakage through the holes made for the tack screws.

“The roofing consisted of Pro Lok 700 roof sheets, made of 0.8mm Chromadek in Dove Grey colour, something that was specified by the client. Not only does this system prevent leaks, it is also designed to withstand winds of up to 280 km/h. This is more than 100 km/h faster than most other roof sheeting systems.”

According to van den Berg, the roof at Nissan SA’s vehicle assembly plant is huge, spanning some 300m by 150m, creating a massive area of work. To put it into perspective, he says, the company anticipates utilising some 30 000 AshGrid spacer bars to complete the project.

unique innoVationS

To transport the heavy roof sheets and spacer system to the roof, adds van den Berg, R&D became one of the first organisations in the country to make use of a lifting system imported from Germany. This is, in effect, an industrial-type lift mechanism that can carry up to 250kg, and lifts the heavy roof


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CASE STUDIES: niSSan South aFrica

sheets up the side of the building and on to the roof.

“This was far from the only innovation we brought in at this project. In truth, we really lived up to our company motto, which is: ‘maintaining through innovation’, as on this project, we had to be particularly innovative, if we were to complete it on schedule.”

“Firstly, the sheer size of the roof meant that moving the heavy roof sheets from one end of the roof to the other – a distance of 300m – would be extremely time consuming and labour intensive. Therefore, we invented a solution that would solve this challenge, in the form of a trolley system that we installed temporarily across the existing roof.”

He points out that the system required just a simple track laid across the roof from one end to the other, upon which a dolly could be moved. This dolly allows workers to lay up to 10 sheets on it at a time, horizontally, which can then be moved across the roof by just a couple of workers.

“This is indicative of our innovative spirit at R&D – this simple system allows us to do in a single day what would otherwise have taken us a week of intense effort. It is just the latest example of our ongoing dedication to innovation.”

Of course, adds van den Berg, this was not the only example of innovative thinking the company applied at the Nissan plant. He explains that another challenge was discovered during the installation of the roofing sheets – the existing air vents on the roof had a tendency to act as water traps during a downpour, creating pools of water that had the potential to create additional leakage problems.

“To overcome this, we designed what we call ‘backflashing’, which was created on the fly from offcuts of roof sheeting. By placing it at a 90 degree angle to the rest of the roof, we were able to create conduits that channel the water flowing down behind the vents off to the sides, where it can easily run off into the existing gutters,” he states.

SaFety and SociaL iSSueS

“With 30 employees on site, safety is obviously a core concern for R&D. Our employees at the assembly plant are divided into teams: an AshGrid team, a sheeting team and an additional team of five that are the ‘ground’ team. This group does the other jobs – such as cleaning and equipment maintenance – required to keep the project running smoothly.”

Naturally, he says, all employees on site are trained to use their harnesses properly. This is vitally important, as when people are working at heights, harness safety is critical. In addition, continues van den Berg, R&D has a qualified Roper Level One who checks that the workers’ harnesses are attached properly.

“Additionally, there are special harnesses used by employees that have to work on or near the edges of the roof, notably when working on the side cladding.”

The single biggest safety concern on a project of this nature, suggests van den Berg, is also the one over which the company has no control, namely rain. He points out that when the roof is wet, it becomes dangerous and creates a situation where it is easy to slip and fall.

“Therefore, the only solution is to suspend work completely while it is raining, which can cause delays to a project. Fortunately, we haven’t lost more than a handful of days so far to the weather,” he adds.

Asked about the crew working on the project, he explains that the team were hired according to R&D’s standing policy of uplifting people in the area in which the project takes place. In this instance, most of the employees were sourced locally, from the nearby townships of Soshanguve and Ga-Rankuwa.

Van den Berg describes how R&D brought these workers in, trained them up and ensured that they were certified to do the job required, by providing the skills training necessary to implement the project, prior to launch.

“All of our employees are now certified. This means that even once the project is complete, they are left with a sustainable skill that can help them obtain work in future. In fact, as we do projects all over the country, we also point out to them that if they are willing to relocate, we can retain them for other projects too. For example, we had one person who began with us four years ago as a casual labourer and is now one of our site managers, an indication of the long-term opportunities we also create for employees.”

“Ultimately, a project of this nature is vast and intensive, and requires plenty of innovation. In other words, it is an ideal project for R&D Contracting, as it enables us to bring our technical skills and expertise to bear in a way that will provide Nissan SA with a new roof that will withstand the elements for decades to come. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this particular project is the manner in which it has driven us to find new ways of operating and allowed us to demonstrate our ability to be truly innovative,” concludes van den Berg.


eFFectiVe SerVice deLiVery in thiS induStry couLd not Be achieVed iF the PreScriBed and Stringent heaLth and SaFety reguLationS are not adhered to.

We at R & D Contracting make it our business to ensure that safety is at the core of our service delivery. The continuous training that our staff go through, relating to health and safety has a tremendous positive effect on the levels of service delivery achieved. Our various specialised applications demand from all staff and management a cellular comprehension of safety and effective implementation of safe practices at all times. To this end, we are proud to say that we conform to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993).

• A very comprehensive site safety plan is drawn up at the beginning of every job undertaken.

• A detailed copy of this plan may be perused at your request.

• Continuous improvement in health and safety

• Risk reduction and monitoring

• Establish safety committees

• The company will ensure employees are provided with such information, instruction, training and

supervision as is necessary to secure the health and safety at work of all employees.

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CERTIFICATION

in an induStry that deMandS Stringent coMPLiancy acroSS aLL aSPectS oF SerVice deLiVery, it iS iMPeratiVe to adhere to aLL the neceSSary certiFicationS.

• Ashgrid Approved Installer Certificate

• Workers Compensation Certificate

• Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale

• BEE Certificate

• Asbestos Registration Certificate

• Tax Clearance Certificate

• Sasol Safety Compliance Certificate

2014006506

CALL CENTER NO: 0860 105 350

REG NO

: 990000351751

FAX NO

: 0123456789

ISSUE DATE : 2015-04-24

CERTIFICATE NO : 2014006506

R & D CONTRACTING & CONSULTING

PO BOX 237

BUCCLEUCH

LETTER OF GOOD STANDING

COMPENSATION FOR OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND DISEASES ACT 130 of 1993 (AS

AMENDED).

With reference to sections 80, 82, 86 and 89 of Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act

130 of 1993 (As amended), I hereby certify that:

R & D CONTRACTING & CONSULTING

has complied with the requirement of the above Act and is at present in good standing with the

Compensation Fund.

Nature of business :GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

Expiry date :2016-04-30

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Any fraudulently obtained Letter of Good Standing shall constitute a criminal offence.

The Compensation Commissioner shall institute criminal proceedings against any perpetrators who

unlawfully alter or deface this letter with intend to defraud or misrepresent facts contained therein.

PLEASE, use the Below link (Website Address) to check if the Letter of Good Standing is valid:

https://cfonline.labour.gov.za/VerifyLOGS

Yours faithfully

COMPENSATION COMMISSIONER

W.As. 48

Compensation House, Cnr Hamilton and Soutpansberg Road, PO Box 955, Pretoria, 0001 Fax:(012)357-1817 Website:http://www.labour.gov.za

r&d cutS to the core

December, 2014

Core drilling is highly specialized and is used when a job calls for the drilling of circular holes in reinforced

concrete, precast concrete, asphalt, brick, and other structural materials.

Our highly trained technicians can drill through almost any high density material under many different

conditions and our unique access systems allow us to core drill where most other contractors cannot.

Our core drilling equipment caters for;

• Holes from 25mm to 400mm in width and 1200mm deep

• Drilling up to a 45 degree angle

• Compression testing of cores can be facilitated through the Concrete Institute of South Africa

R & D Contracting is one of South Africa’s leading core drilling specialists providing an expert service to the

construction industry. David Williams, Managing Member boasts “We have successfully completed projects

in mining and construction, to food preparation and medical facilities”. Williams went onto say, “Other

industries serviced include electrical, plumbing, heating, demolition, construction and many more”.

r&d = MuLtiPLe SkiLLS X MuLtiPLe ProjectS

September, 2014

We often highlight a specific project based on the particular skill set in an isolated field of the industrial

maintenance sector. However, our recent projects each delivered such successful results and highlighted

a key aspect of R&D’s service, namely, our multi-skilled operational expertise that it made it impossible to

only pick one signed-off project.

In the past month we successfully signed-off on the painting of an operational cement plant, asbestos

sheeting removal at a school, a factory roof sheeting replacement project and the removal of asbestos

pipes at a water treatment facility. In addition we also launched Phase 2 of the roof design and

replacement for Coca Cola Canners and the replacement of a 54 000m² over-roofing project at Nissan

Rosslyn.

This list of projects is impressive enough when spaced over a year’s operations let alone a month. It

requires meticulous planning, accommodation of clients’ requirements and internal policies as well as the

identification and management of a variety of risks and challenges. Any compromise in the co-ordination,

planning, materials acquisition or staff complement on any of these projects would have resulted in serious

consequences for all parties concerned.

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Thanks to the excellent management skills, training and flexible command structure inherent in R&D

Contracting we managed to provide our clients with top level service. On each of these projects we

exceeded the client’s expectations by meeting commencement schedules, submitting compliant safety

files, delivering on time and in budget and achieving 100% safety records.

The scheduled completion of these multiple projects, spanning an extensive range of disciplines again

highlights the dynamic operational expertise you can expect from R&D Contracting. Did we mention that

these massive projects were undertaken simultaneously – all in one month?

r&d cutS to the core

December, 2014

Core drilling is highly specialized and is used when a job calls for the drilling of circular holes in reinforced

concrete, precast concrete, asphalt, brick, and other structural materials.

Our highly trained technicians can drill through almost any high density material under many different

conditions and our unique access systems allow us to core drill where most other contractors cannot.

Our core drilling equipment caters for;

• Holes from 25mm to 400mm in width and 1200mm deep

• Drilling up to a 45 degree angle

• Compression testing of cores can be facilitated through the Concrete Institute of South Africa

R & D Contracting is one of South Africa’s leading core drilling specialists providing an expert service to the

construction industry. David Williams, Managing Member boasts “We have successfully completed projects

in mining and construction, to food preparation and medical facilities”. Williams went onto say, “Other

industries serviced include electrical, plumbing, heating, demolition, construction and many more”.

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NEWS

Production:

eMaiL: [email protected]

ceLL: 083 255 3415

teL: 0861 072 633

FaX: 086 694 4369

P.O.Box 237

Buccleuch

2066

23 Margaret Avenue

Buccleuch, Johannesburg

8 Minorca Avenue

Pinetown, Durban

gPs Co-orDinates:S 26°03’11.2”, E 28°06’30.7”

SaLeS:

eMaiL: [email protected]

ceLL: 083 235 9006

teL: 0861 072 633

FaX: 086 694 4369

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