IMPRESSIVE FIRST YEAR FOR CEMENT & CONCRETE SOUTH AFRICA

By Jan de Beer on behalf of Cement & Concrete South Africa.

Despite pandemic lockdowns and other challenges, Cement & Concrete South Africa (CCSA), which was launched in March 2021, has had an impressive and eventful journey during its first year of operations.

Hanlie Turner, Business Development Manager of CCSA, says among the highlights of the achievements were:

• Membership uptake has been rewarding with 50 companies joining as members and close to 600 individual members now listed on the database;
• The 10^th edition of Fulton’s Concrete Technology was launched and sales of this seminal reference book are brisk, both locally and internationally;
• The Memorandum of Incorporation for CCSA has been lodged with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission. CIPC, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, is the body that governs all registered entities in SA in terms of the Companies Act;
• YCRETS 2021, a new CCSA initiative to promote concrete research, showcased 24 technical presentations from young concrete researchers, engineers, and technologists. This project led to the first “SA Young Concrete Researcher Award” being presented;
• and has attracted 24 world-class entries.  The winners will be announced at a gala function on June 10;
• Fifteen CONCRETEFiX webinars were hosted, covering a wide spectrum of subjects, reaching both local and internal audiences;
• The Western Cape, KZN and Inland branches of CCSA have commenced their regional interaction and plan to stage several key functions and initiatives in future;
• A novel “Careers in Concrete” initiative was introduced by the CCSA KZN Branch to promote diverse career opportunities in the concrete industry; and
• “Concise Concrete News”, a members’ communication platform was introduced.

Turner says the resources of Cement & Concrete SA are readily available to assist in infrastructural developments in all parts of South Africa. Some of these services cover:

• Education and training: CCSA’s School of Concrete Technology offers a wide range of internationally-recognised courses, ranging from the basic Introduction to Concrete to the highly acclaimed Advanced Concrete Technology course. The School temporarily amended its operating model to accommodate online education when pandemic lockdowns prevented live classes but are now once again offering both online and classroom-based education;
• CCSA’s comprehensive Information Centre is one of the largest and most respected sources of information on concrete in the southern hemisphere. It is widely used by the construction industry and students as a valuable reference source for technical information; and 
• Consulting: CCSA offers invaluable advice on concrete-related issues including on-site visits by technical staff. Thirty-six consulting assignments were completed during CCSA’s first year of operations.

Turner says CCSA members have access to all services, either free or at special member discounted rates. A range of membership options is available at different fees levels with associated benefits.  “Non-members can also make use of these services at full rates, but are invited to join the many companies and individual members who are already befitting from the full value proposition of being part of CCSA’s unified platform for cement and concrete.  

“The challenges of the past year were formidable but presented opportunities, and opportunities culminated in development. This is exactly what Cement & Concrete SA stands for: a unified body to lead the local industry towards relevance and growth. We are confident that CCSA will grow even further in its second year of establishment,” Turner adds.