Precast concrete engineers, Rocla has secured the largest order in its 90 year history in southern Africa with the recently awarded contract to its Kwena Rocla Business Unit in Botswana. Rocla will supply over 50 000 tons of precast concrete products to the value of over 100 million Pula (R120 million) for the Greater Gaborone Sewerage Project.
Rocla won the contract against stiff competition due to its track record of timeous delivery, production capacity, quality products and positive business relationships with Chinese contractors in the region.
Yan Yong, Managing Director at China Jiangsu International (left) and Glen Ansell, Managing Director of Kwena Rocla.
The increase in residential and business property developments in the greater Gaborone area over the past few years has resulted in numerous spillages and overflowing in the town’s sewerage system. The Gaborone City Council appointed China Jiangsu International to upgrade the sewerage system, who subsequently awarded Rocla the contract to supply the precast concrete products for the project. Kwena Rocla will supply 42,300 tons of 100D RJ SI pipes and over 500 tons of manholes and sundry vibrated products over the 12 month contract period.
Glen Ansell, Managing Director of Kwena Rocla says, “The project has a very tight delivery schedule, which required us to get assistance from Rocla South African-based Roodepoort, Polokwane, Virginia and Orkney factories. We have also hired plant and equipment from Murray & Roberts to expedite the offloading and handling of products delivered for the Gaborone Sewer project.
“The language barrier has been a challenge, but it has not deterred or compromised our communication and delivery to Jiangsu,” adds Ansell. “We have translated our product catalogues, technical data sheets and CDs into Chinese to assist the customer and we use a translator at all our meetings. In addition to this, we have drawn up a critical path analysis to assist Jiangsu in its installation programme. All their product installation teams have been trained on the various aspects of handling and installing products at Kwena Rocla’s factory.”
In addition to the standard 100D RJ SI concrete pipes, Rocla is manufacturing specialised pipes with dolomite aggregate mixed with Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) with sacrificial CAC linings. CAC linings are ten times more effective in withstanding sewer corrosion which assists in prolonging the lifespan of the sewer system. The rapid rate of modernisation, a change in diet and an increase in the levels of detergents released into sewers are some of the factors which have resulted in sewerage water becoming more acidic and corrosive.
Furthermore, Rocla is supplying customised dolomitic pipes with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) linings for extremely aggressive sewer conditions. HDPE lined pipes also offer the structural benefit of concrete and do not require compact soil for support. Due to their weight, they can resist unstable surrounding soil conditions and remain stable even when ground water is present.
Kwena Rocla also assisted Jingsu in procuring, handling and testing equipment and various specialised consumables required on site. Kwena Rocla is an ISO 9001:2000 rated company and all products are certified according to Botswana Bureau of Standards (BBS) and South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) quality standards.
Yang Yong, Managing Director at China Jiangsu International says, “Kwena Rocla is the preferred supplier as they have established business and technical credibility with Chinese contractors operating in Botswana. It is also favoured by the Botswana Government on projects due to their capacity to deliver quality products, technical support and their contribution to economically empowering citizens and fulfilling social responsibilities”.
