Over the next two and a half years, the Fourways Mall expansion project will see this iconic mall double in size to become the largest in Africa.Construction commenced in January 2016, with Scribante Concrete contracted to supply the project with a massive amount of 185 000 m° of concrete over two years. “We are supplying from our mobile batching plant set up for the purpose just six kilometres from the Fourways site,” said Silvio Scribante, director of Scribante Concrete. “Our responsibility is twofold: to supply 115 000 m* of concrete for the columns and beams; and 70 000 m* to the main contractor, Mota-Engil, who is producing the precast elements on site.”Of particular interest is Scribante’s mobile batching plant. Locally manufactured in Port Elizabeth by Metate Construction, the plant comprises horizontal silos, water supply tanks, a conveyor and batch mixer, as well as a high-tech control room — all set on axles, ready to “plug-n-play” after transport to site. “Setup of this plant takes roughly a week,” says plant manager Sam Maleka. “Each silo has 100 ton capacity and batching is automated via the control room, through a series of augers and pumpsBatching is automated via the control room, through a series of augers and pumps which feed pre-determined amounts cement, fly-ash and water to the batch mixer which feed pre-determined amounts of cement, fly-ash and water — with great precision — to the batch mixer.”The aggregates are bin stored and “manually” loaded using a front-end loader to great accuracy following an LED display, which shows the exact weight of material required.“All we need to operate is three-phase power and water,” beams Maleka. “Not only do we have a backup generator in case of power outages, but we pump our own water from a reservoir nearby.”“Consistent quality is key to our operations country-wide,” explains Scribante. “Even though this is a mobile plant, we have a full lab facility right here that tests and records details of every batch produced.” It is important to note that Scribante Concrete is a member of the South African Readymix Association (Sarma), and as such is dedicated to quality of supply.This Scribante plant has an optimum output capacity of 60 m*/hr, though presently it is running at about 40 m*/hr as, having been recently set up, it’s still in the bedding down stage.Mix designer is Furio Dinardo — Scribante’s national quality manager; and admixtures are supplied by Chryso and BASF. A fleet of six readymix trucks is in presently in place delivering to the project. This will increase to suit demand as the project moves into full swing.
Main Menu
Main Menu
