African Review Decmeber/January 2013

Europe €10, Ghana C1.8, Kenya Ksh200, Nigeria N330, South Africa R25, UK £7, USA $12

December/January 2013

Finance:East Africa’s capital markets P26

Logistics:Materials handling with lift trucks P40

Work onSouth African wastewater

Nairobi’stechnologyincubator

P45

P38

Power:SCADA systems for large-scale operations P42

www.africanreview.com

African Review

of Business and TechnologyD

ecember/January 2013

Volume 47 N

umber 20

ww

w.africanreview

.com

Investment on Kenya’sThika superhighway P24

ATR DecJan 2013 Cover_Layout 1 20/12/2012 10:01

S01 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Start_Layout 1 20/12/2012 11:58

Managing Editor: Andrew [email protected]

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, Lizzie Carroll, David Clancy, Kasturi Gupta,Ranganath GS, Prashant AP, Meenakshi Nambiar,Genaro Santos, Zsa Tebbit, Nicky Valsamakis, Julian Walker and Ben Watts

Publisher: Nick Fordham

Advertising Sales Director: Pallavi Pandey

Advertising Sales Manager: Jane WellmanTel: +44 114 262 1523 Fax: +44 7976 232791 Email: [email protected]

China: Ying WangTel: +86 10 8472 1899 Fax: +86 10 8472 1900Email: [email protected]

India: Tanmay Mishra Tel: +91 80 65684483 Fax: +91 80 40600791Email: [email protected]

Nigeria: Bola OlowoTel: +234 80 34349299Email: [email protected]

Qatar: Saida HamadTel: +974 55745780Email: [email protected]

Russia: Sergei SalovTel: +7495 540 7564 Fax: +7495 540 7565Email: [email protected]

South Africa: Annabel MarxTel: +27 218519017 Fax: +27 46 624 5931Email: [email protected]

UAE: Camilla CapeceTel: +971 4 448 9260 Fax: +971 4 448 9261Email: [email protected]: Steve ThomasTel: +44 20 7834 7676 Fax: +44 20 7973 0076Email: [email protected]: Michael TomashefskyTel: +1 203 226 2882 Fax: +1 203 226 7447Email: [email protected]

Head Office: Alain Charles Publishing Ltd, University House,11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place,London SW1W 0EX, United KingdomTel: +44 (0)20 7834 7676, Fax: +44 (0)20 7973 0076 Middle East Regional Office: Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLC, Office 215,Loft No 2/A, PO Box 502207, Dubai Media City,UAE, Tel: +971 4 448 9260, Fax: +971 4 448 9261Production:Donatella Moranelli, Nasima Osman, DevolinaPal, Nick Salt, Jeremy Walters and Sophia WhiteE-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]: Derek Fordham

Printed by: Wyndeham Grange LtdUS Mailing Agent:African Review of Business & Technology, USPS. No. 390-890 is published 11 times a year for US$140 per year byAlain Charles Publishing, University House, 11-13 LowerGrosvenor Place, London SW1W 0EX, UK. Peridicals postagepaid at Rahway, New Jersey. Postmaster: send addresscorrections to Alain Charles Publishing Ltd, c/o MercuryAirfreight International Ltd, 365 Blair Rd, Avenel, NJ 07001.

ISSN: 0954 6782

Serving the world of business

UP FRONT

3

REGULARS

FEATURES24 Finance and Investment

Infrastructure investment to support East African trading; financial solutions to supportcapital procurement in construction; investment in cement production; and technicalsupport for commodity and currency exchanges in Somalia and Kenya

31 TechnologyThe vibrant market for mobile money; evolution in printer technology; expertise andsolutions to support an educational initiative; and a technology incubator in the Kenyancapital

39 LogisticsBuilding up port facilities in Mombasa; and notes on the usefulness - and the dangerousness- of the forklift truck

42 PowerOptions for enterprise-level management of energy supply

43 ConstructionExpanding transport networks for a multi-modal economy; upgrading and expanding awastewater treatment facility; and a look ahead to the building tools of the future

04 Agenda: Public and private sectordevelopments

14 Bulletin:Expertise in machineryand engineering

50 Solutions:Information technologyand the environment

Contents

Europe €10, Ghana C1.8, Kenya Ksh200, Nigeria N330, South Africa R25, UK £7, USA $12

December/January 2013

Finance:East Africa’s capital markets P26

Logistics:Materials handling with lift trucks P40

Work onSouth African wastewater

Nairobi’stechnologyincubator

P45

P38

Power:SCADA systems for large-scale operations P42

www.africanreview.com

Investment on Kenya’sThika superhighway P24

Editor’s Note

Cover picture: Infrastructure investment forcommercial and community gainImages: Andrew Mentis (Main); Stephen WWanjau (Inset, bottom left); Outi Einola-Head(Inset, top right)

P26

P43

In this issue of African Review of Business and Technology, from page 24 to page 30, we addressemeasures affecting finance and investment vehicles for developing infrastructure to support

East African commerce - including financial solutions to support capital asset acquisition, andtechnical support for brokerages.Pages 31 to 38 of this magazine offer insights, also, into technological developments - in marketsfor mobile money, in printer technology, in enterprise software, in education, and also in supportof start-up businesses in communications industries.Logistics is covered on pages 39 and 40, and offers an account of the expansion of port facilities,and guidance on the use and misue of forklift trucks.Page 42 outlines options for large-scale commercial and industrial power management, usingSCADA systems.Articles on construction projects and solutions, from page 43 to page 48 of this issue, detail theexpansion of multi-modal transport networks, the improvement of a wastewater treatmentfacility, and also the prospect of ever more advanced machines in the near future.

Andrew Croft, Managing Editor

African Review of Business and Technology - Dec 12/Jan 13

Audit Bureau ofCirculations -

Business Magazines


Alstom is committed to the supply of equipment for a 650 MW steam cycle thermal powerplant in the vicinity of Suez city in Egypt, 150km east of Cairo. The plant will provideelectricity to more than half million people residing in the Suez city district and will also beconnected to the Egyptian national grid. It will be commissioned in 2015.

The scope of the contract includes engineering, manufacturing, erection andcommissioning of the steam turbine and generator including auxiliaries like the condenserand the delivery of spare parts.

EDEPC provides electricity for the eastern part of the country from areas like theMediterranean city of Damietta until Egypt’s southern border with Sudan.

Alstom has previously supplied equipment to EDEPC for their Damietta combined cycleand the Attaka steam power plant projects.

Alstom’s total installed base in Egypt is approximately 4.5GW having supplied its powergeneration equipment to projects such as the Abu Quir, El Tebbin and Sidi Krir steam powerplants and Cairo North, Nubaria III, Kureimat and Talkha gas-fired plants.

4

NEWS

Working within the consortium with CIMAR(Italcementi Group), ItalgenEner(Italcementi Group), University Ibn Zohr ofAgadir (UIZ), Swiss Federal Institute ofTechnology Zurich (ETHZ), Airlight Energyhas been commended for the appliedresearch programmes that IRESEN (Institutde recherche en énergies solaires et enenergies nouvelles) presented recently inthe framework of the InnoThermcompetitions (I and II), which supportapplied research and development projectsin the field of renewable energy. Bothcompetitions are part of the energy

development strategy of Morocco, whichwants to become the standard-bearer ofgreen energy production in North Africa.Among the 72 participants fromUniversities and Moroccan and foreignindustrial and research centers, eightprojects have been selected, including theconsortium in which Airlight Energy isinvolved. The project was awarded with4.5mn MAD (around US$532,000) andresumes the construction of the CSP plantthat Airlight Energy is building in Ait-bahathat will provide energy to the cementplant of the Italcementi Group.

Deutsche Bank’s Middle East Foundation isworking in partnership with Synergos tosupport an Arab World Social Innovators(AWSI) programme, which aims to increasethe scale and sustainability of successfulinitiatives that bring social and economicchange to poor and marginalisedcommunities. Launched by Synergos in2008, the programme selects and supportsexceptional entrepreneurs, providingthem with tailored services to enhance

their leadership and expand the impact oftheir initiatives.

Social innovators are highly motivated,resourceful individuals who are passionateabout solving problems affecting theircommunities. They combine a businessapproach with a strong determination toachieve a social impact in areas ranging fromeducation, youth development, employment,the environment, health and empowermentof disadvantaged groups in society.


Agenda / NorthEnergy firm awarded in Rabat forAit-Baha project

Steam turbine supply for Suez

Investing in Arabic innovators

Economy and NorthAfrican food security

The recent global food price shock,combined with the political upheaval in

North Africa, provides an opportunemoment for the North African countries,along with the international community, totake stock of the food security status of theregion and to reappraise food securitystrategies in countries like Egypt, Tunisia,Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania.

A paper published by the AfricanDevelopment Bank (AfDB) - titled ‘ThePolitical Economy of Food Security in NorthAfrica’ - clearly highlights that food security orfood sovereignty in the North Africa regioncannot be approached from a purelyeconomic perspective. It also has deeppolitical connotations – as seen by the rolethat food prices played in the domesticpolitics of the Arab Spring, as well as by thegeopolitical implications of relying on a smallnumber of international grain suppliers for alarge part of the region’s food requirements.

Although there is some evidence that theregion is becoming more concerned withfood sovereignty, as reflected in increasedinterest in domestic food production andland acquisition overseas, food imports willcontinue to play a significant role in foodsecurity for the region, with Morocco beingthe only country for which cereal importsare predicted to decline over the next 20years. Hence, future approaches to foodsecurity will need to focus on ways in whichthe North African countries can betterposition themselves to take advantage ofglobal food markets. This needs to becombined with effective programs to boostdomestic productivity of food productionand agriculture more generally, mindful ofthe economic costs and resource allocationimplications of such programs. In addition,social safety nets and social protectionpolicy needs to be reformed to becomemore effective and efficient at alleviatingpoverty and enhancing the food security ofpoor and vulnerable individuals. This isbecause food security is intimately linkedwith income security.


coming throughOf course, nothing’s unstoppable. But the Volvo A40F will conquer more terrain than practically any other hauler on the market. A combination of powerful Volvo engine, “dog clutch” differential locks, rotating hitch, automatic traction control and the unique Volvo steering system means that if any vehicle can get through – at speed – it will be the Volvo A40F. See it in unstoppable action. Discover a new way.


A Tanzanian airline is operating flights toZimbabwe - beginning in December 2012 -plying the Harare-Dar es Salaam route threetimes a week. Precision Air sales officerYvonne Baldwin said the route had enormouspotential, and shortens travel times betweenthe two countries - which, until now, were viaNairobi in Kenya.

The Harare-Dar es Salaam route waspreviously plied by the national carriers of thetwo countries, but both pulled out due tooperational difficulties.

Baldwin said that, apart from catering forbusiness travellers, Precision Air would helppromote tourism between Tanzania andZimbabwe. The coming of Precision Air,Baldwin said, would help boost tourism in thetwo countries.

“We are convinced this will further enhanceour tourism and bilateral co-operation withZimbabwe in all spheres of life includingtrade and commerce," she said, adding thatPrecision Air would deploy a Boeing 737-300on the route.

6

NEWS

Ethiopian Airlines has opened the first phase of its new business class (Cloud Nine) lounge at itsmain hub, Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, with modern facilities and amenitiescomfortable for premium travellers. In line with its vision 2025 fast growth plan and with theexponential growth in passenger numbers, it has become necessary to build a brand newlounge that gives premium travellers the best possible on-ground experience while waiting fortheir flights.

When fully completed, the new Cloud Nine lounge will be three times bigger than theexisting one. It has a quiet corner with sleeping cots and individual reading lamps; massagechairs, where passengers can relax and rest; an internet corner with fixed stations as well as freeand fast Wi-Fi connection.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said, "Our new Cloud Nine Lounge will enableus to greatly enhance our premium passengers’ on-ground experience with facilities andamenities that will make their airport departure and transit time as enjoyable as possible. As acustomer focused airline, we will continue to invest towards customer service excellence."

The Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency(ERTA) is using Radio-Assist 8 - developed byNETIA, a software manufacturer of media assetmanagement and radio automation solutions -to overhaul and upgrade its nationwide radioservice. ERTA, which broadcasts daily in the 11languages spoken by ethnic groups among thecountry's population, is implementing a projectto boost its transmission coverage and migratefrom tape to file-based operations.

Local integrator United System Integrators (USI) has worked with ERTA to create a newworkflow based around Radio-Assist 8, encompassing all stages from production to broadcast,including acquisition, sound file editing, scheduling, multicasting, and administration.


Agenda / EastEthiopian unveils business classlounge in Addis Ababa airport

Tanzanian airline flies to Zimbabwe

Ethiopian radio goes digital

Shantui signs deal withEritrean government

After three rounds of negotiationsconducted at Bauma China in

Shanghai in November 2012, Shantui hassigned a deal with Eritrean procurementagents worth six million dollars (US).

The deal is for 22 units of Shantuiconstruction machinery, 10 SD42-3bulldozers and 12 SG21-3 bulldozers.

The government of Eritrea aims to usethis equipment to develop miningoperations - primarily its gold miningoperations. Shantui has a history of goodrelations with the nation; this is the seconddeal Shantui has made with the governmentof Eritrea. The first order was placed in 2011,for 30 SD32W bulldozers and one SD42-3bulldozer, worth a total of US$7.5mn.

A multinational brand, a company of noteIn China, Shantui’s name has long beensynonymous with the word “bulldozer”.Today, Shantui is not only the world’slargest maker and seller of brand namedozers, but also offers a highly diversifiedline of construction, road, public utilityvehicles and cement handling machinery,making everything from wheel loaders androad rollers to truck cranes and motorgraders, to forklifts and excavators.

Shantui is a distinguished Chinesebrand, a leading Chinese multinationalcorporation with sales in more than 120countries and regions worldwide.

In 2012, the company reached theUS$2.5bn milestone in revenue. TheCompany is publicly listed on the Shanghai-Shenzhen 300 Index, and is headquarteredin Jining, Shandong Province.

"Radio-Assist 8 is the ideal platform for a broadcaster likeERTA to move from analogue to digital operations," saidMichael Shebelle, general manager, USI

Shantui signed a deal with Eritrean procurementagents in Shanghai at Bauma China 2012


FG Wilson is a global leader in the supply of diesel generator sets. We can meet any power requirement through:

installation and support

www.FGWilson.com/Africa www.FGWilson.com

A new power standard has arrived...

S02 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Agenda_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:00

Exhibition Management Services (EMS) ispreparing a European-style trade event basedon research it has been conducting for thelast three years.

Designed as an umbrella event for Africanindustrialists, the South African Industry andTechnology Fair, or Indutec for short, consistsof 10 compatible, co-located title eventstargeting different sectors of Industry.

Indutec will take place from 14 to 16 May2013 at Gallagher Convention Centre inJohannesburg. Based on four of EMS’salready successful and long-establishedindustrial shows, Indutec 2013 will be adding

six more industry focus sectors to its line-up.Three of these have attracted the attentionand support of one of Germany’s largesttrade fair organisers.

“Hannover Fairs International, a subsidiary ofDeutsche Messe, is supporting Intermac Africa,Manutec Africa, and Smart Automation Africaas suitable platforms for their internationalclients to access the South African market,” saidGotz Dormann, the company’s ManagingDirector. “We recommend ExhibitionManagement Services.”

Visit www.exhibitionsafrica.com

8

NEWS

Taking place next on 4-7 February 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa, over 19 years AfricanMining Indaba has channelled billions of dollars towards Africa's mining opportunities, fromsmall diamond deposits to mega coal projects.Mining Indaba has become the platform of choice for governments, mining companies, andinvestors and analysts to break market sensitive information. 2012 was a record breaking year,with more than 7,000 individuals representing more than 1,500 international companies from100 countries and approximately 45 African and non-African government delegations.Investing in African Mining Indaba is where the world connects with African mining. Keymining analysts, fund managers, investment specialists, and governments define MiningIndaba as their preferred venue for mining information and networking.

www.miningindaba.com

ZuluTrade.com, a social forex autotrading platform that enables traders to follow and copy thetrades of elite Forex experts, has entered into a partnership arrangement with forex andcommodities broker ACM Gold. With a long and reputable history in gold trading, ACM Goldlaunched world class forex trading facilities, including both a proprietary and an MT4 platform,to offer retail and institutional customers alike a simple, transparent and secure tradingexperience, governed by rules set up by financial services regulators such as the FinancialServices Commission of Mauritius and the Financial Services Board of South Africa.

ACM Gold holds segregated accounts in Cyprus and Mauritius. And its clients can followZuluTrade’s network of 55,000 signal providers and copy in their own broker accounts thetrades of any of these experts, whose performance is ranked algorithmically and evaluated by athriving community of 60,000 live users.


Agenda / SouthWhere the world’s investorsconnect with African mining

Hannover Fair organisers supportSA industry and technology fair

Forex trading for ACM gold traders

Tourism for growth anddevelopment

“In terms of Johannesburg’s Growthand Development Strategy [GDS] –

the Joburg 2040 - tourism remains aneconomic growth imperative on the city’sagenda. It is an important catalyst toencourage the development of the SMMEsector in order to stimulate the growthand development of a vibrant secondeconomy. It is Johannesburg Tourism’sstrategy mission to attract visitors toJoburg, encourage them to stay longer,spend more, improve seasonality patternsand the spread of visitors across the city.”

So says Phelisa Mangcu, Acting CEO ofJoburg Tourism. In line with thesedevelopments and as part of theinstitutional review process to effect closeralignment with City goals, this year JoburgTourism Company is being incorporatedinto the City’s Communication & TourismGroup. The GDS is coupled to the city’sIntegrated Development Plan (IDP) andboth are aligned with the National

Planning Commission’s New Growth Path. “Our ongoing local and international

promotional campaigns include exhibitingat business and leisure trade exhibitionswhere Joburg Tourism shares its plans tomaintain, defend and grow its marketshare,” says Mangcu. “As the City ofJohannesburg’s destination marketingorganisation, Joburg Tourism remainsfocused on positioning the not only as thecontinent’s leading business hub, but alsoas an exciting, vibrant year-rounddestination for signature events, lifestyle,the arts, culture, fashion, sports – and ofcourse, mega-events.”

Johannesburg’s economic prospects arebolstered by an extensive bus network


Temenos, which provides banking software, isworking with Renaissance Credit (RenCredit),a new microfinance institution in Lagos,Nigeria, which has launched on Temenos T24for Microfinance and Community Banking(MCB), hosted in the cloud on WindowsAzure. RenCredit is the first financialinstitution in West Africa to launch with acloud-hosted core banking system. Thesystem went live just two months fromsigning, demonstrating the ease ofimplementing cloud technology as part ofthe modern banking revolution.

RenCredit – a subsidiary of emergingmarkets investment firm Renaissance Group –is supporting the aspirations of the growingmiddle class in Nigeria. It aims to providebroader access to consumer credit in Nigeria,which will support the country’s move from acash to a transaction-based society.

Opting for a cloud-based core bankingsystem enables RenCredit to operate a pay-per-use model, meaning the bank can scaleits IT infrastructure to fuel seamless expansioninto other African regions, at low risk to thebusiness. Temenos has created a model banktemplate and seamlessly integrated loanorigination and biometric bolt-ons into thesystem, in addition to establishing

connections to local electronic paymentschannels. This is a replicable model allowingRenCredit to access a pre-built infrastructuredirectly from the Internet - anywhere - and inturn, enabling it to focus on its corecompetence of banking.

RenCredit will provide personal loans,street-level microfinancing, retail depositsand point of sale agreements wherebyconsumers purchasing from retailers will takea loan direct with RenCredit in exchange forgoods. This triple lending function meansRenCredit computes large volumes oftransactions through which the businessrelies on a credit scoring engine provided byExperian. This software works seamlessly withthe Temenos cloud solution for advanceddecision making on all loans.

George Taylor, Chairman of RenaissanceCredit Nigeria, said, “Microfinance is servinga huge market need in Africa, bringingcredit lines to the ‘unbanked’. RenaissanceCredit offers a compelling proposition toNigeria, coupling microfinance loans, withpoint of sale lending. Temenos deliveredour core banking system in just two months– that is surely a record. We will benefitfrom high levels of security, reliability,availability from Temenos.”

10

NEWS

Smit Lamnalco has renewed its marine support services contract with oil major Shell in Gabon,in a deal that has triggered investment in three auxiliary vessel newbuildings. The five-yearcontract renewal extends an uninterrupted relationship between the marine support specialistand Shell Gabon dating back to the 1990s. It covers support for Shell Gabon’s tanker operationsat the remote Gamba Terminal, south of Port Gentil.

“The trust Shell Gabon has in our services has sustained through the 2011 merger ofLamnalco and SMIT Terminals,” says Aart van der Wal, Managing Director Smit Lamnalco Africa.

The renewal covers the deployment, crewing and management of four Smit Lamnalcosupport vessels, with three newbuilds ordered in mid-November 2012 to replace existingtonnage. The orders cover one ‘Shoalbuster’ and one Beach Landing Craft from DamenShipyards, plus one Fast Offshore Crew Boat from Alnmaritec. An existing ‘Shoalrunner’auxiliary vessel will remain in place.

“Our willingness to invest in new tonnage was clearly a factor in the renewal” says Mr Van derWal. “It is in line with our strategy to offer one of the youngest and most efficient marine andoffshore support fleets in the industry.”


Agenda / WestShell Gabon renews services deal

Renaissance Credit launcheslending in the cloud

Freighter service setfrom Abu Dhabi to Lagos

Etihad Cargo, a division of EtihadAirways, has been running its revived

weekly freighter service from Abu Dhabito Lagos since mid-November 2012. Theservice is complemented by theaddition of 16 new interlinedestinations across West Africa. Theseadditional interline connections will linkLagos with the cities of Libreville(Gabon), Pointe-Noire (Congo-Brazzaville), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea),Douala (Cameroon), Accra (Ghana),Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Nouakchott(Mauritania), Conakry (Guinea), Bamako(Mali), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso),Cotonou (Benin), Monrovia (Liberia),Freetown (Sierra Leone), Port Harcourt(Nigeria) and Kinshasa (DemocraticRepublic of Congo).

The Abu Dhabi-Lagos freighterservice operates every Thursday using aBoeing 747-400F freighter, with acapacity of 124 tonnes. Etihad Airwayswas already operating six weekly AirbusA330 passenger services between thetwo cities.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chiefstrategy and planning officer, said, “WestAfrica is a hugely important market for us,and we are delighted to offer freighterservices to and beyond one of its gatewaycities – Lagos.

“The 16 new interline destinations, withconnections over Lagos, will ensureEtihad Cargo has leading logisticssolutions for cargo customers into andout of the region.

“Via Lagos, these new destinationswill also help cement the everexpanding trade ties between WestAfrica and the UAE.”

Etihad Cargo flies to a total of 86destinations internationally. Its fleet of sixfreighters consists of one Airbus A300-600F, two Airbus A330-200Fs, oneMcDonnell Douglas MD-11F, one BoeingB777F, and one Boeing B747-400F.


12

NEWS

February4-7Africa Mining IndabaCape Town, South Africawww.miningindaba.com

6-8East African PetroleumArusha, Tanzaniaeapce.eac.int

13-14Banking & Mobile Money COMESANairobi, Kenyawww.aitecafrica.com

13-17Salon HalieutisAgadir, Moroccowww.salon-halieutis.com

18-21Nigeria Oil & GasAbuja, Nigeriawww.cwcnog.com

19-21Africa Energy IndabaJohannesburg, South Africawww.energyindaba.co.za

March4-6PetroForum AfricaCape Town, South Africaopenroomevents.com

5-6IFSEC West AfricaLagos, Nigeriawww.ifsecwestafrica.com

11-12Mobile Money World AfricaJohannesburg, South Africawww.terrapinn.com

13-14Banking & Mobile Money WestAfricaLagos, Nigeriaaitecafrica.com

17-18Banking & Mobile Money WestAfricaAccra, Ghanaaitecafrica.com

20-22Private Equity World AfricaLondon, UKwww.terrapinn.com

Events / 2013


The International HalalShowcase (MIHAS) willreach its tenth year inApril 2013 of serving asthe premier platform

for promoting halal products and services tothe world. With the theme ‘A Decade ofExcellence’, the 10th MIHAS is scheduled totake place 3-6 April 2013 at the Kuala LumpurConvention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.MIHAS was first inaugurated in 2004 with theaim of facilitating the sourcing and selling ofquality halal products and servicesthroughout the globe. It was the first expo inthe world to focus on the global halal trade.Since 2004, MIHAS has been an annual eventthat attracts a following of loyal visitors andexhibitors every year. It is, in effect, the largestcongregation of halal industry players - be itfrom the business sectors and academicinstitutions as well as governmental bodiesand agencies. MIHAS 2012 saw the activeparticipation of 518 exhibitors from 29countries and attracted 17,939 visitors from

64 countries. Over 65.5 per cent of thesevisitors were trade buyers - amounting to awho's who in the global halal industry.MIHAS embraces the halal concept in all itsdimensions - from pharmaceuticals andherbal products, cosmetics and health care toIslamic investment, banking and takaful. Overthe years, MIHAS has gained a reputation asan important platform for the promotion ofworld-class halal products and servicesglobally and Malaysia is also seen as theleader in halal industrydevelopment.Malaysia’s central position inAsia makes it an ideal trading platform todraw the world’s halal players in facilitatingthe sourcing and selling of global quality halalproducts through MIHAS. Coupled withstrong government support and resources,Malaysia is not only focusing on themanufacturing and trading of halal goods butalso strengthening its leading position as anIslamic financial centre in the world, providingShariah compliant banking products andservices that complete the halal supply chain.

Every year, the Malaysia External TradeDevelopment Corporation (MATRADE) hoststhe Incoming Buying Mission (IBM) inconjunction with MIHAS. This successfulprogramme matches buyers from all over theworld, with MIHAS participants keen toexpand their business overseas that areconducted through one-on-one businessmeetings. In 2012, over 507 foreign buyerswere matched with 449 Malaysian companies.A total of 3,714 business meetings wereconducted and this programme had resultedin sales of over US$118mn. IBM hasestablished itself as an avenue in creating newbusiness alliances in the trade and businessindustry to the global halal market.MIHAS is hosted and organised by MATRADEand the Ministry of International Trade andIndustry (MITI).

For further enquiries, contact MATRADEJohannesburg at [email protected] or +27 11 268 2380 or visit theweb site www.halal.com.my

MIHAS 2013 celebrates a decade of excellence


S03 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Bulletin_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:05

14

NEWS

Bulletin / EventsIndustry leaders set to take thestage at Mobile World CongressThe CEOs of AT&T, Ericsson, Qualcomm and

Viber are set to deliver keynote presentations

at the 2013 GSMA Mobile World Congress,

taking place 25-28 February 2013 in

Barcelona; throughout Mobile World

Congress, attendees will have the

opportunity to experience the power of

mobile firsthand, through our exhibitors’

stands, event features such as the Connected

City, our conference programme and

seminars, and much more,” said Michael

O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA.

Cummins and Apriso offerstrategies on growthAn educational webinar presented by

Microsoft has been delivered to educate how

Cummins has streamlined operations to

expand into new markets by accelerating

deployment of a next generation platform for

global operations; Jack Tregoning, Manager

of Enterprise Manufacturing Systems at

Cummins, and Fred Thomas, Industry Director

at Apriso, indicated how Cummins has

prepared its manufacturing organisation to

capitalise on strategic growth opportunities

in emerging markets while expanding

continuous process improvement initiatives.

Celebrates 15-year partnershipwith Commercial Bank of Africa “We look forward to further extending our

strong partnership and help CBA continue

to deliver an exciting range of new

products and services backed by our

renowned support and global expertise,”

said Jaffar Agha-Jaffar, managing director,

Middle East and Africa, TSYS, as the

payments solutions firm celebrated its 15-

year partnership with Kenya’s Commercial

Bank of Africa (CBA); CBA chief executive

officer Jeremy Ngunze added, “Throughout,

our relationship has been one of

partnership, and we are delighted to have

chosen a people-centred company with

Higher efficiency, loweremissions for constructors Taking place in Munich, Germany, 15 to 21

April 2013, bauma - the 30th International

Trade Fair for Construction Machinery,

Building Material Machines, Mining Machines,

Construction Vehicles and Construction

Equipment - includes many a key focus on

drive technology for mobile construction

machinery; international emissions standards

are a main factor in the push to further

develop drive technologies for mobile

construction machinery.

New finance models to addressclimate change

The World Economic Forum and the United

Nations Climate Change secretariat have

launched ‘Momentum for Change: Innovative

Financing for Climate-friendly Investment’, an

initiative that showcases successful public-

private financing mechanisms and

approaches to support climate change

adaption and mitigation activities, during the

United Nations Climate Change Conference in

Doha, Qatar, early in December 2012; “It is

clear that the private sector needs to deliver

significant investments to put the world on a

path to a climate-secure future; however,

given the scale of investment needed, the

newness of technology solutions and the

perception of risk that exists, the current level

of investment is far too low,” said Christiana

Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary.

such a high regard for trust, integrity and

business values.”

Hotel opening marks brandarrival in Africa

St Regis Hotels & Resorts, part of Starwood

Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc, has

inaugurated the St Regis Mauritius Resort, the

brand’s first hotel in Africa and the 30th St.

Regis hotel globally; the St Regis Mauritius

Resort follows recent openings in Hainan and

Shenzhen in China, Doha and Saadiyat Island

in Abu Dhabi, and Bal Harbour in the USA - all

within the last 12 months; “Celebrating

Mauritius’ rich and diverse cultural heritage,

we look forward to welcoming guests to the

best address on the island, offering bespoke

service and refined elegance both befitting of

the destination and true to the St Regis

legacy,” says Paul James, Global Brand Leader

at St Regis, The Luxury Collection, and W

Hotels Worldwide.

Kosmos Energy CEO speaks atJefferies conferenceBrian F Maxted, Chief Executive Officer at

independent oil and gas exploration and

production company Kosmos Energy,

presented at the Jefferies 2012 Global

Energy Conference late in November; Mr

Maxted highlighted the company’s driven

to unlock significant new petroleum

systems, and to grow and mature

discovered hydrocarbon basins through

additional exploration success, as well as

development and production.

Christiana Figueres, ExecutiveSecretary of the UNFCCC

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16 African Review of Business and Technology - Dec 12/Jan 1316

NEWS

Bulletin / Used EquipmentAll set to shine at the worldsummit for used technologyIn nearly 20 years since the first edition,

USETEC (formerly Resale) has grown into the

world’s largest and most important sector

trade fair for used technology - with around

500 exhibitors from every corner of the world

present used machinery, and equipment from

over 20 sectors; interested buyers travel to the

event from around the globe to network and

buy equipment at the event, which takes

place next in Cologne, Germany, from 22-24

April 2013.

US firm gains on growth in salesof used medical equipment An American company specialising in sale

and delivery of used medical hospital

equipment is finding international buyers

looking for durable technology for new

hospitals and clinics in Africa and elsewhere -

as the used medical equipment industry is

Machines from MarsayOperating throughout Southern Africa,

mainly the SADC region, Marsay Equipment

(marsay.co.za) specialises in the buying,

refurbishment and selling of used

construction, mining, stone crushing and

transport equipment; the company is based

in Johannesburg, has been in business for 36

years, and has developed its business in the

supply of used stone crushing and screening

equipment over the last decade.

Bomag’s mobile appThis year Bomag has enabled customers on

mobile with its first app for iPhone and iPad,

so Bomag used equipment can be found any

time, any where; the ‘Bomag Used App’ - at

http://itunes.apple.com/app/bomag-

used/id508419508 - enables users, with just a

few clicks, to search up-to-date machine lists,

look at information and pictures of machines

available and get in touch directly with sellers

by phone or e-mail.

Selling construction equipmentin West AfricaWhether you are selling wheel loaders,

excavators, dozers, compactors, backhoes, air

compressors, generators, industrial pumps,

and any building materials, suguci.com offers

all its dealers exposure to sellers in West

African markets; many African customers are

looking for companies like suguci.com to help

them make contact with overseas dealers, to

overcome language barriers, to list products -

and to deal with sellers directly, representing

them as potential partners.

starting to see a growth of international

buyers in the form of new hospitals and

clinics opening up and the demand for

durable hospital equipment is consequently

high; "Medical equipment buyers need

durable used hospital equipment that will last

in the field with little or no care", said Mark

Fitzgerald of 1 Used Medical Equipment,

which liquidates medical equipment such as

from major Californian hospitals and medical

centres to its medical warehouse space in San

Diego, in the USA - including Stryker and Hill-

Rom hospital beds, CT scanners, x-ray

equipment, patient monitors, oximeters,

surgical tables, surgical lighting, colposcopes,

surgical scopes, anesthesia machines,

ultrasound equipment and probes, EKGs,

medical supplies and everything needed to

completely outfit an entire hospital.

Get Specs to get under themachine’s hoodMascus, an online marketplace sited at

www.mascus.co.za for the sale of

transportation vehicles, construction

machinery, farming, material-handling

equipment and forestry, is taking its

customers under the hoods of excavators,

tractors, cranes and other heavy machinery

with a service called Mascus Specs, which

offers a technical guide for machine

specifications; “Mascus Specs is specifically

designed to make finding the right piece of

equipment even easier for our customers, no

matter where in the world they are,” explains

Mascus Managing Director Rickard Krøtø.

A Hill-Rom 850 hospital bed as sold by 1 Used MedicalEquipment at www.1usedmedicalequipment.com


18

NEWS

Bulletin /Engineering

A new division at Mining Indaba Consultancy firm SMEC will open its new

Mining, Oil and Gas division at the 2013

Mining Indaba, which is being held at the

Cape Town International Convention Centre

from 4 to 7 February; the African branch of

the division will be located at SMEC South

Africa's office in Johannesburg, and SMEC

Mining, Oil and Gas Africa functional head

Dave Gertzen notes that key project

management skills and knowledge from the

mining sector have been added, while

additional resources will be drawn from

existing departments within the SMEC Group

- saying, "An analysis of our personnel

involved in mining projects showed that the

SMEC Group has a large number of

employees worldwide who have specific

operational mining productivity,

infrastructural and project management

engineering experience in the international

mining sector, and we aim to consolidate and

knowledge-share these skills to provide a

highly specialised and efficient service for our

clients."

Fire-fighting system forEgyptian petroleum treatment Egyptian Maintenance Company (EMC)

recently awarded Engineering Consultants

Group (ECG) a contract to complete

consultancy services, review and detail the

design of an upgrade to fire alarm and fire

fighting systems for Egyptian Petroleum

Company petroleum treatment stations; the

project is located in Ras Ghareb, Egypt, and

comprises fire water tank, fire pump station,

bladder tanks, cooling systems for 10 crude

oil tanks, foam fire fighting systems for 24

crude oil tanks, external fire fighting

networks and carbon dioxide extinguishing

system for the control buildings.

Solar power plants supplied in South Africa Power and automation technology group ABB

has won orders worth around US$225mn to

supply two turnkey photovoltaic (PV) power

plants to the northern province of Limpopo in

South Africa - at the Witkop and Soutpan Solar

Parks, close to the city of Polokwane; the

plants will have a generating capacity of 33

megawatts (MW) and 31 MW respectively and

will be among the first utility-scale PV power

plants to be built in phase 1 of the South

African government’s long-term renewable

energy programme, which aims to reduce the

impact of electricity generation on the

environment and diversify the country’s

energy mix by encouraging independent

power producers to develop the country’s

abundant renewable energy resources.

Cyclones technology for non-traditional minerals market Multotec has expanded its cyclones

technology base to include potassium and

other salts; “Beneficiation of salts and

potassium is performed under in extreme

conditions, including high temperatures,

viscous liquids and mechanically and

chemically corrosive environments - as a

result, there are few equipment suppliers

able to support this industry,” said Ryan

Magner, project engineer at Multotec.

Multotec has invested extensively in ongoing researchand development as well as new tooling to be able tosupport this growing sector of the market whichdemands specialised and complex application of cyclonetechnology as well as detailed process knowledge



20

NEWS

Bulletin / EducationBuilding a library for SouthAfrica’s young

The Zest WEG Group recently partnered

with Touch Africa and M-Net Cares to build

a library at the Isibonelo Nursery School in

Ogies, Mpumalanga, in South Africa,

following a strategic decision to extend the

geographic reach of Zest WEG Group’s

corporate social investment (CSI) projects

in order to ensure the group participates in

projects where it has branches and

customer footprints; “Most of our projects

have an internal focus, concentrating on

the development of our own people in the

form of Adult Basic Education Training

(ABET), in-service training, technical

learnerships, registrations of professional

engineers, management advancement

programmes and MBAs - from an external

perspective, many of our group’s external

CSI initiatives have been initiated in

response to requests from our employees,

who have been empowered to identify

needs within their own communities and

thereby become personally involved with

the roll-out and sustainability of these

projects,” says Jamie Wilson, Zest WEG

Group marketing manager.

Paramount Group invests inAfrican engineers and leadersDefence and aerospace firm Paramount

Group has been helping to educate and

inspire Africa’s next generation of

engineers to consider a career in the

defence and aerospace industry - with

integrated education and training

opportunities.

A new initiative in education The University of Limerick (UL) in Ireland, in

partnership with the United Nations

Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),

has launched a unique programme - a

Master of Science in Multilingual

Computing and Localization - to be

delivered through distance learning and

co-hosted by UNECA in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia; as part of the Action for Global

Information Sharing (AGIS) initiative, this

programme, dubbed AGIS Africa, aims to

promote African languages in the

information society, and is supported by

the Globalization and Localization

Association (GALA) and The Rosetta

Foundation.

Bolloré Africa Logisticscommits to education in SenegalThe Bolloré Africa Logistics subsidiary in

Dakar has signed partnership agreements

with five of Senegal’s leading schools, to

bring added value to courses offered by

Senegal’s flagship institutions in higher

education by including internships at the

Bolloré subsidiary for selected students

from UCAO (the Catholic University of West

Africa), CESAG (African Center for Higher

Management Studies), Sup de Co Dakar

business school, CFMPL (the training centre

for the ports and logistics professions) and

CNQP (National centre for professional

qualification); “These partnerships with the

country’s top schools are part of our

committed policy of corporate social

responsibility, notably with regard to the

young, and embody our aim to share our

knowhow with students who will almost

certainly be joining us as colleagues, going

forward,” said Mohamed Diop, Managing

Director of Bolloré Africa Logistics Senegal.

internationally-renowned industrialist and

philanthropist Ivor Ichikowitz - by

sponsoring Africa Aerospace & Defence’s

(AAD) Youth Development Programme

(YDP), supporting the attendance of 3,000

South African schoolchildren (aged four to

18) at AAD to learn about career prospects

in the defence and aerospace industry; Ivor

Ichikowitz, Executive Chairman and

Founder of Paramount Group, said, “The

defence and aerospace industry represents

the pinnacle of technology and South

Africa has an outstanding reputation for

designing and manufacturing world-

leading products - but it is critical that we

invest in the next generation of African

engineers to ensure that we continue to

innovate and compete globally.”

AVU’s multinational project The African Virtual University (AVU)

recently launched a multinational project

at the Ghana Institute of Management and

Public Administration, the University of

Education – Winneba, and the Kwame

Nkrumah University of Science and

Technology in Kumasi; this follows the

successful completion of the Policy

Harmonisation and Curriculum

Conceptualisation Workshop, which was

held in July 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, to

deliver initial steps in delivering and

managing improved quality in technology-

The Isibonelo Nursery School library project was an idealfit for the M-Net Cares CSI team and the Zest WEG Group,which prioritises education-related projects; Touch Africacarried out the project management

The Rector of African Virtual University (AVU), Dr. BakaryDiallo (Centre Left) and the Vice Chancellor of Universityof Education, Winneba (UOE), Prof Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw (Center Right), the former Vice Chancellor ofUOE Prof Jophus Anamuah-Mensah (4th Left), theDirector, Centre for Distance Education and OpenSchooling, Ministry of Education in Ghana, Mr JoshuaMallet (2nd Left), pose for a photo with staff from AVUand UOE after launching the multinational project atUOE in November 2012



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At the recently-held West AfricanConference for Clean Energy andEnvironment (WACEE ’12), held from 6

th to 9 th November 2012 in Accra, businessopportunities in sectors of renewable energyand clean technology were the centre ofinterest. In this context, Ghana showspromising market potential. Particularly,waste-to-energy represents an interestingsolution - but, for investors, interest feeds intariffs are crucial.

Among the 49 countries in sub-SaharanAfrica, Ghana is one of the most attractivemarkets for German suppliers. In 2011 Ghanawas, after South Africa and Nigeria, the thirdbiggest purchaser of German goods -importing for about Euro 276mn(US$358mn). And this trend is expected tocarry on. Experts forecast GDP growth rates ofabout seven per cent. Political stability, whichGhana is well known for, is expected tocontinue. There are clear opportunities forsupply and investment in several industries -especially in oil and gas, in mining, and indifferent infrastructural sectors as energy,

telecommunication, water and logistics.Following such positive development, it wasa logical consequence to host WACEE ’12,where companies could gain information inthe field of clean energy. Mr Patrick Martens,Delegate of the German Industry andCommerce in Ghana and the event host,successfully managed operations for 68 localand international exhibitors, 250 participantsand 500 visitors - ensuring positive feedbackfrom participants. At the exhibition, about 30of the 68 exhibitors were German companiesor Ghanaian companies under Germandirection. Delegations came from the GermanFederal States of Baden-Wuertemberg, NorthRhine-Westphalia and the City of Magdeburg.Also from the Ghanaian side, the eventattracted high-ranking visitors. There were,among others, four ministers participating atthe conference. WACEE ’12 explicitly showedthat the market of renewable energy inGhana is moving ahead. Among others, dailypower outages have led the Government topass a bill for renewable energies in order tocreate adequate conditions for commerce

and community. And the publication ofurgently needed feed in tariffs is planned. In2010, the Ministry of Energy set up a strategyand development plan for the sector - withthe goal of raising capacity of powergeneration until 2020 from 2,000 MW to 5,000MW. This initiative should ensure a broadenergy supply and increase the share ofrenewable energy to 10 per cent by 2020.According to the Ministry of Energy, aboutUS$640-900mn is needed to add 500 MW ofrenewable energy to the grid.

Carsten Ehlers, Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI)

Ghana charging up!

Ghana House, 6th FloorGhana Multimedia Incubator CentreAccra, High Street

P.O. Box GP 1219, Accra – GhanaPhone: +233 30 2941 617+233 28 9674 563 / +

Mobile: +233 544 342 592 / +233 544 342 542Email: [email protected]: www.ibit-soft.com

Company Background

iBit Soft Ltd is an IT Solutions provider in Ghana since 2001. iBit is legally registered in Ghana as a subsidiary of cbb software GmbH,(www.cbb-software.com),We provide turn-key solutions in the Business and Industrial IT Sectors.

Core Areas

■ Industrial IT Solutions (Factory Automation and Process ControlSystems)

■ Business IT Solutions (Microsoft Dynamics ERP, SAP, SAGE)■ IT Consultancy■ Power Systems Automation■ Smart Energy Metering Solutions■ Automation in the Oil and Gas Sectors

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We combine our expertise in the Business and Industrial IT field toprovide unique IT solutions for our clients. In this instance we integrateautomation and process control solutions with Business solutions wherewe acquire requisite field data into an existing ERP system for efficientproduction and resource planning, customer billing, maintenancescheduling, and effective decision making among others.

iBit Soft Ltd currently serves a wide array of clients from SMEs,Government institutions to Multinationals not only in Ghana but also inthe West African Sub-region. We employ highly trained and dedicated (both local and foreign)software and automation engineering experts to deploy our solutions.


S04 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Report A 01_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:09

Following a decision to commit undertaken in mid-2012, Actisis now investing US$150mn in a real estate developmentalong Kenya’s Thika superhighway. Dubbed the ‘Garden City’,

the development will include a 50,000 sq metre retail shoppingmall, 500 homes, a three-acre central park, hotels and restaurants,cinema halls, exhibition centres, clinics and children’s play areas.

The project is on a vast 32-acre piece of land less than ninekilometres from Nairobi’s Central Business District and about fourkilometres from the Thika superhighway.

The 41km superhighway, which will connect Nairobi to theindustrial city of Thika in Central Kenya, has opened up land forreal estate development and educational institutions.

Constructed by three Chinese companies, the US$318mnsuperhighway is almost completed, giving real estate investorsaccessibility to vast areas for development. Investing in East Africa

Actis has invested over US$300mn in the East African region andplans to put at least US$200mn in to real estate over the next fouryears. The firm manages US$5bn globally across the emergingmarkets of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Currently, the company’s investments in East Africa include theNairobi Business Park off Ngong Road, west of Nairobi, which isongoing.

Garden City will be another major real estate investment, withthe ground-breaking ceremony scheduled for December 2012.

Koome Gikunda, investment principal at Actis, said, “This is anexciting development that has the potential to be an enduringlandmark in East Africa. A combination of world-class designs,acres dedicated to public green space and a value-focused tenant-mix will draw visitors from all over Nairobi as well as from theregion.”

James Hoddell, CEO of Mentor Management, one of Nairobi’sleading development companies and Actis’ partner on the project,added, “Garden City occupies a large catchment of over onemillion people and is one of the fastest growing areas of Nairobiaided by the highway’s expansion.”

According to Hoddell, the project is the first Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified retail mall inEast Africa.

Expansion into urban territoryWillmary Development has also pitched net along thesuperhighway to develop new housing.

Elsewhere, Russian Renaissance Group and Kenyan investorshave invested US$100mn in Tatu City, transforming a coffee farmon the outskirts of Nairobi into an urban district of housing,private schools, shops, an office and a hospital.

The developers expect to attract additional funding to invest ina private infrastructure system that would be mostly separatefrom Nairobi’s decrepit sanitation, road and electrical systems. The

KenyaFINANCE

24

Investing in a ‘garden city’Real estate development along Kenya’s Thika superhighway - dubbed the‘Garden City’ - that includes a mall, homes, a park, hotels and restaurants,cinema halls, exhibition centres, clinics, and children’s play areas

Thika Road is the biggest Kenyan superhighway(Photo: Stephen W Wanjau)



entire project is expected to take a decade and cost about US$5bnto complete.

Several projects smaller than Tatu are in various stages offinancing and development, including Migaa Estates, a planned774-acre gated golf estate 10 miles from Nairobi’s city centre, andBahati Ridge, a planned gated neighbourhood around a man-made lake with 337 homes.

These developments have taken advantage of the expandedsuperhighway as the middle-class move away from city estatesthat are serviced by traffic-clogged roads like Juja, Mombasa andNgong roads.

George Maina, a 35-year-old Nairobi resident working for amultinational bank, said, “This is where young investors aremoving to. You will have time to pay for your mortgage as yourfamily enjoys good facilities such as schools, hospitals and golfcourses.”

He plans to buy a residential house in one of the new estatesalong the superhighway. Other investors have also set eyes on realestate close by, including PepsiCo Ltd, which is establishing aUS$28mn bottling plant, and European furniture chain, IKEA.

Kenya’s firms interested in establishing businesses near thesuperhighway include Deacons Kenya, a lifestyle fashion retailer,and supermarket chains Uchumi and Nakumatt. ■

Mwangi Mumero

FINANCEKenya

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Safaricom's socialresponsibilitiesSanda Djambo, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Safaricom,spoke recently at the company's offices in Nairobi, Kenya, on thedevelopment of sustainable initiatives designed to deliver thetransformation of lives through the adoption and use of itsnetwork and services.

Safaricom, Ltd is a leading mobile network operator in Kenya,formed in 1997. Safaricom has developed and launchednationwide a mobile banking service called M-PESA, that allowsKenyans to transfer money via SMS.

The movement of money through M-Pesa - an inclusiveapproach to mobile finance - delivers transformation, in the formof tangible support for the financing of social activities, communityengagement and business practices. It remains a highly adaptableand extensible method for payment of funds at distance and inremote locations. It remains a creditable and practical method formoney transfer domestically and internationally.

Allied to this is Safaricom's use of the M-Pesa network to buildcapacity for agriculture, for education, for health, forsustainable energy supply and use, for the legal system, andmany other areas of need in the country, within the region, andacross the continent. Safaricom engages, to achieve itscommitment towards social responsibility, with non-governmental organisations such as the United Nations andUSAID, and multinational enterprises such as Cisco.

Thika, north of Nairobi, offers abundant naturalresources (Photo: Hansueli Krapf)


November 7 2012 was a splendid day forthe whole of Mantrac Cat fraternity inthe Eastern Africa region, as a group of

60 VIP Mantrac Cat clients in Kenya wereinvited for a half-day briefing andfamiliarisation tour of the Mantrac facility, andreceived the news that Caterpillar FinancialServices (Dubai) Limited, trading as CatFinancial, had committed to enter into acollaboration with both the Mantrac/UnatracGroup and the Standard Bank Group to providea range of financial services toMantrac/Unatrac Group Cat dealershipcustomers in six African countries - Nigeria,Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and SierraLeone. Cat Financial made its debut in theKenyan market through collaboration with CfCStanbic Bank, a member of the Standard BankGroup operating in the country. Cat Financial’sfirst entry into Africa was in South Africa fiveyears ago, where to date a successfuloperation has been in progress.

Mantrac/Unatrac Group East AfricaManaging Director Mr Adel Selim presentedcritical facts about Mantrac/Unatrac Groupoperations in the region over the years. Inaddition to customers and journalists, thoseattending the presentation included: JedReeve (Project Manager, Cat Financial);Ferdinand Van Noort (Alliance Manager, CatFinancial); Elly Odhong (CfC Stanbic BankHead of Personal & Business Banking); andMarian Ochieng (CfC Stanbic Bank Head of

Vehicle Asset Financing). The event took placeat Mantrac’s Nairobi head office – theMansour Complex premises along Witu Roadin Nairobi’s industrial hub, just off the busyLikoni and Mombasa Roads.

Making a difference for customers in KenyaCourtesy of the new collaboration, customersin Kenya may enjoy unique benefits accruingfrom a considerable combined knowledgebase. Mantrac has been supplying the Kenyanmarket for over 100 years while CfC StanbicBank has over 100 banking and financialservices experience in Africa. On the otherhand, Cat Financial has dedicated its financialservices to Cat customers for more than 30years globally. Cat Financial is also cognisantof the changes expected in Kenya and easternAfrica, first due to the adoption of a newconstitution in Kenya and next the increasingintegration of the EAC market and itsattendant great potential.

Kenyan customers shall also enjoy thecompetitive advantage of accessing dedicatedpoint of sale Cat Finance representatives to bepresent in Mantrac premises. They shall alsolive with top-class customer experience giventhat Mantrac is now uniquely positioned to offera total solution viz. Equipment Sales & Service;Repair & Maintenance; Warranty; Finance andInsurance. Mr Reeve emphasised theinstitution’s commitment and focus to continueproviding tailored solutions to its customers.

“Kenya is the first phase of this newstructure to formally go live, and theremaining Mantrac sales territories will followover the coming weeks,” he said.

Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation: Commencing services on 8 Dec 1981 in theUSA as the Cat Leasing Company andestablished in 1983 as Caterpillar FinancialServices Corporation, the company now hasoperations in 40 countries globally. Over theyears, the company has received a strong pullfrom both Caterpillar and its dealer network toprovide branded financial solutions whereverCat equipment is sold.

Currently, the company provides financialservices for major international customers inmost of Africa, parts of Asia and Middle Easton a cross-border basis. The absence of localpresence in the areas results from variouschallenges including complex and widelydiffering legal requirements encouraging CatFinancial to seek alliances with financialinstitutions with a strong local presence andthe local Cat dealer to deliver brandedfinancial solutions. The institution’s key focusremains its customers and the delivery oftailored solutions at the points of sale.

Essentially, Cat Financial provides assetfinance support for customers purchasing newor used Cat equipment from the local CatDealer. It also provides financing for certainOEM products equipped with Cat components

KenyaFINANCE


Capital solutions forconstruction firmsCat Financial builds on successful operation in South Africa with itsdebut in Kenya, in collaboration with CFC Stanbic Bank


and, as well as its traditional constructionmarkets, is active in the marine, power andmining sectors. Cat Insurance providesadditional services (where permitted) tosupport the global operations and strategy ofCaterpillar, Cat dealers and customers.

Caterpillar Financial Services saw steadyglobal expansion: during 1986-87, when itcommenced operations in Canada, Australiaand Germany. Its financial products divisionwas formed in 1990 and it relocated toNashville, in the USA, in 1991.

From 1992 to 2001, the institutionexpanded across several locations in Europe,South America and Asia. Cat Financial beganoffering capital solutions in 2002 and earnedthe Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awardin 2003. In 2005 the Cat Financial CommercialAccount was introduced and in 2009, theCaterpillar Financial Centre became certifiedLeadership in Energy and Environment Designfor Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Gold. ItsCustomer Business Centre celebrated 10 yearsin 2010 and in 2011, the North AmericaBusiness Centre was formed; the same yearCat Financial celebrated 30 years of service.

Cat Financial’s new retail financing businesshas grown from US$3,619mn (US$850mninternational and US$2,769mn North America)to US$15,879mn in 2008 (US$84,960mninternational and US$73,830mn North America)showing an increase in international businessrelative to North America business over time.Due to the global economic crisis in October2008, the business dipped to US$7,623mn(US$42,240mn international and US$33,980mnNorth America) but improved to US$11,323mnin 2011 (US$49,560mn international andUS$63,670mn North America) reflecting thebuoyant market in North America.

The Mantrac GroupPart of the Mansour Group, the internationallyrenowned giant with operations in automotive,capital markets, consumer & retail, industrial

equipment and services and with turnover ofover US$7bn, the Mantrac Group operates in 10countries in Europe, Asia, Gulf region & MiddleEast and Africa. The countries include UK (theinternational sales office is located here); Egypt,Nigeria; Sierra Leone; Ghana; Tanzania; Kenya;Uganda; Iraq and Russia.

According to Mr Selim’s presentation, theGroup’s revenue trends has been on the riseover the years; the revenue rose fromUS$695mn, for instance, in 2006 toUS$1,690mn in 2011 representing differentearnings in its different operation areas. TheGroup’s global Machine Market Share has alsocontinued to rise over time. The Group’s globalPower Systems market share has alsocontinued rising and moved from 19 per centin 2010 to 23 per cent in 2011 with Egypttaking 35 per cent of the share and Kenya 24per cent. Since 2006 the group’s CAT genuineParts market share has been over 50 per centpicking at 54 per cent in 2011.

In Kenya, Mantrac Kenya is committed to a’Building for the Future’ strategy; it is keen toattain and sustain market leadership, profitablegrowth and customer loyalty. Its 2011-2015Strategic Plan is guided by eight imperatives.Operating principles that guide the companyinclude segment specialism; customer-centricity; valued products and services; CATalignment; communication; differentiatedinvestments; accountability for results and sales& marketing excellence. The values of integrity,excellence, teamwork and commitment guideoperations at Mantrac Kenya. With threebranches in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu,Mantrac Kenya provides employment for133 people and runs a fleet of 45 vehiclesthat can cover the whole country in serviceprovision and product delivery. Its keyrevenue segments include sales andservicing of new, used and rental machines;power systems; parts sales and servicing.

“We have great confidence in this marketand have recently invested heavily in Kenya

especially through refurbishment of theNairobi office which is the best in Africa,” MrSelim told this writer after the press briefingat an interview in his Nairobi office.

Posted to Nairobi in September 2012 afterabout 10 years as the Mantrac Russia MD, MrSelim is enjoying Kenya’s wonderful climateand her friendly people.

Regarding increasing competition in themarket, he observed that most contractorsworking in the country from the far eastregions are opting to import cheap and oftensub-standard equipment which wear off fastand get dumped here. Yet most Indiancontractors recognise and value the Cat brandfor its quality, reliability and long life. Catmachines and equipment are re-usable andthe most definite to be found in usedequipment selling points. Eighty (80) per centof all used equipment offered for re-sale andre-use are Cat with almost none from China,”he averred. “If you are looking for realbusiness go for Cat machines and equipment.”

And though the initial cost may appear tobe high, the equipment and machines haveadded advantages such as fuel efficiency ofbetween 40 and 45 per cent. On the otherhand, equipment and machines other than Catones are less productive and have moredowntime. Cat equipment customers also donot require backup machines.

“Most of the contractors and other users whobuy machines other than Cat tend to buy aback-up for every two equipment they buy,” heobserved. Furthermore, Cat machines, part andother equipment have higher resale values, lowrunning costs and are easy to re-sell.”

Mantrac Kenya is encouraging morefinancing activity by Cat Financial in theregion. The debut of Cat Financial in Kenyaindicates the confidence investors have in thecountry’s potential as the fastest growingeconomy in this region. ■

John F N Ng’ang’a

FINANCEKenyaw

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CementCONSTRUCTION


Helping the bulk industry to optimisethe performance of its productiontools has been Standard Industrie’s

motto for more than 30 years. In constantpursuit of innovation, the company hasdeveloped a wide range of productsrelating to conveying, declogging andindustrial cleaning.

On the Kenyan market, Standard IndustrieInternational works with Bamburi Cement,subsidiary of the Lafarge group. The factorywith two production lines solved its cleaningissues thanks to an industrial vacuum truckCAM150M06I.

A GAD50MVS (moveable vacuum unit) alsohelped to support the firm National Cement.This African grinding centre producingapproximately 1.5 million tonnes of cementper year, has reduced its dust emissiontowards the nearby natural reserve.

Still in industrial vacuum cleaning,Standard Industrie has worked on theproduction lines of Mombasa Cement, one ofthe biggest cement producers in East Africa.Their problem was related to the cleaning

costs, the safety along the conveyors and therecovery of the product.

Using a GAD50MVC and two pre-separators, the packing zone and the areasalong the conveyors have been cleaned. Thepresence of the pre-separators was justifiedby the desire of the client to treat separatelythese two networks.

With a capacity of 2m3, they are used torecycle the noble product and are placed on aframe between the vacuum unit and theproduct that needs to be vacuumed. In case ofexplosive product, the pre-separator can beequipped with an explosion vent. Howeverthis option has not been chosen by MombasaCement as their product is not explosive.

Therefore, during the commissioning (inthe presence of a technical sales manager

and a technical assistant), two tonnes ofmaterial were vacuumed in twenty minutesat a distance of five metres underground andfifty metres of hose.

In effect, Standard Industrie Internationaloffers complete solutions: from thetechnical recommendation, to theinstallation and the maintenance of theequipment, the sales and technical teamsare always available to their customers.

In terms of declogging, Standard IndustrieInternational‘s Airchoc Wireless have alsogiven great results at EAPCC. Thirteen ACW510 came to the end of a clogging problemat the kiln inlet, following the revamping oftheir line. The control panel is situated in thecontrol room about 60 m away from the aircannons. The Airchoc Wireless was perfectlyappropriate because it avoided the creationof cable tray.

Thus, for a clean and safe workingenvironment, our complete range isperfectly adapted and every solution can beenvisaged to handle powdery productsregardless of their process. ■

Standard Industrie supports cement firm


AMemorandum of Understanding wassigned between the Somalia StockExchange Investment Corporation

(SSE) and the Nairobi Securities Exchange(NSE) in Q3 2012 has opened the way forthe establishment of the first ever Somalistock exchange. The NSE – the largestexchange in East Africa – committed toproviding essential technical expertise inthe early stages of the project.

This move is a strong endorsement of thesuccess and growing strength of the Somalibusiness sector. The Somali territories are richin investment opportunities despite thechallenges they have faced over the lasttwenty years. It often surprises Westerners tolearn that many sectors of the Somalieconomy have experienced rapid growthover this period. Our company, DahabshiilGroup, spans money transfer, banking,telecoms and import/export, and includesone of Africa’s largest remittance firms –Dahabshiil Money Transfer. These and otherindustries, such as livestock and energy, arebooming thanks to the innateresourcefulness and business acumen of theSomali people. Continuous inflows offinancial and human capital from thediaspora have also played a crucial role. Athriving formal market for shares and othersecurities could be an additional boost tobusiness confidence, helping to drive growthand investment.

Systemic considerationsAlthough the potential benefits are clearenough, there are some reservationsconcerning the timing of the venture in theSomali territories. The commonly acceptedpreconditions for a functioning stock marketinclude strong institutions, macroeconomicstability and a mature financial system. It istrue that these foundations are beginning totake shape. A draft constitution, a newgovernment and recent economic progress

are all reasons to be optimistic, but the factremains that these developments are still intheir earliest phase.

Given the right conditions, stock marketscan mobilise savings and channel investmentinto the most efficient sectors of an economy.High volumes of trade mean higher liquidity– share holdings can easily be sold and soprojects with longer payback periods havebetter access to equity finance. Opportunitiesfor debt financing are also opened up.Corporate bonds are issued everywhere inthe East African Community (EAC) exceptBurundi, and are traded on the local stockexchanges. There is virtually no secondarymarket for sovereign debt, but all fivecountries of the EAC issue government

securities – either over-the-counter or on thenational bourses. Kenya issues treasury billswith maturities of up to 30 years, whileTanzania and Uganda have managed toextend their maturities to ten years. These aresignificant achievements that demonstratethe continuous advances in the ability ofthose governments to borrow and toimplement effective monetary policy.

The market liberalising reforms that havetaken place throughout much of Africa overthe last two decades have resulted in a sharprise in the number of stock exchanges on thecontinent, from just eight in 1989 to 29 today.Structural constraints such as limited incomeand the high costs of floating have preventeda wide distribution of efficiency gains, but

FINANCEInvestment

29

Stocks that showsigns of the timesDevelopments at the Somalia Stock Exchange are representative of the ro-bust regional growth now in play

Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil Group



InvestmentFINANCE

30

there is evidence that capital markets canplay a vital role in accelerating growth indeveloping economies, and that they havedone so in sub-Saharan Africa.

Creating confidence, maintaining trustThe regulatory requirements of a formalstock exchange are stringent, but rigorousstandards are essential to winning theconfidence of investors. Furthermore, therise in demand for IT, legal and accountancyservices provides a massive opportunity forgrowth in a range of industries, creatingjobs in specialised sectors and helping toimprove the viability of the financial systemas a whole. Development of the skills baseand diversification into new sectors areimportant additional benefits that cannotbe understated.

The market capitalisation of the newAfrican exchanges has grown quickly, but inmost cases is still very low in relation to GDPand is largely confined to a few largecompanies. Smaller firms, on the other hand,have often found themselves unable toparticipate. Scarcity of issuers and investorshas resulted in low liquidity. These factorshave been significant drags on stock marketdevelopment, and have been the mainreasons behind efforts to promote greaterintegration. Serving eight West Africancountries, the Bourse Régionale des ValeursMobilières (BRVM) is the world’s first regionalstock exchange. Its modern electronic tradingand clearing systems use satellite links to

transmit orders to the central site. The SouthAfrican Development Community (SADC) hasalso pushed ahead with reforms, working toalign the regulatory frameworks of its ninenational bourses and to boostinterconnectivity between them.

Capitalising on collaborationThe lesson from the BRVM and SADC seemsto be that integration is the key to deepeningmarkets. Closer alignment of regulatory andmarket infrastructures increases tradingefficiency and encourages greater cross-border capital mobility. While lowcapitalisation and low liquidity are deterrentsto investment, more listings and betterliquidity mean higher rates of privateparticipation and larger inflows of portfoliocapital from overseas. The assurance that theSomalia Stock Exchange will be open to allinvestors, local and international, is thereforea positive sign.

We welcome the collaboration with theNairobi Stock Exchange, which in conjunctionwith the East African Securities ExchangeAssociation (EASEA) has played a central rolein developing the capital markets of its EACneighbours and in guiding the region’s ownprogramme of harmonisation. A Somaliexchange would enjoy many of theassociated benefits regardless of EACmembership status. We also hope to seesimilar partnerships between the Somalibusiness community and other businessesand institutions in the EAC.

The diaspora, as the primary source offunding for Somali enterprise, will of coursebe central to the success of the project.Remittance finance accounts for a largeproportion of start-up capital in the Somaliterritories, and has enabled the private sectorto be the ‘great survivor’ of the last twodecades. An active bourse would sharpen theefficiency of that investment and would openup local markets to even more Improvementsin employment prospects are evident fromthe fact that a growing number of youngpeople are choosing to stay in the Somaliterritories to study. New service industriesspringing up around a flourishing exchangewould create a wide range of skilled jobs for anew generation of educated Somalis.

These are, of course, early days. Recentsteps towards political stability are hugelyencouraging, but the Somali territories’financial and legal infrastructures areembryonic by regional standards and willtake time to support a fully-fledged marketfor shares. If recent advances are built upon,however, and the right foundations are laidfor good governance as well as continuedeconomic development, then Somalis haveevery reason to look forward to the newopportunities that would arise from local anddiaspora Somali investment, financing frominternational companies includingDahabshiil Bank, and a possible formalisedstock market. ■

Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil Group


Digital development amid cyber concerns

Banks underestimate the need to educateAfrica’s mobile bank users and risk beingvulnerable to growing security threats onthe continent.Of the nearly 500mn adults living in sub-Saharan Africa, 95 per cent earn less thanR80 a day and have no access to bankaccounts. The extent of Africa’s unbankedis set to change as the region drives forwardin the development of mobile banking,which has proved to be a thriving ventureas it fills a gap in the African financialservices market. However, as mobilebanking develops and as more services andproducts are offered on mobile platforms,new opportunities for theft and fraud exist.This is according to Llewellyn Hartnick,Cyber Security Specialist at Thales SA, theglobal technology provider. Hartnickbelieves that the general financial illiteracyof Africa’s mobile banking users has madehuman error the most overwhelmingsecurity risk for mobile banking in Africa.

Mobile growth means more moneymanagement“The growth rate of mobile banking in Africais set to continue as Africa becomes moredigital. For example, more Africans haveaccess to mobile phones than to cleandrinking water. However, positive growthdoes come with increased risks as cybercriminals continue to improve their methodsof attacking banking systems. Due to Africa’slimited infrastructure, the geographicalremoteness of many communities and thefinancial illiteracy of most people on thecontinent, many do not know how to preventfalling prey to cyber-attacks,” says Hartnick. “Computer-based Trojan applications arerapidly migrating to the smartphone marketand the lack of access to information hascreated a vulnerability within the continent’smobile banking space. Banks need to bemore aggressive and creative in educatingits mobile banking users. Updates on safemobile banking practices is vital while the

popularity for mobile financial servicescontinues to grow. Other countries in Africawould be wise to look to Kenya’s MPESAexample on how to not only grow mobilebanking but grow it in a manner thansupports customer security.”

Llewellyn Hartnick, Cyber SecuritySpecialist at Thales SA


TECHNOLOGYICT


Ian Steyn, Account Manager – ValueAdded Sales at ZunguZ joined a panel ofICT industry experts at AfricaCom 2012, a

premier ICT and telecommunicationsconference held recently in Cape Town, todiscuss the topic: How to take advantage ofnew opportunities in Africa’s dynamicmobile money market.

The panel included Martin Ras, Co-Founder of Ching Payments, Samson Isa,Head of Value Added Services, Globacom,and Grant van Wyk, Head of Mobile Designand Development, Pbel.

Steyn represented ZunguZ, a multi-tiermobile payment platform and establishedoffering connected to Facebook that hastaken the South African and Africanmarkets by storm.

He joined keynote speakers andexplained why now is the time fordeveloping markets across Africa to betterunderstand and benefit from the

convergence of payment systems andrelevant technology with the social graph.

The point of contact between financialservices and social networks facilitated bymobile money platforms is a high-growthmarket across the global ICT sector – andAfrica has a role to play.

Steyn said the continent has a verystrong, growing mobile user base that iswell-acquainted with social networks.

“There are many cases of mobile users nothaving access to email, but they haveFacebook to connect their friends. This is thesame market that has explosive needs topayment and banking services and the nextgrowth market for smart phone technology.These are the three areas that ZunguZconnects. Africa’s mobile penetrationcontinues to escalate, with user figures inexcess of 700mn. Access to personalfinancial management through secure, cost-free platforms makes sense,” he commented.

A vibrant market, a developing interest“The panel discussion was vibrant and ofgreat interest because it covered anumber of aspects of the mobile moneymarket that people want to know moreabout. These aspects include partnershipsbetween operators and financialinstitutions, as well as new services beingrolled out that add value to consumersand that continue to shape the industryacross Africa.”

ZunguZ is tightly integrated intoFacebook and was one of the first Africanpublished social payment applications tobe officially incorporated into the socialnetwork giant’s app store.

Management at ZunguZ says there isconsensus in the industry that thegrowth of mobile payment technologywill help drive development within thefinancial sectors of regions throughoutAfrica. ■

Ready for mobile money


While concept of the paperless officemay never have materialised, andprinters still form a vital part of day

to day business, printer technology has byno means remained static over the years.Computers, processors and the latestgadgets often get all of the publicity, butbehind the scenes the humble printer hascontinued to evolve. New features, newfunctionality and enhancements, as well asinnovative twists on tested technology havemade these unsung office heroes faster,greener, more efficient and more reliablethan ever, enabling many businesses tosimply take for granted that printers arethere and will work as and when they areneeded.

Variety and affordability One of the evolutions in the printer industryhas been the sheer variety of differentdevices, different print types and differentapplications which are now available.Targeted printers are now available toappeal to the home user, the small or homeoffice, small and medium businesses, largeenterprises and even specialist printingapplications such as large formats, in bothcolour and black and white. Old technologysuch as the dot matrix printer has becomesuper efficient, perfect for printing multiplecopies of invoices and bills of sale, whilelaser printers now deliver affordable,professional print quality for businesses atlightning speeds on a variety of paper sizes.Both dot matrix and lasers have alsobecome more eco-friendly as a result ofincreasing environmental awareness, andthese devices act as an integral part of themodern business across industry sectors.

From slow, single line at a time and noisyprinting, the dot matrix device has comealong in leaps and bounds. While thistechnology, as mentioned, is old, it is alsomature and is still widely used particularly

in applications where reliability is key andhigh volumes of multi-part forms need tobe printed at a low cost per print. Usingribbon technology and impact printing, dotmatrix devices easily produce multiplecopies simultaneously, and can feed bothcut sheet paper and continuous forms forversatile paper handling.

The economy of evolutionThe latest evolution of the dot matrix cannow print up to 700 characters per second,using up to nine pins on a print head,enabling fast throughput that is perfect fordemanding environments such aswarehouses, factories, repair and servicecentres, wholesalers and more. Thesedevices also incorporate supreme durabilityand reliability, and can both push and pullpaper through the feeder, using roll paperto economically print logs and other largedata streams. Eco friendly features on newdevices include sleep mode to keep runningcosts and energy consumption to aminimum, reducing carbon footprint, andlong life ribbon technology means moreprints per ribbon.

When it comes to laser printers, colour isthe name of the game for business, and theability to deliver crisp, clear text and vibrantrealistic images in vibrant colour are of theutmost importance. Where colour used tobe an expensive print technology, it hasbecome increasingly affordable and is nowavailable for all size of business, enablingorganisations to print professional qualitydocuments from the office. Resolution onoffice printers has vastly improved, withdots per inch of up to 1200 by 1200 nowstandard features, and photo enhancingtools to ensure lifelike images can beprinted with ease. High speeds, highcapacity toner cartridges and loweredrunning costs have made colour printingmore affordable than ever.

The ability to print on multiple papersizes is another print innovation that hasrevolutionised office printing, as users cannow print from A6 to A3 on the samedevice, and various thicknesses of paper arealso supported for added versatility. Mobileprinting has become a standard feature,enabling wireless printing from notebooks,tablets and even smartphones, and addedsecurity features such as print release,secure printing and colour accessmanagement ensure that confidentialdocuments do not fall into the wronghands and wasteful colour printing isavoided.

Eco-friendly features such as standardduplex (double sided) printing, compactdesign, energy efficient technology, sleepmode and auto off help to minimise carbonfootprint, and toner save features helporganisations get the most of their printsupplies. New features such as the ability toprint in monochrome when colourcartridges are empty, rather than theprinter not functioning at all, help toincrease productivity and efficiency.

When it comes to printers, efficiency andeco-friendliness are key, and most of thedevelopments in the industry have evolvedaround improving these features, as well asimproving speed. The printer is often theheart of the business, so organisationswould do well to select a device from thewide range available that meets theirspecific needs, whether this is for highvolume, multi-copy invoicing orprofessional colour documents andprinting. Whatever your needs, there is aprinter that fits the bills, and by selecting anew model substantial savings and reducedcarbon footprint are often easy goals toachieve. ■

Heinrich Pretorius, OKI Product Specialist atDrive Control Corporation

PrintersTECHNOLOGY

32

Faster, greener, moreefficient, more reliablePrinters still form a vital part of day to day business, and printer technologycontinues to evolve - with more devices, print types and applications


S06 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Report B_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:15

An affiliate of Craft Silicon Limited, CraftSilicon Foundation is perhaps the onlyinstitution fully committed to providing

free-of-charge information andcommunication technology (ICT) education toyoung people in Kenyan slums. Craft SiliconLimited is a software development companyinternationally renowned but hardlyrecognised in Kenya, where it was founded byMr Kamal Budhabatti - undoubtedly, asoftware development guru today.

This writer recently chatted with theFoundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PriyaBudhabatti and the free computer educationbus Project Manager Alex Chege at the CraftSilicon Campus a few kilometers from Nairobi’sCBD and to the west of the city and past thefast-growing Westlands suburbs. Priyaexplained that the company had encounteredoverwhelming appeal for material supportfrom the needy but decided to instead provideempowering and lifetime assistance in theform of ICT education and training.

“We used to provide foods and clothingamong other materials but these only hadonly momentary benefit to the poor inslum areas as opposed to life skills thatcome with education and training andwhich last for longer and assist many morepeople apart from the individualbeneficiary,” Priya explained.

Founded in 2008, the Foundation providesan opportunity for employees of its parentcompany to give back to society ICT skills andexpertise and inculcates a sense of corporategiving among them. Uniquely, the projectuses a solar-powered computer-fitted busthat has a class set-up with training amenitiesincluding a white board and relevantacademic literature.

Easily noticeable, the white and huge busbears the distinct logo and branding “CraftSilicon Foundation - Nurturing Future”followed by the tagline, ‘Free Computer Bus forYoung Kenyans’. It tours seven slum areas inNairobi - Kibera, Kawangware, Kangemi,

Waithaka, Mathare, Huruma, and Mukuru kwaNyayo - throughout the week on a schedulethat provides information technology (IT)training to needy members of the society,independent professionals and school-children throughout the mobile computer busprogramme. It is fitted with three servers eachrunning four monitor screens (translating to 12monitor screens), education courseware,Internet connectivity, printers and scanners.

The bus is also equipped with portabletents that can be fixed outside to allow morestudents access to Internet, printing andscanning services.

Encouraging women to equip communities Committed to encouraging and equippingwomen with the necessary skills to fightpoverty, CEO Priya believes that empoweringwomen leads to the flourishment of families,strengthening of communities and success ofnations. Notably and perhaps consequently,lessons are tailored for 9 to 13 year old girls,and youths aged between 18 and 24 years inthree mornings, mid-morning and eveningsessions. While each class holding 36students, a full course takes three monthswith four intakes each year. So far, over 5,000students have graduated since theprogramme started with many gainingemployment and others pursuing otherrelevant and advanced ICT courses. Forty-fiveper cent of the graduates are in employment,

self-employment and business. Currentlyabout 500 are undergoing training.

In recent months, the project has provided aclassroom at the Westlands campus where thebest graduates of the bus project are givenfurther training. I spoke to some of the keenand enthusiastic students who expressedgreat appreciation to the Foundation forproviding them with a chance to study andattain ICT skills. Most expressed a desire tocomplete the advanced programme and laterpursue self-employment by opening cyber-cafes or software development firms or seekemployment in other established institutions.

From the discussions, I learnt a lot aboutthe project and the Foundation. Its vision,mission and objectives respectively includeto empower communities with the ICT skillsthat will create opportunities for them andfoster a culture of self-reliance; achieveuniversal computer literacy across allsectors of the society by bridging theexisting digital divide among communities;and to empower children and the youth inKenya with computer skills for self-relianceand development.

Its specific objectives include- promotinguniversal computer literacy; conducting ICTtraining to the poor and vulnerable within theslum areas; providing ICT services includinginternet browsing, printing, and scanningamong others for free and promotingcommunity-based initiatives and programsthrough ICT infrastructure such as internet,multi-media and other digital forms.

Using ICT skills, the project has empoweredbeneficiaries by giving those that were initiallyidle an occupation. It has also createdemployment for many youths in call centres,reception areas and in graphic among otherdesigns and as trainers and workers in research& development. The project has also fosteredself-dependency in business/ employmentand nurtured entrepreneurship in ICT. ■

John F N Ng’ang’a

36

Savvy, informed,educated, employedHow Craft Silicon Foundation supports efforts to deliver the informationand communication technology needed to educate the less fortunate

Priya Budhabatti, Craft Silicon Foundation CEO


CommunicationsTECHNOLOGY


iHub Nairobi is a community space, designed for interactionbetween enterprising individuals interested in working withinformation and communication technologies (ICTs). The centre

operates a membership system, and currently counts a little lessthan 10,000 individuals amongst its members. The membership isstratified by white, red and green colour coding - and whitemembership is free. As of September 2012, there were around9,100 white members, with several hundred paying red and greenmembers taking the business of technology forward.

Like-minded innovatorsThe centre operates a 30MB connection - which supports ICTeducation and business training, and mobile business developmentthrough a innovation incubator called m:lab. Members are affordedfree access to WiFi connectivity. Key to iHub's approach todevelopment is sustainability through governance, through trial anderror and peer review by contact with like-minded operations incountries as far afield as India and Germany.

iHub developed from the operation of Ushahidi and crowd-mapping for humanitarian response. Ushahidi is a non-profittechnology company that seeks to change the way informationflows around the world - developing free and open sourcesoftware for information collection, visualisation and interactivemapping. It uses crowdsourcing for social activism and publicaccountability, for 'activist mapping' – a combination of socialactivism, citizen journalism and geospatial information. Ushahidioffers products that enable local observers to submit reportsusing their mobile phones or the Internet, creating a temporaland geospatial archive of events.

iHub has generated 62 jobs since starting. Kopo Kopo is its firstsuccess story - a start-up that has developed from graduation toincubation, through iHub and m:lab, providing low-cost software-as-a-service to microfinance operations. Kenyan financialstakeholders have proved responsive, to Kopo Kopo as to the needto engage with existing and potential customers. Accessibility andsimplicity have become watchwords for the financial communityKopo Kopo engages with. Kenyan banks have been quick, forexample, to recognise the need to offer services that complimentcustomer behaviour. Equity Bank now offers a suite of financialservices via multiple mobile money systems including M-Pesa,Orange Money, yuCash, and Airtel Money. Its mobile bankingservice, Eazzy 24/7, enables customers to remotely access financialservices and to transact with a network of over 3,000 agents. KenyaCommercial Bank has also launched services - Connect, andMtaani– and has advertised these via social networks such asFacebook and Twitter.

Technology training for the public sectorBack at iHub, 23 apps had been developed by July 2012, and hencewithin its first year is operation - with 17 developers and productmanagers trained during the same period.

iHub hosts, also, the African Leadership in ICT Course (ALICT),which is part-funded by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MFA). Participants come from across Africa, from ministries, publicsector organisations, research bodies, and universities. (ref ALICT)

The ALICT curriculum is informed by research conducted on acountry-by-country basis, to tailor training to specific national andregional needs for public sector technology utilisation andgovernance.

The intended impact of ALICT is to create a network of informedpublic sector staffs and cements, to deliver a knowledge societythat parallels the aims of administrations in Kenya, Rwanda andelsewhere across the continent. It represents a new model forcapacity-building - with sessions and communication principallyonline, connecting up to 200 participants at any one time from anynumber of disparate locations. Such communication forms thebasis for an alumni, a post-training community of public sector andacademic individuals and organisations that may be seen alreadyin Finland - where blogging and use of online channels alreadyserves well the Finnish population and the nation's economic andsocietal stakeholders across the world. ■

CommerceTECHNOLOGY

38

Interacting withKenyan entrepreneursHow iHub Nairobi offers high speed connectivity for commercially-focusedtechnology workers

iHub offers sustainability through governance, trial and error and peer review (Photo: Outi Einola-Head)



Construction work on Kenya’s largestand busiest seaport at Mombasa hascontributed to the expansion of

existing facilities and build the new Berth 19which is expected to be completed by theearly next year and, when completed, willincrease the Port’s facilities and cargo space.In addition the Port will be dredged of mudand silt to accommodate larger ships.

The port serves the Kenya hinterland byexporting important agricultural productsand supporting the foundation of thecountry’s economy. In addition to servingKenya, the port serves countries in inlandAfrica such as Uganda, Tanzania, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo and evenfurther afield. Inland onward transportation is

provided by truck and train, and specialrailtainer services operate from the port toinland container depots.

Dredging and construction of the newberth and extension of the existing facilitiesboth commenced in June last year withdredging scheduled to be also completed atthe end of this year. Dutch-based Van OrdDredging won the dredging contract. Thetwo projects are being funded by the KenyanGovernment and will, cost in excess of £71mn(US$115.5mn). Dredging alone will costnearly £39mn (US$63.5mn).

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC)won the contract to construct Berth 19 andassociated works. To drive the piles requiredfor the berth’s foundations the companypurchased a BSP International Foundations(BSP) piling hammer and power pack throughBSP’s Chinese dealer, Shanghai TrustMachinery. The CG240 hammer with adropweight of 16t and powered by a BSPHP250 power pack was used to driveapproximately 300 tubular steel piles, 813mmin diameter, a wall thickness of 16mm andranging in length from 20m to 36m. Each pileis designed to take a bearing load of 240t.

The CG range of BSP’s heavy-duty impactpiling hammers offers dropweights from 12tup to 40t are designed for driving a variety ofbearing piles including steel tube, combipiles, H-sections and reinforced/pre-stressedconcrete piles and can be operated frompiling rig leaders or crane suspended. Keyfeatures include total control of hammerstroke and blow rate, allows precise matchingof energy to suit the pile drivingrequirements and easy access to the cylinder

and dropweight connection for servicing. Inaddition, an optional digital readout ofhammer performance is offered in a choice ofunits – stroke or energy.

Maximising performance in portA choice of three Hydro Packs is availablewhich are powered by either turbochargedPerkins or Caterpillar diesel enginesdeveloping 71kW up to 250kW. These BSPunits have been specifically developed by theUK-based company to maximise theperformance of its piling hammers. Theexisting container terminal berths atMombasa were designed to accommodateships 180m long but most now calling at thePort today measure 230m. The threecontainer berths have a total length of 600mand are being extended to 760m which willallow three vessels each with a length of235m and leave a 215m safety allowance.

The existing container terminal berths atMombasa were designed to accommodateships 180m long but most now calling at thePort today measure 230m. The threecontainer berths have a total length of 600mand are being extended to 760m which willallow three vessels each with a length of235m and leave a 215m safety allowance.

This project is the first port constructionproject undertaken by CRBC in Kenya with aconstruction period of two years and willfurther expand the throughput of Mombasa,consolidate its role as the largest port in EastAfrica, optimise CRBC’s business structure inKenya and lay the foundation for futuredevelopment of the Kenyan infrastructuralconstruction market. ■

LOGISTICSPorts

39

Improving onshoreseaport facilities

BSP Hammer is used to drive steel piles for a new port extensionserving Mombasa in Kenya


S07 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Report C & D_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:08

No medium-sized business dealing with physical commoditiesof any kind in Africa can do without a lift truck today. Whetherit is a standard counter-balanced industrial machine, a

specialised reach or side-loading truck or a sophisticated telescopicmaterials handler, this is the standard way of moving materials in largequantities around an outdoor site or warehouse these days.

However use of these machines is potentially hazardous, theproblems coming from the use of a powerful engine- or electrically-powered machine in a confined space, the consequences ofmisunderstanding the basic physics of ‘levers and moments’ – tippingover and/or dropping the load - and not being aware of the dangers ofusing an unfamiliar attachment.

There is simply no substitute for adequate training; no way can a casualemployee be drafted in to operate a lift truck on your premises in 2013.

Pluses and minuses in practical managementThere are a number of essential ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’t dos’ connected with lifttruck operations.

On the positive side, the first is to test and use the horn on everyoccasion when there is a potential danger lurking. This means whenapproaching doorways and changes of direction around the corners ofbuildings; a few short blasts are best. Stop and look if there is any doubt.

Take special care whenever co-workers and visitors are in the vicinity,especially those on foot who may be carrying a high visibility-restrictingload or be otherwise pre-occupied. On a paved site it is often best torestrict forklift movements to painted-on routeways. Within awarehouse take special precautions at the end of storage aisles.

And avoid sudden jerky movements at all times (braking and cornerturning) as these can cause the load – or part of it – to fall off, or thewhole machine to tip over.

Lift trucks are designed to move in both directions, and to turn in avery tight circle. But whenever they are being moved more than a veryshort distance, loaded or not, this should always be forwards with theoperator having a clear line of vision not obstructed by the load or theneed to turn round. Move up or down a slope slowly with the arms ofthe fork facing up the gradient if the machine is loaded. If it is travelling‘light’, the advice is always to operate with the arms pointing downhill,bearing in mind that they may strike the ground at the bottom. Specialcare should always be taken when travelling across a slope.

Finally, the key should be kept under control at all times, issued onlyto authorised operators for the period of use only, and kept in a securestore overnight. When leaving the lift truck for a short time theparking brake should always be applied, the controls set to neutraland the fork arms lowered to the ground. For any more than a fewminutes the key should be removed and safely pocketed.

Causes to be carefulThe main activities to avoid begin with the instruction to never everallow a person to travel on the forks, walk beneath a load which isbeing lifted or moved, or operate a lift truck in the vicinity of childrenor farm animals.

The load should never be lifted or shifted until it has been properlyinspected to make sure the machine itself is capable of lifting it safely, itis properly placed on the forks, and it is in safe condition itself (damagedpallets have been the source of many industrial accidents overseas).

The operator should always avoid travelling with the load in theraised position on the mast because this is one of the most commoncauses of overturning. The exception is of course when stacking itemslike pallets and building materials, at which time the machine shouldbe set to move forwards or backwards at ‘creep’ speed only.

Similarly, the machine should never be moved when the operatordoes not have full visibility in the direction of travel. This is anotherreason for not moving with the forks half-way up the mast. If the loadblocks the line of vision – a bale or tall box, for example – it should beturned on its side, but not until the nature of the contents have beenchecked of course. The safe alternative is to move the machine inreverse, having taken the special precautions needed to allow this.

Finally, the controls of the lift truck should only be operated fromwithin the cab or driving position, and the machine should never beleft on a gradient with the wheels unchocked. This is particularlyimportant to remember if the operator has to leave his seat or othercontrol position to deal with a problem with the load or visibility. ■

Lift TrucksLOGISTICS

40

The logic ofindustrial lift trucksFork lifts are invaluable aids to business productivity - but they can also bedangerous machines

The typical medium-sized business dealing withphysical commodities in Africa need a lift truck

(Photo: Compliance and Safety LLC)



Many industrial and infrastructure-scale enterprises depend onequipment located at multiple sites dispersed over a largegeographical area. Around the world, the vast majority of

large infrastructure and industrial-scale ventures use supervisorycontrol and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.

“The role of communications-centric control systems used forpower delivery (transmission and distribution) will continue to serveas the cornerstone of smart grid development,” said Chuck Newton,president of Newton-Evans Research. “Whether we discuss distributionautomation, substation automation or even infrastructure equipment,

as our primary field equipment becomes ‘smarter’ with each newgeneration of product development, we continue to rely on theextension of SCADA-based technologies and the applicationssoftware that drives operational performance excellence.”

SCADA systems provide monitoring, control, and automationfunctions that allow the enterprise to improve operational reliability,reduce costs through eased work force requirements, enhance overallQuality of Service (QoS), or meet expected QoS or other keyperformance factors as well as boost employee and customer safety.

In SCADA systems, remote terminal units (RTUs) and programmablelogic controllers (PLCs) perform the majority of on-site control. Asimplemented, RTUs and PLCs serve overlapping application nichesand share some design details.

PLCs, RTUs, complex systems, intelligence and flexibilityOriginally designed to replace relay logic, PLCs acquire analogueand/or digital data through input modules, and execute a programmeloop while scanning the inputs and taking actions based on theseinputs. PLCs perform well in sequential logic control applications withhigh discrete I/O data counts, but suffer from overly specialiseddesign, which results in limited CPU performance, inadequatecommunication flexibility, and lack of easy scalability when it comes toadding future requirements other than I/O.RTUs and PLCs have slowly progressed toward a common design andusage point. Still, primary markets determine the amount of changethat systems can accommodate. In practice, the typical PLC usagemodel revolves around localized fast control of discrete variables. RTUusage focuses on remote monitoring with control, but with a higherdemand for application communications and protocol flexibility. As aresult, RTU designs tend to have greater CPU horsepower. ■

SCADAPOWER


Comparing enterprise-scale control systemsWith a wide range of controllers to choose from, system engineers faceseveral challenges in deciding which types of units offer optimal functionality, expandability, and cost-effectiveness

Public or Private Infrastructure:● Water treatment and distribution● Waste water collection and treatment● Electrical power transmission and distribution● Oil and gas pipeline monitoring and control

Industrial Processes (continuous, batch, or repetitive):● Remote monitoring and control of oil and gas production,

pumping, and storage● Electrical power distribution from nuclear, gas-fired, coal, or

renewable resources

Key examples of SCADA applications

Doosan Portable Power is exhibiting new portable lighting andgenerator products at the 2013 World of Concrete Exhibition in

Las Vegas, in the USA, 5-8 February 2013.Its new LSC light tower is designed for the rental market, for

illumination of road and bridge and general constructionapplications. The heavy-duty galvanised steel tower of the LSCextends upwards from 3.66-9.14 m in height and the mast is raisedby dual, hand-operated winches and an automatic safety brake.Four 1,000 W metal-halide floodlights provide a NEMA 6 x 7 beamspread for better light distribution and area coverage.

Complementing the light tower range from Doosan PortablePower, the BL2000 balloon light is designed for construction siteand other temporary lighting requirements. The balloon light is alow capital investment product based on a practical ‘plug and light’concept. Packaged in a small, easy to carry bag and weighing lessthan 10 kg, the balloon light is simple to install in a one-manprocess, taking less than five minutes to complete. The unitrequires only a small 3.5 kVA generator for power and it can bemounted on virtually any piece of equipment, allowing it to movewith the job in hand.

Doosan Portable Power will also be showing the new G25 mobilegenerator at the show. Like the other models in the range, the G25mobile generator has been designed for continuous use in harshenvironments and is ideal for demanding applications such asthose in construction and rental. Powered by the Mitsubishi S4Q2-Y362 23 kW (31 HP) diesel engine, the G25 mobile generator hasprime power output of 25 kVA.

New generator and light towerproducts at World of Concrete


The US$560mn newly improved Arusha-Namanga-Athi River Road has beencommissioned at a recent event

attended by the East African Community’s(EAC) Heads of State.

The improvement, which started threeyears ago, involved re-carpeting, wideningof the road, construction of drainagesystems and bridges as well as otherdevelopments.

The road connects the Kenya’s industrialtown of Athi River- located just under 30 kmfrom Nairobi- to Tanzania’s city of Arusha,the seat of the East African Community. Itpasses through the Namanga town on theKenya-Tanzania border.

Athi River is home to five cement plantsthat manufacture over 50 per cent of totalregional cement output.

The road is a vital artery in regional tradebetween Kenya and Tanzania and to theGreat Lakes Region’s of Rwanda andBurundi.

Goods and passengers from Dar esSalaam destined to the Lake Victoria regionsof Musoma and Mwanza have alsoextensively used the road rather than thelonger route through Central Tanzania.

“EAC regional trade bloc thrives on theability of its people to move and workwithin the region freely. There is a need toaccelerate regional infrastructure, especiallyin energy, roads, railway to improve the livesof our people,” noted Kenya’s PresidentMwai Kibaki, the outgoing Chairman of theEAC Heads of State.

The improvement was partly funded bythe African Development Bank (AfDB) to thetune of US$300mn and is part of the EACSecretariat’s overall infrastructuredevelopment.

Critical trade networksBetter roads in the EAC are critical as intra-EACtrade has doubled from US$2.2bn in 2005 toUS$4.1bn in 2010, according to statistics, withmost of the cargo passing through thenumerous interstate road networks.

Meanwhile, the EAC recently unveiled anew US$18mn, headquarters complex inArusha covers 15,025sqm, made up of threewings of four-storey each.

All the EAC staff are expected to move tothe new building designed with maximumflexibility in case of future expansion andsuited to local climatic conditions.

Constructed with a German Governmentgrant, the new three-wing block will housethe three arms of the EAC, which include theEast African Legislative Assembly, the EastAfrican Court of Justice, and the Secretariat.

With a population of over 140mn, the EAChas grown in bounds in recent years withtrade increasing. In the last year, the EAC hasbeen looking for ways to accommodate SouthSudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republicof Congo and widen the market further.

At the recently-concluded 14th OrdinarySummit of EAC Heads of State in Nairobi, theregional leaders approved a verificationreport of South Sudan and also called on theEAC council of ministers to look into Somalia’sapplication.

“The ministers should explore things for theEAC to work closely with Somalia on thematter”, said Richard Sezibera, EAC SecretaryGeneral.

Meanwhile, during the summit, EACreported that 36 barriers to trade had beeneliminated in the last year in a bid to attractinvestment from other economic blocs to theexpanded local market. To ease themovement of people across regional borders,

the East African Passport has been put ineffect, student visas for East Africansabolished and issuance of temporary traveldocuments within the region eased.

Regional concerns over construction costsKenya has also passed the Citizen andImmigration Act and together with Rwanda,the two countries have removed requirementfor work permits for East Africans.

Regional leaders however lament thatdelays in ports and borders have remainedbarriers in trade.

Analysts say that it costs about US$400 totransport a 40-foot container from Hong Kongto Mombasa by ship, but a hefty US$10,000 tomove the same from Mombasa to Bujumburaby road.

Use of trucks-instead of rail – increased costof transportation, analysts note, adding thatrail transport remain the most viable evenwith huge investments being put to roadconstruction.

A recent Business Climate Index (BCI)survey conducted by the East African BusinessCouncil (EABC) also noted that access toaffordable and reliable energy is the mostserious obstacle to business operations in theregion.

The survey also found that procedures andadministrative requirements are consideredby businesses as the most severe non tariffbarriers to regional trade.

According to the BCI survey, the police,Weighbridges, immigration, technicalstandards, business registration and licensingare also major hurdles in regional trade.

Customs procedures are considered toolengthy, increasing time and cost of freight. ■

Mwangi Mumero


Roads CONSTRUCTION

Efforts are underway to accelerate EastAfrican infrastructure with respect toenergy, roads, and railway lines

Building out a way to trade

Better roads are critical as intra-EAC trade has grownexponentially (Photo: EAC)

S08 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Report E_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:07

CONSTRUCTIONFacilities

Working onwastewaterIn South Africa, Tshwane’s Zeekoegat

wastewater treatment works (WWTW)stage 1 upgrade and expansion project

bears testimony to the service and productquality offered by Andrew Mentis.

The project commenced in October2010, and sees the construction of a new40 Mℓ/day BNRAS (Biological Nutrient

Removal Activated Sludge) module toboost the existing capacity of the WWTW.Completion is scheduled for early 2013.The main contractor on the project isConcor Civils, a Murray & RobertsConstruction company.

Towards the end of 2011 structural steelspecialist Vital Steel Projects was sub-

Mentis handrailing has been used along allwalkways at the Zeekoegat WWTW as this producthas aesthetic appeal without sacrificing on safety.


contracted by Concor Civils to fabricate,supply and erect all structural steelcomponents for the Zeekoegat expansion.A large portion of this contract includeshandrailing and stainless steel floor grating.

Vital Steel Projects was first established in1995 and is based in Olifantsfontein. Itcaters to both small and large structuralsteel projects across the SADC region.

“When it comes to handrailing orstainless steel floor grating, AndrewMentis is our supplier of choice. We havedealt and worked with the company forover 10 years. They always provide anexcellent service and their product qualityis superior,” says Chris Garside, Vital SteelProjects general manager.

Manufactured for integrityThe Andrew Mentis’ contract includes thesupply of galvanised and stainless steelhandrailing systems, as well as 3CR12stainless steel floor grating for theinspection pits. Andrew Mentis’ RectagridRS40 floor grating is the ideal solution forwastewater treatment plants due to itscorrosion resistance. It is manufacturedusing a pressure locking system pioneeredby the company. Quality control during the

manufacturing process ensures that closetolerances are maintained, and that theround transversal bar fits tightly throughthe pierced bearer bar.

“Our manufacturing process producesunquestionable locking characteristicsguaranteeing the structural integrity of theproduct, and further enhancing its integrityin a corrosive environment such as thatfound in wastewater treatment works,” saysElaine van Rooyen, marketing manager ofAndrew Mentis.

“Load bearing capacity is vital whenfloor grating used in environments wherepersonnel safety is of primary concern,and the integrity of manufacture is non-negotiable. The transversals are positivelyand permanently locked to the bearer barsand the locking method at theintersections is designed to use the fulldepth of the bearer bar when calculatingloads,” she adds.

Quality without compromiseThe advantages offered by the company’sstainless steel tubular handrailing outweighcompetitors’ products in every regard. It iscorrosion resistant, maintenance free, hasstain-resistant properties and is ideal for

damp environments, making it ideal for theZeekoegat WWTW. The stanchions’ baseplates are designed to allow moisture todrain from the stanchion itself, enhancingthe corrosion-resistant benefits.

Wastewater treatment plants such asZeekoegat require hard-wearing materials,but that does not mean quality andaesthetics have to be compromised, andAndrew Mentis handrailing systems haveclean, modern lines.

Mentis' 304 stainless steel and 3CR12handrailing systems are completelydifferent to the company's standard mildsteel handrailing system. The stanchion is44.5 mm in diameter with a 2 mm wallthickness and is formed from one length oftube. The centre hole for the knee rail isdrilled and then flared on both sides. Thetop is also flared and a half round cap iswelded into place. The base plate is 8 mmthick and welded to the tube.

“Andrew Mentis handrailing is often astandard industry requirement because ofits superior quality. And the company goesthe extra mile to customise product tomeet specific application requirements, andthey always deliver within the timeframesthey promise,” Garside notes. ■

FacilitiesCONSTRUCTION


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4X4 mixers & dumpers


Industrial designers are a troubled bunch.They constantly have to balance thepossible with the practical when creating

the products that come to market. Theoutcome is ultimately a compromise betweenthe two factors. And it can be very frustratingfor designers, poor things - that's why theyalways wear black. But their serious facesbreak into wide smiles when they are givenfree rein to indulge their creativity to the full -and the outcomes can be truly startling.

Such is the case at Volvo ConstructionEquipment, whose designers, in partnershipwith Perspectives Design, have been chargedwith the task of looking 15 years into thefuture and hypothesising what Volvoequipment might look like in the 2020s.Managed by Robert Bourghardt andoverseen by chief designer Hans Zachau, theteam has looked closely at excavators andcome up with some radical solutions. Some ofthese innovations probably won't make it offthe drawing board, but others could becomereality in the near future.

The team talked to operators to find outwhat they would like to see in futuremachines; to the engineers in the productdivisions at Volvo and also to the company'sAdvanced Engineering unit. The latter ofthese was important because the designerswanted to know what the potentialengineering reality looked like - so they coulddesign an excavator that really could happen.

"It's very important that we tie it back toVolvo," believes Hans. "It's important that wedemonstrate it's a Volvo machine, one thatreflects Volvo's core values. Otherwise itdoesn't connect to the present product range- and that's key in concept vehicles: peoplemust be able to make the connection."

The study was used to create a 'wow' factorat a show - but if it were left just as amarketing tool, it would be an opportunitymissed. Happily though, the intention is toincorporate the study into Design Lab, a

virtual discussion room for design thinkingwithin Volvo CE. But what was the mainlearning of this study? "We learned not to bescared of new technology and radicalconcepts," says Hans. "Constructionequipment is quite a conservative business -but there are lots of possibilities. We can'tpromise that in 15 years time all our ideas willhave come true. We had to guess sometimes -that's the whole idea, to imagine possibleoutcomes. But if only 10 per cent of what wehave thought about ends up in futuremachines then we will really have achievedsomething!"

So, what we have is the following criteria:Appearance: The final design of theexcavator is a mixture between space ageand primordial, like a prehistoric moonbuggy. "The animalistic look is intentional,"

says chief designer, Hans Zachau. "It shouldbe efficient, lean and hungry to dig.Purposeful and a little mean looking. But wehave to remember that it's a Volvo machineand therefore it still has to reflect its corevalues of quality, safety and environmentalcare." The machine is still recognizably anexcavator, and the design updates currentconcepts of boom, cab, tracks andsuperstructure - but in an innovative way. Thefamiliar Volvo logo and colour scheme tiesthe design back to the current machines. Theomission of hydraulics makes for a cleanerlooking machine that means business.

Engine: The future machines may no longeruse diesel engines. The designers toyed withthe idea of using gas turbine engines butsettled on the idea of fuel cells. Fuel cellsconvert a hydrogene's energy into usable

CONSTRUCTIONMachines

47

No compromises onconstruction equipmentWhat will construction machines look like in the 2020s? A team of VolvoCE’s designers offers ideas on what to expect



MachinesCONSTRUCTION

48

electricity and heat - without combustion.Because hydrogen reacts with oxygen toproduce electricity, it is the optimal fuel touse, as its only emissions are water vapourand heat. They are like batteries that don't rundown as long as you keep feeding themhydrogen. They are currently in thedevelopment stage but it has been calculatedthat to power an excavator a fuel cell the sizeof two normal suitcases would be needed.This frees up a lot of space on thesuperstructure where the diesel enginewould normally sit - hence the machine'sability to have such a large cutaway section.The engine acts as the machine counterweight, which moves all the time tocompensate for the forces on the boom. Bymoving it towards the centre of the excavator,it could be made small for transport, movingit right out would give maximum stability.(Zero swing or large swing.)

Hydraulics: The introduction of electricitycould also do away with some of thehydraulics. Some systems that are currentlyhydraulic could be converted to electricmotors. Notice how hydraulic cylindershave been removed as much as possibleand hydraulic piping abandoned. Thiswould obviate the need to circulate oil allover the machine.

Boom: The central concept was to make alight boom - because everything in weight onthe boom is lost in capacity for lifting ordigging. The see-through lattice allowsvisibility through the boom, aiding safety byreducing the operator's blind spot caused bysolid metal booms. While current steels wouldstruggle to cope with the large forcesimposed on the boom the designers areexpecting a new generation of high strengthsteels to be available that could make this adesign possibility. Hydraulics have beenremoved from the boom as much as possibleto reduce clutter and keep the look of themachine as clean as possible. The maincylinder has been hidden within the boom.Not much room for contractors' name stickerson that boom though!

Undercarriage: The adoption of four tracksis to make them more wheel-like. Whendriving on rough ground, traditional tracks'tiptoe' and the contact area is quite small.Four tracks have a much higher contact areawith the ground, aided by independentsuspension to each track, suspended via aswing arm from a central pivot. Each trackhas a separate wheel motor, which can brake,accelerate and even turn. On traditionaltracks you either brake or accelerate, left orright. Tracks will also use a non-metal rubber-like material that can cope with highabrasion surfaces. The four tracks can bemoved to form a traditional two-trackappearance to distribute the weight betterwhen on soft ground. This system (poweredby electric motors) can also be used toextend the tracks for working or contractthem for transportation.

Main bearing: the juncture between theundercarriage and superstructure wouldeschew the current arrangement of a largeroller bearing. Instead, the concept excavatorhovers on an electro-magnetic field. Theadvantages of this are that there would bezero friction and high-speed turning of thesuperstructure. (The boom forces could becompensated by varying the magnetic field.)While a clever idea, one area of concern isthat by having so many electrical motors in asmall area, a too-large electro-magnetic fieldwould be created.

Cab: The cab on the concept excavator iscantilevered to improve all round visibility.But it can also tilt the cab, move it away fromthe machine to improve visibility (as somewaste handling machines already do) - or beleft on the ground entirely. This latterattribute is for operating the excavatorremotely, such as where there is a high levelof radioactivity - or if the machine is workingunderwater. "In the morning the cab comesdown to meet the operator," says chiefdesigner Hans Zachau. "It then opens thedoor and says 'hello, how are you today?'!" ■

Brian O’Sullivan


Aurecon, Khuthaza promotewomen in constructionEngineering, management and specialisttechnical services group Aurecon believesthat much of a country’s success lies in theclose involvement of the private sector in theirlocal communities. “Because of the economic sway theseenterprises hold, they are in a position to makea real difference when it comes to tacklingthe many challenges our country faces,”explains Ronnie Khoza, Aurecon's Head ofOffices, South Africa.Through a contribution to the South AfricanFederation of Civil Engineering Contractors’(SAFCEC) Construction Cares Fund, Aureconrecently partnered with non-profitorganisation Khuthaza, which offers careerand enterprise development services withinthe construction industry, to empower learnercontractors with enhanced skills with whichto grow their businesses.

Founded informally in 1995, Khuthaza hasgrown to offer a number of programmes andsupport services aimed primarily at promotingthe empowerment of women within industry. Aurecon’s financial contribution has enableda group of 60 contractors to undergo an eight-month contractor development programmewith Khuthaza. In addition, this funding hascontributed towards the establishment ofKhuthaza’s Construction Career and EnterpriseDevelopment Centre in Johannesburg. “We are deeply grateful for support from theprivate sector, which make initiatives like ourssustainable. Working together is the key toensuring we enable people in our industry tolive up to their potential, to keep momentumin transformation and to ensure we have thebusinesses and professionals available todeliver the building and infrastructure ournation will need in the future,” commentedElizabeth O’Leary, Executive Director ofKhuthaza.

The South African Federation of Civil EngineeringContractors’ (SAFCEC) Construction Cares Fund,Aurecon and Khuthaza career and enterprisedevelopment services within the construction industry



S09 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Report F_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:01

50

SOLUTIONS

Software

Gemalto, which specialises in digitalsecurity, is providing Standard Bank, a

financial institution in South Africa, with amultifunction EMV contactless paymentcard enabling users to pay for transit faresand other goods and services with onedigital wallet. Standard Bank customerscan now use a MasterCard debit card towave and pay directly at the gates in thepublic transport stations, without needingto carry cash or a separate travel card. The‘Muvo’ card initiative will help cardholdersgain greater convenience while at thesame time provide competitiveadvantages to Standard Bank and reducethe burden of managing cash on publictransportation in the city of Durban.

The partnership has already resulted inthe provision of more than 100,000 cardsfor the Ethekwini Municipality, which islooking to dramatically improve ticketlesspayments for its public transport system inthe coastal city of Durban. Commuters canload funds into their cards at around 30sales points throughout the city. The‘Muvo’ card complies with the exactingrequirements of the National Departmentof Transport (NDoT), which mandates thecombination of payment and transport inone single application. It can also becustomized to reflect the profile ofindividual public transport users, enablingNDoT to adapt its fares accordingly.

The “Muvo” card adds value for existingaccount holders, and offers considerablepotential to acquire new customers. Thesewill include many who previously havebeen excluded from mainstream banking.

Combining payment andtransport on mobile The next generation in

cargo managementIT solutions provider to the global aviationindustry, IBS Software, recently entered intoa contract with Lufthansa Cargo AG (LCAG),the airline cargo service provider in theLufthansa Group, for the implementation ofits iCargo solution, to manage the airline'sentire air cargo movement worldwide. IBS' iCargo system replaces the legacy Unisysbased MOSAIK application which Lufthansahas used for the past 30 years. Onceimplemented, iCargo will have a user baseof over 4,000 staff members and willinterface seamlessly with a host of othersystem applications within the IT landscapeof the airline. Lufthansa Systems will providecomprehensive consulting services duringand after the implementation phase. Theprovider will also host the solution at its owndata center in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt

and will ensure compatibility with theremaining IT landscape of Lufthansa Cargo.IBM is in charge of the system integration.iCargo will manage the key businessfunctions of the airline - from sales processesup to the cargo terminal operationsfunctions. The real time availability ofoperational information through iCargo willhelp generate actionable intelligence whichwill vastly improve the overall utilisation ofassets and improve revenue generation andoperational efficiencies."iCargo is unique in offering consistentprocess support with its single platformranging from sales processes to handling aswell as ULD management and up to revenueaccounting. This mix of strengths has clearlyconvinced us," said Dr Roland Schütz, CIOof Lufthansa Cargo AG.

Temenos, which provides banking software, recently worked with Fountain Credit Services onthe launch of a new microfinance institution (MFI) in Kenya - operating on Temenos T24 forMicrofinancing, hosted in the cloud.

Fountain becames the first institution in Kenya to adopt cloud-based banking services. Byrunning in the cloud, Fountain has significantly reduced its initial capital outlay - whichtypically accounts for two-thirds of start-up costs - as well as its ongoing operating costs,through a 'pay-per-use' model. In addition, the cloud supports Fountain's plans for rapidexpansion - as new users and branches can be added seamlessly onto T24, which is running onthe Microsoft Windows Azure platform.

In adopting a cloud-based model, Fountain demonstrates the viability of performing creditand lending in the cloud without an on-premise system - a trend likely to becomecommonplace among banks and other financial services providers in the region. The managedservice for Fountain is hosted in Europe and operated by Temenos, delivered through an onlineconnection to Fountain. Relieving Fountain of onsite technology maintenance allows it toconcentrate on delivering the highest quality service and products to its customer base. T24also contains powerful and robust fraud detection capabilities which will help protect Fountainfrom one of the major issues affecting financial institutions in East Africa.

Arch John Kithaka, CEO, FEP Group (Fountain Enterprises Programme), said, "Our visionfor launching Fountain Credit Services Ltd was to deliver the best possible services andproducts to our customers - Temenos T24 Microfinance and Community Banking (MCB)enables us to do exactly that."

The Standard BankMuvo card


Cloud-based core banking solution deployed in Kenya

S10 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Solutions 01_Layout 1 20/12/2012 12:00

51

SOLUTIONS

Software

JD Group - a southern African retailerand financial services provider - has

selected CoreMedia CMS andCoreMedia LiveContext to optimise itsonline customer engagement channelsand leverage the SAP Web ChannelExperience Management application.With mobile solutions increasinglybecoming the online access channel ofchoice for many consumers in southernAfrica, JD Group will be able to provideits customers with context-aware,online experiences across any channelor touchpoint.

The selection builds on CoreMedia'spartnership with SAP, and underscoresthe strength of CoreMedia LiveContext'scontextual marketing solution.

Retail services for onlinecustomer engagement A hedge fund system in SA

Canadian software vendor SGGG PortfolioSystems, SynOps Investment Operationsand Deutsche Securities Johannesburgrecently implemented its Portfolio Systemacross Deutsche's hedge fund client basein South Africa.Graeme Lappin Director of SynOpscommented, "The SGGG system is ideal forthe South African hedge fund industry. Itis a front office portfolio management toolthat integrates the trading, operations andmanagement functions across thecompany, simply yet extremely effectively.The software has been designedspecifically for hedge funds and small tomedium-sized asset managers, and isavailable with a highly attractive pricingand licensing structure.SGGG Portfolio Systems and SynOps have a

partnership agreement under which SynOpsInvestment Operations has exclusive rightsto market and support the SGGG softwarein South Africa and neighboring regions.The partnership provides South Africanhedge fund managers with world class ordermanagement and portfolio managementtools, together with local support andknowledge of South African marketconventions. The system integrates fully withlocal custodians and market data as well assupporting international service providersand electronic connections to brokers andother institutions worldwide.Brent Thornton-Dibb of Deutsche Bank said,"This system gives our clients best of breedfunctionality, fully supported by a SouthAfrican team. We are receiving positivefeedback from users."



52

SOLUTIONS

SoftwareEmerginov innovates mobileservices developmentOrange demonstrated, at the 4th InnovAfricaforum in Dakar, Senegal, late in November2012, how it is contributing to thedevelopment of innovative online services, byproviding the source code for a softwaresolution called Emerginov to Africanorganisations – institutions, academicorganisations, non-governmentalorganisations (NGOs), etc - and assisting themin their mobile services development projectsEmerginov is produced by Orange Labs. Itincorporates multiple open source softwarecomponents and enables the developmentof applications based on SMS or on vocalinterfaces. Together with mobile-embeddedtechnologies, the solution can provide simpleservices, giving the mobile user access toexpertise or to content in different fields suchas health, agriculture and trade. The partnersalso benefit from an open-ended solutioncombining conventional telephone resourceswith access to IT services (web hosting, contentstorage, access to third-party APIs) from asimple web browser.The Emerginov platform is already used forcompetitive programming as well as researchcontracts with African universities (including

University of Dakar, ESMT and UniversitéGaston Berger in Senegal, University ofTechnology and University of Mauritius, andthe University of Botswana). Emerginov is alsoused extensively in connection withcooperative projects with NGOs and local andinternational institutional players, including:1. A remote training initiative for Madagascanteachers. Equipped with a mobile phone anda solar recharger, teachers can accesseducational content embedded in their phonesand may leave questions on a voice server; theyreceive an SMS when the answers are available.2. Experiments with m-health in Senegal andm-agriculture in Mali using features ofEmerginov are in progress as part of theVOICES project (VOIce-based CommunitycEntric mobile Services for social development)funded by the European Commission.

Orange publishes the Emerginov source codeand promotes co-innovation. By opening upthe code, Orange is following through on itscommitment to providing innovation playersin Africa with a set of customized open toolsenabling rapid prototyping of services overtelecom networks.

InnovAfrica’s philosophy is to make the forum participants notonly knowledgeable but purposeful in developing the future (Photo: Sylvain Maire)


Running M-Pesa’s newmobile banking service

The banking application T24 - which hasbeen developed by Temenos - is being

used as the platform for M-Shwari, the latestiteration of the hugely successful M-Pesamobile money offering. Launched in 2007,M-Pesa’s basic mobile banking services havebeen a massive hit, attracting more than17mn subscribers or more than 80 per centof the adult population in Kenya.(1)

M-Shwari is a partnership betweenSafaricom, Vodafone, and long-standingTemenos client Commercial Bank of Africa(CBA). It uses the Temenos T24 R12 corebanking solution to help support theprocessing of electronic loan and bankaccount transactions made through the M-Pesa platform. This is a crucial next step forthe M-Pesa initiative, ensuring an increase inaccess to a wider range of financial servicesby providing customers with convenientand efficient access to savings accounts andsmall loans through their mobile phones.

Safaricom customers can sign up to theM-Shwari interest bearing savings accountor apply for micro loans, provided by CBA,directly through the M-Pesa menu on theirphone. There are no forms to complete orany need to visit a bank branch. Ifsuccessful, the loan money is sent by CBAto the customer’s M-Pesa accountimmediately, highlighting theconvenience and simplicity of M-Shwari.Based on its success in Kenya, the solutionwill now be considered for other Africanmarkets and beyond.

David Arnott, CEO, Temenos, says, “Ourinvolvement advances two of our mostimportant corporate objectives: firstly, to beat the forefront of technology innovation inthe financial services industry and,secondly, to advance technology as ameans of lowering costs and makingbanking services more accessible.”

Note: 1. Source:http://www.cck.go.ke/news/2012/sector_statistics.html


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54

SOLUTIONS

Communications

In January 2012, Spacecom's AMOS-5satellite at 17°E began servicing the

African market and penetrating thetelecoms, government services, mobileoperators and broadcast industry markets.AMOS-5 is a game changer. It is one of thefirst and strongest satellites constructedand in an orbit specifically for the Africanmarket. Its three Ku-band and singlepowerful pan-African C-band beams reachall of Africa, with connectivity to Europeand the Middle East, making the satellitean exciting solution for broadcasters andother communication providers requiring

a regional or total African reach. Sincebeginning operations, AMOS-5 has createda growing and exciting French broadcastneighborhood as well as contribution anddistribution solutions for European TVchannels into Africa and regional ethnicAfrican TV channels, and is bringingservices to VSAT providers, retail andcommercial multinationals, mobilebackhaul providers, and governmentagencies, among others.

As a multi-regional satellite operator,Spacecom views Africa as an importantelement of its business strategy. Thecontinent's growing population, expandingcommunications market and increasinginvestments modernizing communicationsinfrastructure, make Africa very attractivefor AMOS-5 business development.

Making satellitesolutions exciting Flexible, cost-effective mobile

service for the unconnectedPan-African satellite operator RascomStar andcommunications company ViaSat Inc demonstrated aninnovative cellular service at the AfricaCom, a event heldrecently in Cape Town, South Africa, to promoteinformation and communications technologies (ICTs). Thanks to a low-power mobile telecommunications site,visitors could talk to the world through the RascomQAF1Rsatellite (RQ1R) from their common AfricaCom booth.The wholesale managed service developed by ViaSatand RascomStar provides both voice and dataconnectivity to mobile operators to address Africa’sunderserved communities. AfricaCom was a greatopportunity to showcase the performance of thisadvanced system. RascomStar and ViaSat are making a difference bydelivering profitable and sustainable voice, messagingand data services over bandwidth efficient, low-powerinfrastructure to hitherto unserved areas. Mobiletelecommunications service operatorscan, therefore, increase their profits andlimit their risks by using this innovative,low-cost service, which is billed only bythe effective minutes of usage.

Gilat Satellite Networks sees Africa as animportant market for VSAT (Very SmallAperture Technology) in the cellularcommunications, commercial, e-governmentand security markets. As Africa's cellularmarket becomes more aggressive, operatorscan generate more revenue by expanding toremote rural areas. A VSAT is a solution notonly for the main connection but alsoprovides backup and redundancy for basestations in populated areas. VSATs providevery high availability and have the advantageof supplying a pipeline for important trafficand still continue regular service for voice orother critical applications.

In the commercial arena, we see moreprivate networks. Distribution and consumercompanies, food and drinks suppliers,restaurant chains, supermarkets and others are

using private critical mission networks to beindependent and ensure that their network isalways up. Yes, it may cost more but manycompanies can’t compromise on up time. Forbanks, VSATs are the only solution whichprovides them with a high availability network.Some banks even employ two alternate VSATsin each branch for full redundancy. Soon,much more Ka-band will be available overAfrica. It will take time and happen graduallyand this change will focus on the consumermarket and bring lower prices and more VSATusers. Governments and internationalorganisations are continuing their push tobring services, including distance learning, andrural government services to all regions.

Benny Glazer – RVP Sales, EMEA, Gilat SatelliteNetworks (www.gilat.com)

An AMOS dish in Africa, forming part of thecontinent’s core communciations infrastructure

RascomStar and ViaSat aredelivering profitable andsustainable communicationsservices over bandwidth efficient,low-power infrastructure tohitherto unserved areas


Satellite connections for commerce


55

SOLUTIONS

EnvironmentTechnology to support water programmesIn a project by Vestergaard Frandsen, Carbon forWater - aimed at providing over 91 per cent ofKenya’s west province population with fresh drinkingwater through the supply of LifeStraw water filters –Samsung Electronics Africa supplied the companywith 4,000 Samsung smartphone devices to monitorthe programme, to manage the activities of theprogramme and to conduct essential health impactresearch. Together, the initiation of the project andthe support of the technology devices has positivelyaffected about 900,000 households and about 4.5mnKenyans in a community where clean water waspreviously scarce.

The programme required 4,000 community healthworkers and drivers to reach 877,505 households in 25 and a half days- to install LifeStraw water filters, train the residents and periodicallymonitor the impact of the solutions. In addition, it required effectivemonitoring of the programme and management of the activitiesthrough a reliable technology framework. This was all done throughSamsung smartphones installed with an application used to measure

the usage of the LifeStraw and consumption of safedrinking water. It was also used for managingongoing program activities including; communityuse and repair and replacement, stock and inventory.Furthermore, all Health Impact Data is collected fromthe Provincial General Hospital and clinics tomeasure the impact of LifeStraw on children underfive and people living with HIV and AIDS, using thisapplication.

“As a business we are constantly finding new waysto use our technology in bettering the lives of asmany people within our local communities andempowering the success of life altering projects –and this project is another way we are able to do just

this,” says Robert Ngeru, Commercial Director for Samsung ElectronicsEast and Central Africa. “Through the use of mobile technology notonly was the team able to generate 50 records per minute, which wastransferred back to the servers for immediate analysis, but so too didthis information transfer into valuable information used to ensureoptimal use of the equipment for better results.”

Robert Ngeru,Commercial Director for

Samsung ElectronicsEast and Central Africa



Al Fajer Tekno AD African Review FP.ai 1 11/29/12 5:21 PM

56

SOLUTIONS

Industry

Prime Plant Co. Ltd (PPCL) has been appointedby Doosan Infracore Construction Equipmentas the new authorised dealer for the Doosan,Bobcat and Doosan Portable Power ranges ofequipment on the island of Mauritius.

Headed up by Managing Director PatrickWebb, who has over 20 years of experience inthe market, PPCL is now responsible for salesand service of the Doosan Heavy range ofcrawler and wheeled excavators, wheelloaders and articulated dump trucks; theBobcat range of compact loaders, excavatorsand telescopic handlers; as well as theDoosan Portable Power range ofcompressors, generators, light towers andlight compaction equipment.

PPCL intends to focus on the key marketsof construction, public works, landscaping,general industry and agriculture on Mauritius.

“We are already planning an expansion inour operations, because the demand is there.To begin with, we are concentrating on thecustomers who are our partners and we wantto bring added value to the relationships wehave with them,” Patrick Webb explained.

To celebrate the appointment, PPCLrecently held an Opening Ceremonyattended by more than 70 customers, whowere joined by Daniel Dupuy and Adem Urer,the Regional Director Africa and DistrictManager Africa, respectively, for DoosanInfracore Construction Equipment.

Daniel Dupuy said, “I was very impressedwith the way that PPLC has taken on thischallenging appointment as setting upsimultaneously a joint Doosan Heavy, Bobcatand Portable Power dealership is not an easytask. But from day one, Patrick Webb andCharles Derblay, the Technical Director at PPLC,have been very efficient and proactive ingetting ready for the opening. They haveorganised very rapidly - from the personnelpoint of view, all the required staff includingparts customer service representatives, serviceengineers, accounts, parts and sales peopleand, of course, the receptionist were in placefrom day one. At the same time, the companyensured the premises were fully operational

with customer service desks for parts, partsshelves, the service workshop for lightmaintenance and repairs and a show roomwith machines, attachments, accessories andparts on display were all up and running wellbefore the opening ceremony.”

Patrick Webb agreed, “Complementing oursales department, PPCL has a professionalaftermarket service. We have tried to make surethat everything is in favour of the customers,with qualified personnel, customised serviceand a thorough knowledge of the business andthe world leading Bobcat and Doosan brands.We appreciate the confidence expressed in usby Doosan as demonstrated by the presence ofboth Daniel Dupuy and Adem Urer at theOpening Ceremony. The presentation by Danielat the ceremony caught the attention of all theaudience of company staff and customers whostayed late into the night at the event.

“The audience was also riveted by apresentation given by Adem Urer, in which hedescribed the Products and Attachments inboth the Doosan and Bobcat ranges.Following Adem’s speech, there was aclamour for further information and interestin the products which kept us busy all night.”

Presenting a variety of innovationsAt the opening, PPCL had a wide variety ofequipment on display, including two DoosanDX225LC crawler excavators; Bobcat S130,S300 and S650 skid-steer loaders; and DX700light compactors, G20 generators and 7/41compressors from the Doosan Portable Powerrange. The official opening was followed by a

‘hands-on’ session with more than 50operators attending, all of whom had takenthe time on a Saturday morning to attend ajoint presentation from Patrick Webb andAdem Urer.

Patrick presented an innovative financepackage designed to enable operators tobecome owners of their own skid-steer loaderswith a small advance deposit, and hencegiving them a route to being independententrepreneurs in their own rights. In hisspeech, Adem emphasised the importance ofoperational safety when handling a Bobcatskid-steer loader on a work site.

Following the presentations, a contesttook place to test the skills of the operatorswhen handling a Bobcat skid-steer loader. Tomake it very exciting, the test involved fivetennis balls sitting precariously on a smallstand in the bucket on the loader and the aimof the game was not only to keep all the ballson the stand but also to travel along a specialcourse designed by Doosan ExpertDemonstrator, Patrick Mansard, who led theway by completing a perfect round withoutlosing any balls and in a record time.

The best operator was Weissler Moineaufrom Dhiraj Earthmoving Contractors Co Ltdwhich has a fleet of six Bobcat and twoDoosan machines. Weissler earned therespect of his peers at the same time astaking the winner’s prize of a remotecontrolled model of a Bobcat compacttracked loader.

www.doosanequipment.eu

New Doosan and Bobcat Dealer in Mauritius



Al Fajer Tekno AD African Review FP.ai 1 11/29/12 5:21 PMS11 ATR Dec_Jan 2013 Solutions 02_Layout 1 20/12/2012 11:55

The Jetvac sewer cleaning companyin South Africa was tasked withrepairing multiple defects in a four-kilometre-long sewer pipe in CapeTown. Using conventionaltechnology would mean installing acured-in-place pipe lining between

each set of manholes along the pipe – at a cost that would bust theannual budget for such work several times over. Instead, Trelleborg’sepros DrainPacker method offered a much more flexible and cost-effective solution.

The epros DrainPacker system consists of two products, a silicateresin and a fibreglass sheet, which combine to make sectional repairsof damaged pipes and sewers. The resin is applied to both sides ofthe sheet, and once the sheet is impregnated and folded into threelayers, it is rolled around an inflatable packer. The packer is loweredinto the sewer pipe and pulled into position, where it expands,pressing the patch against the pipe wall. The resin cures, creating astrong and impermeable bond.

“The heat in Cape Town was a problem, so we specified a silicateresin with a longer reaction time,” said Andreas Bichler, TechnicalLeader with Trelleborg in Duisburg, Germany, who supervised

Jetvac’s first installations, pointsout that Trelleborg provides aunique service. “We sell thecomplete system, including thepacker and all accessories, andprovide in-house training asstandard.”

Jetvac Director Peter Salomons pourssilicate resin onto a fibre-glass sheet

Flexible pipe rehabilitation

58

EQUIPMENT/CLASSIFIED


Al Fajer Exhibition & Services ............................................................44, 57Astra Veicoli Industriali S.p.A. - Iveco Group ......................................53Bell Equipment Company SA (Pty) Ltd. ................................................45CWC(NOG 2013) ..........................................................................................23Eaton Electrical South Africa (Pty) Ltd...................................................60Eko Hotel and Suites ..................................................................................37Emirates ..........................................................................................................11Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise....................................................................59Exhibition Management Services (EMS) ..............................................33F G Wilson Engineering Ltd ........................................................................7Fiori Group S.p.A...........................................................................................49GEFCO ..............................................................................................................31Guardia Systems ..........................................................................................28Hess GmbH ....................................................................................................27IBIT Soft (Kontakt cbb software GmbH)................................................22Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. ............................................................................2Malaysia Trade Commission ....................................................................18Mantrac Egypt ..............................................................................................41Metalgalante-Carmix ..................................................................................46Montgomery Specialised Exhibitions ..................................................19Palacina Residence & Suites ....................................................................55Printacom ................................................................................................34, 35Schneider Electric IT Logistic Europe ....................................................13SDLG ................................................................................................................17Shandong Shantui Construction Machinery Imp. & Exp. Co. Ltd. ..9Spedag Interfreight AG ..............................................................................25Standard Bank (Stanbic) ............................................................................21Standard Industrie ......................................................................................24Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. ....................................................................51Volvo Construction Equipment Int. ..........................................................5Vortex Hydra ..................................................................................................49Yahsat ..............................................................................................................15

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