South African prefabricated building manufacturer Kwikspace is ahead of schedule with its building solution for a platinum mine in Zimbabwe and expects to complete the project by the end of November.

Kwikspace international operations executive Andy Harris tells Mining Weekly that the project scope entails the provision of offices and accommodation, as well as kitchens and diners, a laundry, recreation facilities and a gymnasium.

“These are constructed from 40 mm polyurethane-infill, prefabricated panels in semipermanent structures, which are then built onto concrete slabs and plinths,” he explains, noting that the project will house 500 people.

Key advantages of the panels are noise reduction and temperature control. The panels’ energy efficient function allows for the energy used to be reduced, thereby maintaining a stable and comfortable temperature.

“Key requirements for mines are speed of construction of the solutions, quality finishes, ample space and value for money, while the material should be durable, provide adequate acoustics or reduce noise, as well as regulate temperature,” Harris reiterates.

Meanwhile, Kwikspace also delivered three mine offices to the Minas de Revuboe coal mine, in Mozambique, in July. Kwikspace used its insulated, polyurethane- injected panels, a lightweight steel frame roof structure, and inverted box rib, also called IBR, roof sheeting to construct the offices.

As the products were manufactured in Kwikspace’s Tete factory, the company believes it was “uniquely positioned” to provide services at favourable costing and within a timeframe that saw the mine’s staff accommodated in a combination of open plan and private offices, and the erection of food preparation and coffee areas, meeting rooms and toilets.

Meanwhile, Kwikspace shipped its KwikMax building materials solution to a mine in Burkino Faso, in September. The solution will be used to erect offices, ablution facilities and a dining room. The solution, which will be erected in about 40% of the time it takes to build a conventional brick and mortar building of an equivalent size, will last for the life of the mine.

Moreover, in terms of mining projects, the company supports several subcontractors currently deployed at Brazilian mining major Vale’s coal mine in Tete. The mine is currently undergoing a second expansion phase, which prompted the sale and renting of several modular Kwikspace solutions, Harris says. Rental buildings are currently installed at numerous locations around Tete and along the railway line to Nacala.

Work in the Tete province is further supported by Kwikspace’s solutions employed for the Sena railway line, which is being developed by Vale to improve the mine’s transportation of coal from the mine to the port. Kwikspace, in March, supplied its building solutions for seven camps along the line.

The company provided rental units for accommodation, ablution blocks, site offices and diners, as well as necessary amenities such as power generation, sewerage treatment, electricity reticulation, fencing, security and lighting. Kwikspace also provided water and diesel, as well as generator maintenance.

Kwikspace established offices in Tete in 2012 and also has two facilities in Pemba and Palma, from which building solutions can be supplied on a rental basis.

Oil and Gas
Harris, meanwhile, notes an uptake in business stemming from the oil and gas sectors in Mozambique. Kwikspace had to supply accommodation for 50 people in less than four weeks for a contract at a gas line.

“As the company has a rental fleet available in Tete, it was able to complete the project within the desired timeframe,” he says.

Harris highlights significant activity in the oil and gas sectors in the north of Mozambique, citing the activities of US-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company Anadarko Petroleum and Italy’s largest oil company, Eni, as well as those of a local petrochemicals company, which has gas assets in the Pande and Temane gasfields and is pursuing additional exploration and gas development.

He therefore expects this sector to become a dominant user of the building solutions when the oil and gas operations start in Mozambique.

Improving Simplicity
While Harris notes that mining and mining-related project work, as well as work for the oil and gas sectors in Mozambique, currently constitutes a significant amount of business for Kwikspace, he acknowledges a flat mining environment in Africa, hampered by declining commodity prices.

To assist customers during this period, Kwikspace is focusing on providing the best value solutions and is fine-tuning the technical specifications for increased building simplicity and cost-effective solutions.

The company is also exploring the development of enhanced and more-competitive products, which, at the same time, will also provide extended space, with the convenience of fast construction and erection, as well as mobility.

Nevertheless, the company has received inquiries for its solutions from West Africa. “Kwikspace also aims to establish a footprint in Zambia by early 2016 to offer rental and purchase solutions to operations in the Copperbelt,” Harris concludes.