ON ITS KNEES The construction industry is currently “dismal and pitiful” considering the inherent infrastructure that exists in South Africa and the opportunities that abound
Photo by: Creamer Media
To help avoid construction failures for building contractors and consulting engineers, construction fastening and fixing supplier Fischer Fixings SA’s design software FIXPERIENCE has been developed as a tool to provide safe, reliable and professional support for the design phases of construction and building projects.
“FIXPERIENCE recognises incorrect entries and uses three-dimensional (3D) models. The 3D models continuously show the load on the anchor and the geometric boundary conditions of the surrounding substrates. This ensures that the correct products are chosen to warrant the necessary structural stability of a project,” says Fischer Fixings South African agent Upat director Richard Kuhlmann.
He mentions that the construction industry requires products to be sourced from a reliable, competent and experienced organisation. Products also need to be implemented in accordance with the prescribed standards and specifications.
Therefore, Upat relies on the expertise, experience and knowledge of its suppliers who rigorously test all products to the internationally benchmarked standards as defined by the international nonprofit association European Technical Approvals. These tests are performed to assess the use of a product for specific applications and according to specified installation procedures.
“Many companies offer various applications and software programs to assist in specifying the correct products. Owing to this, FIXPERIENCE is constructed modularly. The user-friendly program offers an easy and flexible way of designing and dimensioning fastening solutions,” notes Kuhlmann.
Industry Woes
He states that the construction industry is currently “dismal and pitiful” considering the inherent infrastructure that exists in South Africa and the opportunities that abound. Kuhlmann attributes this to a current lack of government spending and private investment, as a result of the state of the economy, corruption and nepotism, as well as the continuing shortage of skills.
Kuhlmann believes that a significant amount of investment is being held back in the construction sector until the elections have been concluded. However, he points out that, if there is a turnaround, the industry would take months or even years to recover fully.