Life After National Lockdown

In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity.

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The National Lockdown has just seemed to accelerate the negative slump the Construction Industry found itself in pre the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the industry possibly one of the hardest hit. As millions of workers prepare for the awakening of the Construction Industry with the move to level 3, we chatted to some local business owners to get their views on elements of change that the lockdown has brought and how they have adapted their plans to accelerate change, that they wouldn’t have necessarily done before!

Here’s What They Had to Say: 

MATT BANEY FROM KINGDOM DRYWALL

‘We are living in days where people have no certainty whatsoever. Analysts & industry experts, optimists & pessimists, all sharing their opposing views and projections on what the future holds for South Africa, adding all the more confusion & uncertainty. It was Albert Einstein who said that “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity” and that’s what we at Kingdom Drywall Co. are holding secure as we venture into Lockdown Level 3. 

So how has Kingdom Drywall used this downtime to Accelerate Change? 
They will be providing solutions which align to the “new new” such as alterations and refurbishments for those who will be working from home amongst a few other examples. It won’t be “business as usual” but we’re open to that and still exploring what the “new new” will look like.’
 

 

RYAN FULLER FROM RED GIRAFFE ARCHITECTURE
With COVID-19 accelerating digitalization, Ryan Fuller from Red Giraffe Architecture has experienced this first hand with the digitalization of traditional planning processes throughout the national lockdown! This has included the launch of an online system from the municipality where planning applications can be submitted digitally. In line with this Red Giraffe Architecture has adopted a way for clients to digitally sign the planning applications in the comfort of their homes through programs like Adobe Fill & Sign, saving huge amounts of time running back and forth and at the same time making our operations more Covid-19 compliant. 
STEVE DE KOCK  FROM PDK
“Learning to adapt is imperative. Prompt payments are paramount and minimizing overheads by opting for sub-contractors vs reducing the number of directly employed staff! Whilst it is key to maintain a positive edge, we must ensure we don’t under-price projects during this time.“ – Steve De Kock PDK

Getting construction workers and sites ready for this ‘ new new’ post lockdown, has been paramount and this is what it looks like:

This is what it looks like:

  • Foremen are equipped to monitor all staff and sub-contractors’ temperatures at the start and end of each day.
  • The teams are enabled with PPE, including fabric masks, face shields and hand sanitisers.
  • Transportation of the teams has also been carefully considered, and despite adding to the costs of various projects, sites and teams are run with advanced hygiene measures. 

BRANDON AND CATHY BARNES  FROM ON THE INSIDE

“Innovation is key to the way forward! With potentially limited budgets it will become increasingly important to work smarter – cutting costs and reducing wastage of resources to maintain overall margins. Creative thinking will be key to this as well as developing networks with local businesses to build the local economy.” – Brandon & Cathy Barnes

“Toolbox talks have been an essential component of this prep to ensure that every staff member is well versed in what is expected in terms of their conduct on-site to promote social distancing.” 

‘Things will be different. The construction industry as a whole will be rebuilt. Now is the time to innovate, diversify and think outside the box. Strike while the iron is hot, and be optimistic.’

Builders, contractors/sub-contractors, need to be paid sooner to have better cash flow for business continuity & sustainability. With that, the entire supply chain needs to be considered from procurement (buying local) to handover.

‘I believe that the smaller construction companies need to ensure their house is in order and have used the downtime to upskill themselves as their time to shine is now. ‘ – Matt Baney Kingdom Dry Wall

‘Standing united and promoting local skills and expertise is how local businesses can rebuild the construction industry’, says Ryan. ‘It’s not going to be smooth sailing, but if we put our minds together and collaborate, great things can happen.’

‘Input and support from Government will be imperative! Because it is such a large contributor to the GDP and incredibly labour intensive, interventions such as economic relief and reviewing construction regulations and adherence is required to kickstart the economy. It is the obvious choice’, says Matt.

Keep things simple. Overheads low, forget the fancy stuff, and rebuild your business, robust, as though we are expecting another pandemic in a few years from now. 

Formwork & Shuttering

Formwork and Shuttering is the process of creating a temporary mould into which concrete is poured and formed.

Scaffolding

Scaffold, in building construction, a temporary platform used to elevate and support workers and materials during the construction, repair, or cleaning of a structure or machine; it consists of one or more planks of convenient size and length, with various methods of support, depending on the form and use.

Propping

Propping is a system of structural members used temporarily to support loads during construction

Event Solutions

Customised Event Solutions specified scaffolding solutions for specific events such as platforms, stages and seating.