Construction World June 2017

Expanding into Mozambique Afrox, sub-Saharan Africa’s leading

The new Afrox headquarters hub also includes plans for a demo centre which will be used to showcase product usage or applications, and while bulk and compressed gases and hard goods are imported from South Africa, the site includes sufficient space for future expansion. “Our headquarters hub will benefit a wide spectrum of sectors in Mozambique ranging from mining, agriculture, sugar mills and transport through to manufacturing and fabrication, the hospitality, medical sectors and the future needs of the LNG industry and its spin-off industries.” The Afrox headquarters hub in Machava employs 20 people and expects to enhance customer experience right across the board, from the sales centre through to collection of hard goods and loading of cylinders. The upgraded hub will offer all of the same comprehensive services available from other Afrox branches in southern Africa, including a full range of large- volume on-site installations and bulk gases, cylinder gases, scientific gases, refrigerants, packaged chemicals and helium, CO 2 , medical gases and medical products, hospitality gases, gas equipment, welding products and ancillary safety products. Afrox, which celebrates 90 years in business in 2017, is dedicated to capitalising on expansion opportunities environmental impact assessment and a creator of the digital EIS at Royal HaskoningDHV said, “Responding to the increasing demand for digitisation and transparency, Royal HaskoningDHV is leading the way in which all data surrounding the impact of a project on the environment is interpreted. The traditional manner of reporting an Environmental Impact Assessment was outdated and I knew we needed to innovate and change to ensure that the EIS will continue to have relevance and impact in our collective decision making processes.” “The new digital Environmental Impact Statement is visualised via clickable maps and simple to understand tables and its unique interactive capability gives users the opportunity to walk through the virtual landscape and experience how the project will look once it is finished.

Salani Sithole, managing director at Royal HaskoningDHV South Africa states, “The EIS uses accessible, interactive visuals to revolutionise the way the results of an Envi- ronmental Impact Assessment are interpret- ed and shared between all project partners; saving time, accelerating decision-making and advancing stakeholder engagement”. Environmental Impact Assessment is required to ensure that the environmental effects of major projects and development proposals are fully investigated and taken into account before decisions are made on whether they should proceed. These results must be outlined in an EIS. Previously an EIS used text to explain the nature of the issue and what the future situation will look like, It is now replaced by easily understood visuals and videos that clearly outline the assessment’s findings. Paul Eijssen, strategic advisor for Driving Afrox’s strategy is a new 8 600  m 2 headquarters hub which will be the backbone of operations with a sales centre, storage facilities for cylinders and hard goods, filling facilities for oxygen, and ample secure parking. The new headquarters hub will open in the Machava Industrial Area in Matola, Maputo Province, on 4 May 2017 and will provide full sales service, stock, equipment and technical support for Afrox’s branches in Beira and Tete. “As the leading gases and welding company in Africa, the new hub in Maputo Province reflects our commitment to fostering long-term relationships with our customers in Mozambique,” says Prince Tsuro, managing director for Afrox Mozambique. “There are further plans to expand services to include a workshop for cylinder inspection, maintenance and painting, as well as filling services for argon in the near future.” industrial gases and welding company, is expanding existing operations in Mozambique to support current customer demand and to position itself to service the country’s fledgling gas resources sector.

Prince Tsuro, managing director for Afrox Mozambique.

in other sub-Saharan African countries, with indicators suggesting these economies will far outperform South Africa in terms of growth and inward foreign investment. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a resurgence in oil and gas and mining investment, and consequently Afrox is growing its existing footprint in support of these sectors. “Afrox has been investing in the sub- Saharan African region and Africa’s infrastructure and industry for 90 years and this latest investment in our headquarters hub in Matola is a clear demonstration that Afrox’s business is still going strong, growing and expanding where profitable and will do so for many more decades to come,” says Tsuro. Afrox’s business needs and customer demands had outgrown its former rented site which it has now closed as part of its investment in the headquarters hub in Maputo Province.  This will accelerate decision making, enhance transparency and create greater stakeholder engagement.” Developed in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment, the digital EIS has also received positive advice from the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment, in recognition of the major step this presents in making impact statements more accessible, thereby creating opportunities for greater stakeholder engagement. 

New Digital Environmental Impact Statement launched Royal HaskoningDHV has pioneered the way environmental effects of projects are understood by launching the world’s first digital interactive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JUNE 2017