Housing in Southern Africa November 2015

Industry Buzz, Events & Products

Largest pump rental hub in Africa

Xylem South Africa opened its new pump rental hub – the largest of its kind on the African continent - in Kempton Park, Johannesburg during October. P art of Xylem Inc global wa- ter solutions provider Xylem South Africa’s new purpose- will always select the right solution to meet our clients’ requirements. Rentals can assist clients in reducing capital expenditure while still retain- ing access to top of the range of lead- ing pump brands,” he adds.

built facility will expand Xylem’s global investment into emerging markets and rental development in Africa. The hub offers customers ease of access and greater affordability to world-class pump rental solutions. O ver the past few years Xylem South Africa has positioned itself as the go-to company for pumping solutions. The company operates within the entire water cycle and is deeply entrenched as a trusted name in the construction; municipal and residential sectors. Branches currently service clients in Gauteng; North-West; Western Cape; Limpopo; Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. Rental Manager at Xylem South Africa, Dirk Bekker said: “We saw a greater need for tailor-made rental solutions developing in South Af- rica and its neighbouring countries. “There are many benefits to rental solutions. Clients can focus on core business; scale their fleet and only pay for the equipment and services they need, which will minimise op- erating costs. Xylem designs, builds, tests and rents the equipment. We W ith the downturn in the building and construction industry, many contractors are facing difficult business condi- tions, and even financial distress. The cidb is closely monitoring the sustainability of small and medium- sized contractors, and the changes in the underlying constraints to the sustainability of contractors. The cidb SME Business Conditions Surveymeasures business conditions for contractors registered in cidb Grades 3 to 8, and is undertaken by the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) for the cidb. Business confidence amongst general building and civil engineering remains low at 50%, representing an

Flexibility and adaptability is key with the Rental Hub – the knowl- edgeable and experienced technical specialists at the hub are able to pro- vide solid technical advice and com- prehensive maintenance strategies. “This will ultimately result in less down-time and higher productivity for clients. Coupled with the costs saved on initial capital layout on pumps or related systems – the sky is the limit for our customers. We place great value on providing the best solutions for businesses that place their trust in us,” said Bekker. With the rental hub ready to ser- vice both Southern Africa and the wider African continent. Xylem is set to assist in addressing this concern through its constant technical devel- opments and through investment into its areas of operation. For more information on Xy- lem South Africa’s Rental Hub contact 0861 7867 4473 or visit www.xylemwatersolutions.com ■ industry in distress. However, on a positive note, business confidence in the contracting sector shows a mod- est but positive increase over the past three years. The cidb survey identifies that the largest constraint to enterprise growth remains insufficient demand for construction works, but that this is easing slightly. Contractors report that access to skilled labour is becoming a signifi- cant constraint to business growth. The shortage of skills is also driving up the cost of labour resulting in de- creased profit margins for small and medium contractors. MInba Thumbi- ran, Acting CEOof the cidb, notes that small and medium size emerging

Dirk Bekker

Lack of access to skills and credit

contractors are likely to be bearing the brunt of these skills shortages, and are least able to attract and train skilled labour. A healthy SME sector is crucial to the health of the building and construction industry and to the transformation of the industry. While business conditions are improving, it is a concern that the impact of skills shortages on the sustainability of SMEs is becoming more visible. The cidb is looking at ways of in- creasing skilled labour in the industry. This includes the cidb Standard for Developing Skills on Construction Works Contracts, which was pub- lished in 2013 and provides for skills development on construction works contracts. ■

November 2015