Page 5 - KZN Business Sense Vol.3 No.1

KZN

KwaZulu-Natal
Business Chambers Council

ONE MILLION INJURY-FREE HOURS

FOR TYRE GIANT'S LADYSMITH EXPANSION PROJECT

S umitomo Rubber South comes first, last and always - and that are aimed at upskilling fitment The Stefanutti Stocks Building Alisha Molechan
For further enquiries, please contact:
experts at our retail Dunlop
this achievement is a wonderful
Africa (SRSA) - parent
KZN/Ladysmith Construction JV
Manager: Public Relations and
company to the Dunlop
awarded the 2016 Master Builders
our people at all levels that the
brand - has recently achieved one proof point which resonates with franchises like Dunlop Zone and project team was also recently Communications
Dunlop Express. We hope that
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa
million lost time injury-free hours importance of safety should not be through such measures, that safer Association Award for Safety for T: 031 242 1317
on their current expansion projects underestimated,” said Haffejee. roads, fewer fatalities and the their work on Project Sunrise. The C: 078 456 8299
underway at their production plant interests of the motorists across final phase of the project, Southern Alisha.Molechan@srigroup.co.za
The Old Factory Building,
in the industrial hub of Danskraal, Inherent in the project were South Africa will be preserved,” Cross, is scheduled for completion Lion Match Office Park, 892 Umgeni Road,
Ladysmith. This is also 713 days - several factors that contributed to concluded Haffejee. July 2018. Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
and counting - without a lost time safety risks. Among these risks www.srigroup.co.za
accident. were:
• Excavations of up to 8.5 metres
Joint-venture contractors on the deep.
project, Stefanutti Stocks Building • Blasting of shale rock for
KZN/Ladysmith Construction are foundations, floors and roads.
pleased with the milestone, citing • High scaffolding structures of up
safety as a big priority for not only to 20m high, with workmen at
themselves, but for the tyre heights to erect steelwork and
manufacturer as well. “These lost sheet the roof.
time injury-free (LTI) hours is a • Tilt-up construction. This
notable safety milestone to have involves heavy concrete lifts done
achieved, especially when one by crane, where 12m x 6m x
considers that we commenced 200mm thick walls sections are
construction at the site back in hoisted up.
2014,” said Mark Stewart, alternate • Working at heights of up to 30
director of Stefanutti Stocks metres high with mixing
Building KZN. “During this two equipment.
year period, we have had less than • Heavy construction, with designs
10 minor first aid cases, most of catering for 2 ton per square
which required little more than metre loadings, using heavy
plaster treatment,” he said. scaffolding at high levels.
• 100,000 cubic metres of earth
Dunlop's existing manufacturing removal, which involved a lot of
plant was established in 1973. heavy vehicle movement to get
Shortly after being acquired by factory levels.
Japan-based investors Sumitomo • Operation of two tower cranes
Rubber Industries, the company working overhead.
took the decision to modernise and • Operation of nine mobile cranes
expand the manufacturing facility. erecting steel, pouring concrete
and moving equipment overhead
Construction commenced in
October 2014, with phase one of According to Haffejee, to have
the project (known as Project zero major incidents given the ABOUT SRSA
Sunrise), valued at a mammoth magnitude of this project is worthy
R1.1 billion. The company then of commendation, given the
announced a further R970 million company's values. “It underscores
in March this year (Project a quality project team who resonate SRSA is owned by Japanese listed USA and South Africa. The existing
Southern Cross), taking their total with our company's ethos,” said
investment in the factory upgrade Haffejee. company Sumitomo Rubber Industries South African plant in Ladysmith
and expansion to R2bn. At present, Ltd (SRI), situated in Kobe, Japan, and (founded in 1973) currently produces
the project has employed 15 “Safety permeates our
subcontractors, with an excess of organisation at all levels, with is ranked the world's sixth-largest passenger car, sport utility vehicle and
350 combined workers on site. consumers in mind. This extends producer of automotive tyres and light truck tyres only, which are sold
from our manufacturing and
SRSA's CEO, Riaz Haffejee, said operational practices, to the industrial rubber products and has tyre in South Africa and exported across
that this achievement was a engineering of durable, quality manufacturing plants in Japan, China, Africa.
reflection of the commitment by products that adhere to the highest
all contractors to one of SRSA's key global safety standards, right down Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Turkey,
priorities - safety. “At SRSA, safety to rigorous training programmes

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