As a solutions-driven company, Lafarge, a world leader in building materials, manufactures innovative products designed to meet the needs of the building and construction industry. 

Recently, the Lafarge Readymix plant in Bluedowns, Cape Town played a part in the construction of Mount Simon Estate, an upmarket student residential complex close to Stellenbosch University. The 70 student houses are built on former farmland along the banks of the Plankenburg River. 

Sivuyile Ngobozana, Lafarge product manager, says, “As a housing company Mount Simon prides itself in delivering good quality housing which is why they decided to use Lafarge as one of their building suppliers.” 

Bert Vlok of Mount Simon liked the idea of using the Lafarge range of Readymix mortars and plasters as it would mean that there would be no mixing required on site and the construction team would not need to manage stockpiles of sand and cement. “Productivity was improved markedly because the bricklayers could start laying bricks as soon as they arrived on site in the mornings, without having to wait for mixing to take place,” says Ngobozana. 

Initially, the Readymix mortar and plaster were delivered in plastic bags daily, but the quantity of product required for all the housing units led to a plan being developed to house the Readymix on site. It was contained in a large hole which was created by a digger loader and then lined with plastic. “This proved much more cost-effective as the deliveries required and the use of plastic bags were significantly reduced,” says Ngobozana. 

The customer was satisfied and the project illustrates just one example of the innovative, convenient and cost-effective solutions that Lafarge provides to the building trade.