A magnificent bridge over the Okavango River in the Mohembo Village
area which is being piled by Keller’s Franki Africa for main contractor
Itinera/Cimolai JV, is a shining example of Franki’s diverse strengths. Here we
focus on Franki’s renowned ability to deliver in remote and challenging
environments.
The bridge, which connects villages on the east of the river with
the rest of the country, straddles the Mohembo East (Kauxwi) Ferry landing site
with the Mohembo West (Shakawe) Ferry landing site.
According to Devendra Lalbasanth, Franki senior contracts manager,
the 1,2km bridge, which consists of two towers for the Cable Stayed portion and
18 piers, requires 189 no. 1200 diameter, permanently cased auger piles at an
average of 35m below platform level. Some of the piles required are being
installed to a depth of 50m.
In terms of the ground conditions, the top 12m consists of alluvial
deposits underlain by soft rock, schists and gneisses – metamorphic rock
developed from basement granites – and there were no surprises in this regard
as the Botswana Roads Authority’s geotechnical investigation, prior to and post
the award of the contract, was thorough.
“More than thorough,” Lalbasanth says. “In excess of 100 boreholes
were drilled and more than 700 rock-strength tests were completed. This was one
of the most detailed geotechnical investigations we’ve ever seen.”
Lalbasanth says that, on the face of it, the scope of works may
sound like a fairly straightforward task in geotechnical terms but the nature
of the site and the surrounding area, including roads and general access, were
extremely challenging especially for bringing in the specialised equipment that
was required to do the job.” Lalbasanth says.
And it was no ordinary equipment that had to be transported to the
site. It included a Liebherr 355 – one of the largest augering machines in
Africa – two Casagrande B180s, a Bauer BG 18 and two Liebherr 845 service
cranes.
“Getting this equipment to site was certainly the greatest challenge
facing the Franki team. For example, before this job the Liebherr 355 was doing
rigid inclusions at Clairwood Logistics Park in Durban and we converted it to
an auger configuration before transporting it to Mohembo, 1500km away,”
Lalbasanth says.
He adds that a huge debt is owed to abnormal load transport
specialists Transcor Transportation for their efficiency and perhaps, above
all, patience in the delivery of the equipment. “The trip from Durban to the
site took 14 days!”
As the geotechnical work takes place on both sides of the river, it
was also challenging getting the plant across the river. “For this we must
thank our clients, the main contractor, who provided us with a 150t pontoon for
the job.”
To date Franki has completed 50% of its work. “We look forward to
seeing this bridge completed. The design shows that it will be a magnificent
structure with both towers literally towering over the landscape in the shape
of elephant tusks. I thank all our team, the local residents in the Kauxwi and
Shakawe areas, Transcor Transporters and our clients, Itinera/Cimolai JV, for
their continued efforts in ensuring a successful contract,” Lalbasanth
concluded
Meanwhile Errol Braithwaite, Franki MD, says that he is proud of
the quality projects that Franki is currently involved in, especially in this
very challenging economic climate. “There is no doubt that the construction
industry in Southern Africa is facing one of the most pressured periods in its
history – many companies are having to reinvent their business models, some
will close, foreign companies are entering the market, skills are exiting the
market and confidence is down.
“In spite of
this, however, I remain confident about the future. In our own organisation we
are still experiencing a buoyant order book and, importantly, we are seeing
excellent young talent emerging which is more representative of our diverse
nation than ever before. Through our parent company, Keller Group plc – the largest independent geotechnical construction
company in the world – we have unprecedented access to international expertise
and technologies and, with Keller, Franki has a local presence in African
cities stretching from Cape Town to Nairobi, from Accra to Mauritius and many
places in between.”
Braithwaite
says that another important competitive advantage of being part of the Keller
group is that Franki has been able to bring world-class technology to the
African market: the rigid inclusion ground improvement technique to the
Clairwood Logistics Park in Durban, large diameter cluster hammers to the Hass
Towers project in Nairobi and deep cased augers socketed into bedrock to the
Okavango River Bridge in Botswana, which is discussed above.
“Indeed,
there is much more that will help us to continue providing our customers with
the appropriate solutions at the right price,” says Braithwaite. “This includes
simplified, standardised business processes, LEAN construction and data
analytics, which, along with an obsession with skills development, will
underpin our continued success on this continent.
Franki’s values
Franki has
always been a values driven company and its successful integration into the
Keller organisation is undoubtedly, in large part, a result of the shared value
system of both companies which can be summarised as follows: Integrity:
Consistently acting with honesty, fairness and positive intent; Collaboration:
There is a huge amount of collaboration required to take a job to fruition,
both internally and with our customers, suppliers and counterparts. Good
relationships and mutual respect are foundational; Excellence: Excellence is
the application of skill and diligence in the delivery of every project. It is
the mindset of: We can and must continue to get better. We can never be
satisfied with the status quo.
Summary
Franki Africa
has a long history of success on the African continent and its experience and
expertise have been greatly bolstered by being part of Keller with which it
shares all the values that will enable Franki to continue giving its clients a
world class service.
“We are
fortunate to have some of the best people, technologies and equipment on the
continent and it is our responsibility to continue delivering excellence across
the board to all our customers,” Braithwaite says.
He adds that perhaps Franki’s most important attribute
is the quality of customers it has attracted over the years. “This has been a
privilege of the highest order and I am pleased to be able to express our
gratitude to them out loud and in public,” he concludes.
[END]
Media contact:
Bridgette Macheke
MoonDawn Media & Communications
Tel: +27 (0) 079
5494
Cell: +27 (0)73 400 1549
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.moondawnmedia.co.za
Frank Africa contact details:
031 507 1051
