Shannon O'Donnell I Features Reporter

Construction solutions group Cosira International has entered the commissioning phase of the PPRust North platinum concentrator project, in Rustenburg.

Cosira was contracted by project house Vhumbanani, a joint venture between consulting engineering firms TWP and Dowding, Reynard & Associates, for the erection of the structural steel for the run-of-mine portion of the concentrator.

Cosira Group MD John da Silva tells Mining Weekly that the company has delivered a total of 5 275 t of structural steel on the project. "The off-site fabrication of all structural steel, platework, and i liners has taken six months to complete," he says.

A fleet of 27 cranes, ranging from eight tons to a 500-t crawler, was used to deliver the higher-than-usual tonnage a week needed.

Cosira project manager Wayne Fornian says that the close cooperation between the parties, which allowed progressive access to follow I on trades, contributed substantially towards achieving the tight deadlines.

Da Silva adds that this close cooperation between contractor and ': client is one of the methodologies used by Cosira which make it a successful business. "Technology enables project houses and contractors to work better together, creating a model of flexibility and accessibility to the client," says Da Silva. The standard neutral detailing file used by the company enables clients' designs to be imported into Cosira's detailing packages, meaning that duplication of work is eliminated, as well as the added benefit of a reduction in time.

Da Silva explains that the Y-frame I of the clients' designs is imported into Cosira's three-dimentional software package, which is then used to populate and detail the JOHN DA SILVA Close cooperation between contractor and client is one of the methodologies used by Cosira design. New developments that will enhance the promotion of flexibility include the implementation of in-house developed software that will electronically tag and track all the equipment in the factories and on site. The tracking will allow project managers and clients to see where a particular item of steel is in real time, during the project's process.

The new system, when operational, will be linked to Microsoft's project software and will be Web-based, offering a client more transparency and real-time updates. CHALLENGES Meanwhile, the skills shortage still poses a challenge to the industry. However, Da Silva says that Cosira tries to overcome this through internal and external training pro- grammes. "Cosira offers bursaries for students to attend universities and technikons, as well as enrolling employees in the draughting school run by the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction," he states.

Another challenge facing the company is the increasing price ; of steel. "Increasing steel prices cause a problem with our ability to j be competitive internationally and j locally, as we are forced to use the : Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa's price tables in our pricing structure," he comments. j In an effort to keep the increases ' at bay, Cosira has invested significantly in technology to reduce human error, and to reduce the time : needed to produce a product.

Through continuous growth, employees are then trained to work on this technology, or redeployed to other departments when new technology is introduced. This prevents the company having to retrench employees. Other new developments include a significant expansion drive in Cosira's manufacturing operations. A new facility, known as Cosira Vulcan, in Vulcania, will be operational by July 2008 and will have a 4 500-t/m capacity. The operation will be a fully computer numeric controller-operated facility. "The facility is in the building phase, with the original-equipment manufacturer equipment arriving at the end of February for installation," says Da Silva.

Cosira Heriot, the facility in Heriotdale, Johannesburg, will be retrofitted into a dedicated plate-work facility which will produce 750 t/m of steel platework. A third facility will house Cosira Towers and will produce some 800 t/y of structural steel for use in cellular towers. A significant amount has also been invested in construction equipment for site construction, with 15 new Terex mobile cranes completing the now 40-strong mobile crane fleet. "The cranes have already been delivered and some have already been deployed to sites in Zambia and Zimbabwe for projects there," concludes Da Silva.