The Civil Engineering Contractor July 2018 | Page 33

PROFILE
It is a profession not without
challenges, primarily because
mistakes on site carry severe
financial penalties.
may be a suspicion of underground
conditions, but it is only proven once
works actually start. Works quotes
in consequence are almost invariably
qualified.
“Ground conditions are extremely
variable, particularly in Gauteng. Over
the years, we have had to develop
many of our own systems, installation
techniques, and machines as our own
IP. Today, we buy a lot of the equipment
— only imported top of the range
equipment manufactured by OEMs
such as Bauer, Casagrande, Commaccio,
Putzmeister, and Furukawa. This is a
highly capital-intensive business.” This
is a considerable barrier to entry, and
Whittaker points out that in Cape Town,
for instance, there are only two piling
companies, “so future opportunities are
open”.
Investment in skills
Skills are paramount in this business, and
Whittaker considers himself fortunate
to have been able to re-recruit the bulk
of his skilled team following the demise
of Sanyati. He also acquired scarce and
skilled staff in October 2017 when
a competitor, Duro Soletanche-Bachy,
retrenched its staff upon its closure
after 55 years.
“It is not easy to acquire these skills.
The big firms can afford to offer
bursaries, but we concentrate on
on-the-job training as far as possible. In
fact, that is the best way to learn piling.
We have in the past hired qualified
engineers who have disappointed in
practice, whereas others who have learnt
on-the-job succeeded. I have mentored
many employees into geotechnical
engineers, and empower people based
on performance rather than colour,
creed, or theoretical qualifications,” says
Whittaker. His own preference is to be
on site as much as possible and to be
hands-on with the firm’s marketing and
client liaison.
It is a profession not without challenges,
primarily because mistakes on site carry
severe financial penalties. At Deloitte’s
new office site in Waterfall City, such
a mistake by the bulk earthworks
contractor resulted in a portion of one
of Mega Pile’s lateral support walls
being literally blasted to smithereens.
“It was a potential disaster, but I am
proud of our response. We redesigned
a remedial solution to reinstate the
wall. We met the deadline by putting in
immensely long hours and coming up
with a highly innovative design.”
This type of response he attributes to
the firm having a sustainable structure
resultant from flat management and a
motivated team. “I am proud to say we
have the best quality skills of any of our
competitors — based on endorsements
by many of our clients. We aim to
innovate to dominate.”
The future
The geotechnical sector in South Africa
faces a tough future, explains Whittaker.
There’s a pyramid of contractors, with
the “rats and mice” at the bottom,
a mid-sized tier, and the few mega
companies occupying the tip. The big
firms construct stadiums and big marine
jobs like harbours. “These projects only
come along once every eight years or
more, so how do these firms carry their
expensive cost base consisting of plant,
equipment, and skills in the interim? I
would never want to play in that space.
In the mid category, you can either go
down to smaller jobs or up to compete
for the big projects. It creates much
more flexibility for us.”
He sees his firm growing in the future
to re-establish its Durban office and
open a new one in Cape Town — to
take on those two local operators. nn
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