REGULARS - IN PROFILE
Continued from page 48
"Don't be scared of working.
You need to use your hands."
Pitch45 was one of the first companies to specialise in
exposed roofing and quickly became a pioneer in the
industry. One of the first projects completed was House
Viking Trust, for which Körber won an ITC-SA Gold Design
Award in 2016.
In 2013 Körber launched KDF Construction to
complement the existing Pitch45 focusing on roofing
systems. In 2017 he was joined by Peter Plumb to extend
and specialise his services; KDF now offers a complete
package through wall plate-up, design, manufacture and
application of all items including complex roof structures
and coverings.
Since inception, Pitch45 had been importing fasteners
from Europe to achieve the German quality Klaus believes
in. But after numerous requests from third parties to buy his
fasteners, at the end of 2017 Körber founded Screw Pro.
Importing directly from Eurotec Germany, Klaus could offer
the local market superb fasteners at reduced rates. Screw
Pro became the only licensed distributor for Eurotec in
South Africa and now competes on the same level as Spax.
Screw Pro immediately entered the market with an already
large client base.
In partnership with Martin Truter, August 2018 saw the
start of Apex Roof trusses. To date, Apex has already landed
four major projects. Now dominating the roofing industry,
Körber’s dream has taken a huge part of the local market
and all the companies combined have a staff complement of
about 75 people. Körber proudly adds that some of his
ground staff have been with him for more than 10 years.
CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY
Körber strongly believes that being a roofing carpenter
comes with a lot of responsibility and therefore adequate
education and training is needed to produce work of the
highest quality. In Körber’s circumstance, finding an
institution that offered adequate training was a major
challenge. “The biggest challenge I had was to train my guys
to a certain level, to get the German quality out of them,” he
comments.
Another challenge for Körber, particularly in South Africa,
is that there is a large unskilled labour force in the country.
With a shortage of specialised training institutions for the
timber industry, an unskilled labour force does not make
the situation any better.
To get around the challenges, Körber believes that more
education and training is needed for the industry. “We need
to educate because the potential is there, but we need to
50 APRIL / MAY 2019 //
train the people.” He trained one of his team members who
is now a project manager and has been with Körber for 10
years. “I trained him to a very good standard of doing roofs.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT PRIDE AND FULFILMENT
Being a master craftsman and a successful business man
does not happen by accident. Körber’s secret is simple: he
takes pride in the work that he does.
He explains that when he sees a roof or a house that his
team has worked on, they must have a sense of gratification
for having been part of the team that worked on it.
According to Körber, taking pride in one’s work makes a
huge difference. “It helps quite a lot in quality,” he adds.
Hard work and determination is also important in
becoming successful in the industry. “People must be
willing to learn.” He explains that working on a building site
is not a walk in the park, especially in South Africa where
the hot weather can sometimes be unforgiving. “You must
be hardworking,” he adds.
Having multiple businesses means that Körber has little
free time but he doesn’t mind. “To be honest it makes me
very happy, its fulfilling.”
WORDS OF WISDOM AND THE
ULTIMATE GOAL
Körber finds the South African market exciting because of
all the new ideas that are coming through the industry. He
emphasises that there is no need to reinvent the wheel,
especially regarding principles for exposed roofs, timber
frame roofs and timber frame walls. The only requirement is
a slight adjustment to adapt to South Africa’s climate and
building regulations, among others.
His advice to anyone wanting to get involved in the
timber industry, “Don’t be scared of working. You need to
use your hands.” He adds that listening and learning from
experienced people in the industry will assist to progress
the industry. One of his team members had no prior
knowledge or experience but is a successful foreman today.
Körber attributes this to a willingness to learn.
Another important piece of advice is that people should
always think about what they would like to achieve in the
future and actively work towards their goals.
Körber’s ultimate goal is to open a training facility for the
timber industry.
“One day I would love to have a training facility for South
Africa, at European standards. That would be the ultimate
goal.”
But for now, he continues to focus on his philosophy of
improvement through training and continuous learning. This
has made his company stand out from competitors by trying
different things and not being afraid of doing so. As a result,
Pitch45 has managed to create a solid client base which has
landed the company major projects in the industry.
www.timberiq.co.za