Pent up demand for housing and associated infrastructure in the Limpopo province is attracting many new players to the building and construction industry. One of the key elements in the delivery of large volumes of low cost housing is the availability of suitable raw materials, a need that has created a major business opportunity for Polokwane entrepreneur Makobane Magagane.

Magagane’s new company, Hedgehock Projects, will be producing cement stone and sand from construction rubble using a Pilot Modular crushing and screening plant recently installed by industry specialist Pilot Crushtec International.

One of the marketing maxims of the Jet Park-based company is that it doesn’t sell machinery, it provides solutions – and from Magagane’s experience, this would certainly seem to be the case.

“Our initial contact with Pilot Crushtec International was via the Internet and having visited its website we were invited to the factory where we met with engineers. After discussing our needs they recommended a plant layout comprising a grizzly feeder, crusher, screen and conveyors that would be suitable for a start up company like ourselves,” says Magagane.

The plant was commissioned in late August and Hedgehock Projects is already producing sand and silicate materials as the site crew gains experience with the company’s new acquisitions. Magagane was impressed not only by the efficiency of the Pilot Crushtec International InstalLink team, but the training given to his employees.

“We were very happy with the process, both in terms of the quality of the instruction our team received as well as the information provided concerning the machines and their applications.”

Chief executive Sandro Scherf explains that the Pilot Modular concept is ideally suited for first time entrants into a variety of industries.

“The plants are versatile, easy to transport and configure and, as a company gains experience and ups its volumes, it is very easy to add additional equipment or substitute existing machinery with larger capacity products. The systems are also relatively inexpensive.”

In this instance, the customer received a complete turnkey solution for under R1,5 million.

The plant operated by Hedgehock Projects consists of the following pieces of Pilot Modular equipment:

• A GFH560 grizzly feeder
• A BR0605 horizontal impact crusher
• A DD 2412 heavy duty screen
• Three MC 600 13 metre conveyors
• Two MC600 10 metre conveyors