R&D CONTRACTING: Building Valuable Skills for SA Industrial Maintenance Sector

For David Williams and Remo Torrente, Directors at R&D Contracting, the past 16 years have been a journey of learning. Establishing a contracting business in South Africa’s developing and changing compliance environments was not easy, but these experienced artisans knew that there was large opportunity for a provider with skills in an often-overlooked field.

Originally from Cape Town, Williams learned his skills from his family. His father and uncles were contractors, and they instilled a mindset of quality above all. Working with his hands became a passion. Williams later joined a corrosion maintenance company where he met Torrente who had a shared passion for hard work, good quality and updated technologies.

In 2006, Torrente and Williams partnered in their own venture expanding into the full scope of industrial maintenance. The company was quick to grow – recognised for quality and innovation around service delivery – and expanded its range of core services. Today, R&D oversees a workforce of around 150 people, operating across the country, with services including asbestos removal, roof refurbishment, industrial coatings and protection, waterproofing, core drilling, safety lines and walkways to name a few.

Alongside a robust focus on quality and client satisfaction, R&D has always been keen on skills development, transferring knowledge to the next generation to ensure continuation and development in this corner of the South African Economy.

SHARING SKILLS

According to CareerJunction – a recruitment specialist – artisanal skills that were previously thought to be dying out are receiving big demand resulting in something of a resurgence for plumbers, electricians etc. But South Africa struggles to compete with overseas salaries and many young labourers migrate for stronger packages. R&D Contracting has created an environment where vital skills can be learned, improved and compete with international developments in services, technologies and products. In this industry the difference between companies spending on machines or people lies in the level of services people can provide, especially when this is done in a competent, competitive and relevant way.

“I am a technical person and I like to go to the sites and pass on experience to site managers and supervisors,” Williams tells Enterprise Africa. “As a management team, we are very available. We do have policies and procedures that we develop and evolve continuously to ensure development is delivered effectively and in compliance with national and international standards and legislation.

“A lot of technical skills and artisan schools have fallen to the wayside. We are dealing with a generation of inexperienced labour and it is important that we identify and grow people with effective training especially in a country with such inherent physical ability.”

As the company has grown, the level of expertise required in projects has also advanced and the requirement to present clients with a comprehensive solution sees staff sent to upskill regularly. Recently, the R&D team took part of a Confined Space Access development course which delivered approved safety and work procedure methodologies alongside other key industry knowledge. “Not knowing the law does not preclude one from adhering to the requirements of the law. This is where R&D rises above the run-of-the mill contracting service provider,” the company states.

It is this foundation of knowledge and emphasis on precise details that has helped R&D Contracting to deliver quality and navigate changing and challenging environments. Since the company was founded, there has been a rollercoaster of economic peaks and troughs in South Africa, and the country’s construction industry has realised wild fluctuations in demand seeing many of the country’s construction giants fall. In 2022, the industry is expected to post good numbers, with a rebound of around 9.1%, slowing to average growth rate of 3.1% through 2023-2025. With new projects underway, and infrastructure in need of maintenance, R&D Contracting sits in a uniquely strong position due to compliance with all industry related requirements, certifications, trained and vetted workforce, and current knowledge and skills across the service offering.

“We have come through and overcome a difficult period, dealing with Covid and civil unrest and we are powering into the future with a vision to remain one of the most trusted and established contractors in our field,” Williams details.

“In our early days. we extensively painted telecommunication masts and other industrial steel applications. We work with blue-chip companies. As we grew, we saw more requirements in our industry and we added more eggs to our basket, including corrosion control, core drilling, and we found a niche in the market in asbestos. We have been an asbestos contractor for a long time. We specialise in operating for businesses that have live conveyors and production – canning, alcohol, tobacco etc. Generally, asbestos roofs must be removed or upgraded. In one instance, we changed the orientation of a roof, installed safety lines, and ensured protection of staff. We put up netting systems and we can remove an entire roof while the client remains active – that is our strong point, there is very little downtime or interruption.”

OPERATIONS: OPEN

This type of operation would not normally be possible and would often require complete site shut down to ensure safety. This is damaging to customer productivity and sales, and disrupts workflow and confidence. By allowing clients to continue working at capacity while providing essential industrial maintenance, R&D Contractors brings almost unrivalled service that has been proven and certified annually, giving peace of mind.

“Our ability to operate on plants that are operational with minimal impact on client operations is our real difference. At the same time, complying with occupational health and safety requirements – that is our key strength,” explains Williams.

“We are 100% focussed on quality and we have quality control plans and quality contingency plans. There are daily site diaries, monthly reports, and a strong documentation to ensure our ISO accreditation – we must have a strong focus on quality to keep this accreditation. All of our documents are supplied to clients so that they have records of everything that has transpired.”

Asbestos is a strong building material, used widely up until the 1970s. It is mostly safe if left alone, but when damaged or broken, asbestos can release fine fibres which are easy to breathe in and cause serious damage to the lungs. When removal is required, it is critical that a specialist professional is contracted as the dangers are often underestimated.

“It has been a really good product for corrosion proofing but obviously, with legislation, it is now being addressed. There are some tenants who see it is a costly exercise due to the regulatory process required and not everyone can afford professional asbestos removal,” admits Williams.

But allowing clients to continue working, and not encouraging a shutdown, is majorly advantageous and gives even those who on the fence about committing to asbestos removal the confidence that they can at least continue to produce while the process is completed safely.

BIG BRAND SUCCESS

The company’s work has been hailed by some of the biggest brands in South Africa.

“Currently, we are working across KZN and Gauteng on projects for leaders in industries such as platinum mining, paper manufacturing, FMCG, global tabaco giants and many others,” highlights Williams.

Major organisations within the South African economy have all trusted R&D Contracting to complete essential and complex works at their sites.

Many clients are keen on the local knowledge that R&D Contracting brings, as well as its concentration on investment in a local supply chain, and this is something that Williams and Torrente champion as South African businessmen.

“We procure locally and we try to use as many local products and brands as possible,” says Williams. “We use high-end cordless tools and equipment to ensure safety, and sometimes we are forced to import specific items, but that is in rare circumstances. Our supply lines were affected in a big way through Covid, and when the pandemic calmed, a lot of suppliers were caught off guard, without stock. That was a problem, but we managed through.”

With safety as the top priority in the business, managing the pandemic while still delivering for clients was challenging but R&D Contracting was quick to act.

“It was a tough couple of years as the pandemic was combined with a steel shortage in South Africa. Covid forced us to think outside the box and we put measures in place very quickly to ensure our employee’s health and safety. Staff worked from home and we are fully digital, cloud-based. Everyone has access to technology and data to communicate,” says Williams.

With a number of large projects underway right now, and more in the pipeline, R&D Contracting has bypassed the negativity of the past two years and is looking forward fervently. Williams is keen on further growth in the business, and has already identified geographies with major potential.

“Our head office is in Johannesburg but we opened a branch in Durban a few years ago where we are actively busy. We would like to grow our footprint in the Western Cape, and we have completed work across the borders in Botswana with work set to start in Zambia shortly,” he says.

“We are certainly looking at growing in the Western Cape – that is a growing province and it has been years since any real activity has taken place on the asbestos front there. Like everything, we have to deal with competition but we believe we can make it happen.”

Of course, any growth or expansion will come alongside internal development as the company grows its expertise and always develops skills in line with the company’s ambitions for a proficient workforce.

“We are extremely active and we invest a lot of money into our labour,” he states. “We have to keep up with training and renewing qualifications for things like rope access and we have sent the team for lifeline installation – safety is a huge aspect in our industry as everything is about working at height. We have all the right people in place from quality control and quantity surveying through to stores and vehicle management.”

Longer-term, succession plans are being readied to ensure the ongoing advancement of the business, and there is no doubt that the next generation of management will come from within, promoting the company’s strong culture and focus on quality for future clients.

“We have intentionally put a large emphasis on training and we always promote from within our ranks when possible,” concludes Williams.

This hands-on work ethic and down-to-earth attitude has been cultivated in the business for 16 years, and ensures quality above all. With this cemented into the ranks, R&D Contracting will undoubtedly be a supplier of choice across all of the disciplines in which it plays as the journey continues.