AfriSam, leading construction materials group, places safety at the forefront of its operations, acknowledging the importance of safeguarding its people and the communities within which it operates. As both a responsible employer and corporate citizen, the company’s unwavering commitment to safety extends beyond its own operations and into the realm of rail safety, particularly at level crossings, where road and rail networks intersect.

In collaboration with Traxtion, Africa’s largest private freight rail operator, and the Rail Safety Regulator (RSR), AfriSam was actively involved in promoting International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) campaign in June 2023. This global initiative, championed by the International Union of Railways (UIC), unites railway communities from 28 countries raising awareness of level crossing safety.

Zero Harm

AfriSam’s commitment to “Zero Harm” reflects its strong belief in prioritising the safety and well-being of its employees and the community. This informed the company’s contribution to ILCAD with its focus on recognising the potential risks and hazards associated with level crossings on a day dedicated to saving lives and preventing accidents.

Nathi Shoba, AfriSam’s Quality Assurance Manager, expresses the company’s resolute commitment to safety, stating, “This is all about saving lives, and for this reason, we were extremely proud to play our part in International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD).” AfriSam’s involvement in the campaign reflects its dedication to proactive engagement, education and fostering a culture of responsible behaviour at level crossings.

Madelein Williams, Executive: Media and Communications and spokesperson for the RSR in South Africa, emphasises their primary objective of enhancing rail safety, a goal that often faces challenges when motorists and pedestrians fail to adhere to level crossing regulations. Williams expresses concern over the recorded 47 injuries between 2020/21 and 2021/22, as this undermines the RSR’s efforts to raise awareness and promote rail safety at level crossings.

To commemorate ILCAD, Traxtion, RSR and AfriSam collaborated on a private siding line connecting to the Transnet line, specifically selecting the bustling Ulco crossing in Northern Cape. This crossing serves both pedestrians, including school children, and motorists, posing potential risks and making it a vital location to address level crossing incidents.

“We call upon all rail operators to join us following this awareness campaign to ensure compliance with safety regulations for the sake of the public and railway operators at level crossings.” Urges Thando Makoyi, SHEQ Compliance Manager at Traxtion and a former train driver.

AfriSam, together with its partners, remains dedicated to promoting rail safety, saving lives and fostering a culture of responsible behaviour at level crossings. By actively engaging stakeholders, raising awareness and advocating for adherence to safety measures, they aim to make a significant and lasting impact on rail safety in South Africa and beyond.

Green is the colour of passion for Chop-em Tree Fellers in Benoni who recently purchased an all-new Sumitomo excavator from its supplier and promptly had it painted in a distinctive bright green coat of paint.

Rather than the ordinary yellow paint scheme of most other excavators, owner, David Kretzschmar, wants his equipment to be easily recognisable in the field as belonging to the company and being a specialist arborist machine or, in other words, a tree fellers’ dream machine.

Having grown up in a tree felling and bush clearing family, David’s first recollections are of riding and sleeping in various types of plant equipment and trucks while his father and other family members went about their business. As a result, there is little that he does not know about plant equipment and along with his brothers Malcolm and Karl, can operate any type of machine with their eyes closed.

Green machine

According to David it is also the reason why he chose a Sumitomo excavator from one of the country’s largest equipment suppliers, ELB Equipment. “We know how important it is to have equipment that won’t let you down when you in the field and far from home. Just like the other

Sumitomo we have been operating for over four years has gone about its work effortlessly and reliably, we expect the latest Sumitomo SH210-6 will be similarly tough and reliable in decades to come.

“What’s more, ELB Equipment will be there right beside us – just like they always have been with the other machine and through the process of buying our new machine – from planning to procurement, finance and delivery. These guys deal with us at our level and provide us with the kind of service we want and need, where nothing is too much trouble and we are not just seen as a number.

“Even our enquiry about changing the colour to our bright green choice was met with enthusiasm and a can-do spirit, nothing is too much effort. This was particularly special on the day of the delivery of our big green machine that had the whole family, our flatbed truck driver and all our staff present at the event bursting with pride. From our dreams to reality, the excavator shares its name ‘Fifi’ with the youngest member of our family, Malcolm’s baby daughter Phoebe or Fifi as she is known.”

Love trees

ELB Equipment’s Keon Kardolus, acknowledges the superb efforts of the team involved in painting and delivering what is probably the country’s most distinctive tree felling excavator. It was a real team effort from our sales and technical department to the painters who got every little detail correct. Even the model excavator that was delivered with the machine which was painted in exactly the same colour scheme and accurate to the last millimetre.

“Of all the superlatives we could think of like the country’s tree fellers being ‘green with envy’ or ‘the most economical and greenest excavator in the country’, the only one we can be sure of is that the Kretzschmar brothers are passionate about trees, passionate arborists and are passionate about equipment. What better way to express the love of all those passions than to choose green for the colour of their latest machine and as their recently adopted company colour.”

He adds that the Sumitomo SH210-6 is one of the country’s most popular excavators due to its legendary Japanese reliability, award winning fuel consumption, easy maintenance and access to accessories and after sales services through ELB Equipment. They are most popular in mining and construction, as well as forestry and bush clearing where they either use their bulk to push trees over or excavate them with their roots and all depending on the needs of the property owner.

Next generations

While the brothers look on proudly and plan the overall “greening” of their fleet of excavators, stump grinders, trucks and saws, two other generations watched on as the brother’s mom, Alethea, who was a guiding light of their father and her husband, Eddie’s predecessor business, as well as Malcolm’s daughters Mia (3) and Fifi (six months) watch on in the hope of maybe one day following in their family’s tree-loving footsteps.

With the trend towards green buildings, contractors are expected to support their customers in reaching sustainability goals; AfriSam’s product range has been evolving with this front of mind.

Decades of innovation in terms of environmental responsibility and carbon reduction have put AfriSam out front, according to Hannes Meyer, Cementitious Executive at AfriSam. The company was one of the first to develop its own sustainability road map, and this is now paying off for customers.

“The sustainability drive in the construction sector is gathering momentum,” says Meyer “The carbon footprint of construction materials is where contractors can make immediate gains when looking to align a project with more stringent environmental standards.”

Sustainable future

Meyer points out that the company has made continuous progress in fields such as energy efficiency, cement extenders, water conservation and biodiversity. This allows customers to procure products in the knowledge that the environmental and carbon impact is minimised.

“We give our customers the opportunity to support a more sustainable future for the sector by choosing construction materials that embody this commitment,” Meyer explains. “We do not just set theoretical targets for environmental performance; we are practical about what we can achieve, because we have been innovating on this front for so long.”

This is in clear contrast to a significant level of ‘green-washing’ in this sector, where many companies advertise a sustainable approach but without credible evidence of how their targets are to be achieved. Since 1990, AfriSam has been able to reduce the volume of carbon dioxide emissions per ton of cementitious material by 33%.

In a carbon-intensive industry like cement manufacturing, it is difficult to reduce the carbon impact without a depth of expertise and constant investment in innovation, says AfriSam Process Engineer Marieta Buckle. It is also important to consider the cost implications of any changes, given South Africa’s need for a just transition to a sustainable future.

“In our position as a developing country, our future will demand the construction of millions of houses – structures that require considerable quantities of cement,” says Buckle. “The way we pursue our just transition must take into account the affordability of these homes for the vast majority of citizens.”

AfriSam has therefore been cautious in how it sets and publicises its sustainability targets, while all along continuing to prioritise research and development into how to achieve lower carbon products. Having considered a wide variety of options available, it has implemented strategies that have the least cost impact on customers and the market.

With its large installed base of KREBS® products, FLSmidth’s Stormill facility west of Johannesburg is providing the platform for technology evolution and market expansion.

There are over 4,000 units of equipment from KREBS® pump, cyclone and valve ranges installed around its Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East & South Asia (SSAMESA) region. FLSmidth’s pure play mining strategy sees the regions taking these solutions to the market, supported by resources in countries across the globe.

Deon de Kock, FLSmidth’s President for SSAMESA, highlights the Stormill plant’s key role in the success of the KREBS range – not just in the region but globally. The facility conducts remanufacturing, rebuilding and product assembly, as well as service exchange and testing.

It also stores a large inventory of stock worth over R250 million, ensuring quick lead times for spares and components. Aligned with FLSmidth’s CORE’26 strategy, the ongoing technological improvements focus on achieving a sustainable future by prioritising efficiency. According to Stephan Kruger, Vice President Pumps, Cyclones & Valves at FLSmidth, the KREBS® range undergoes continuous innovation through a large variety of research and development projects.

It has been five years since Trafo Power Solutions supplied Alphamin’s Bisie tin mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo with two dry-type transformers; they have performed so well that another three of these modular substations equipped with dry-type transformers will soon be on their way, to keep up with the mine’s expansion.

“This latest order is testament to the operational performance of our dry-type transformers at Bisie mine over the past five years,” says David Claassen, Managing Director of Trafo Power Solutions. “There were numerous challenges that our design had to accommodate, not least of which is a very arduous section of road in the journey to the mine.”

The mine’s location in the Walikale Territory of DRC is remote, being about 180 km north west of Goma, and more than 30 km from the national route linking Walikale with Kisangani. Like the initial order, the three 3000 kVA, 400 V/11 kV substations will be supplied in standard six metre containers to facilitate transportation. However, specialised steel bracing is required – to withstand the challenging road conditions, especially over the last part the journey.

Trafo Power Solutions

“These conditions make the road almost impassable by any vehicle other than a six-wheeled Unimog,” says Claassen. “There is intense vibration and tilting of the cargo on these trailers, so our design and bracing is done with this in mind.”

Specialised Container Agencies (SCA) – suppliers of niche market container products – has developed SCA Intermodal Side Tipper Bins that ensure quick, safe and cost-efficient bulk handling in rail and road applications.

“Robust Intermodal Side Tipper Bins have been designed for rapid and efficient off-loading of materials from both rail wagons and road trucks, using specially designed hydraulic tipping cylinders,” explains Ken Mouritzen, Specialised Container Agencies. “SCA’s Intermodal Side Tipper Bins, which are easily handled onto container rail wagons and road trucks by a container handler, increase payload on rail wagons, from 54 metric tons to 60 metric tons.

“An important feature of Intermodal Side Tipper Bins – which are able to be stacked four-high for storage – is they can be used across different modes of transport, including road and rail, without the need for investment in double handling cargo. This system is boosting the utilisation of rail infrastructure, which significantly reduces transport costs, decreases national road congestion and minimises product damage.

SCA range

“In areas that are not fully serviced by rail, the intermodal side tipper can be loaded onto road transport, for closed loop, short-haul operations. Road vehicles are then used to carry the tipper bin containing bulk material to the railhead. This means cargo can be received at non-rail serviced facilities, for example on mines, terminals and ports.”

EMMANUEL SCHALIT NAMED CEO

AYRO, the designer and manufacturer of the revolutionary OceanWings® wingsail solutio for
cargo ships and yachts, announced today the close of a 19.2 million € ($21 m) Series B round, led
by Blue Ocean, managed by SWEN Capital Partners, which brings the total funding for the leader
in Wind Powered Decarbonation solutions for the maritime sector to over 30 million €.

Existing investors Ocean Zero and Bpifrance, through its Ecotechnology 2 fund, as part of France
2030 initiatives, participated in the round, alongside new investors AmInvest, Colam Impact,
Normandie Participations, Normandie Littoral and FCPI Capital Innovant n°2 managed by SWEN
Capital Partners. Christian Lim, Managing Director of Blue Ocean will join the board of AYRO.

This major investment in AYRO occurs at a unique moment when both the company and the
market are at an inflection point. 2023 was the warmest year on record for the planet, and

shipping is expected to represent up to 17% of human CO² emissions by 2050 if no action is taken.1

“Every year, some 90,000 ships transport nine billion tons of goods globally, accounting for almost
90% of all logistics flows. Reducing the emissions of these ships is an urgent priority,” said

Emmanuel Schalit, AYRO’s new CEO. “The good news is that wind is free, available on every ocean,
and the technology to harness it is now mature and available.”
In July, AYRO installed 4 OceanWings® 363 wingsails on the Canopée, a groundbreaking vessel
dedicated to transporting Ariane 6 space launch system components from Europe to French
Guiana, which will enable a 30% reduction in fuel consumption and CO² emissions over its regular

route.
1
“Emission Reduction Targets for International Aviation and Shipping,” Policy Department A for the Committee
on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), November 2015
PRESS RELEASE
“Blue Ocean backs startups that can deliver both systemic impact for ocean health and
competitive market returns. We studied the wind propulsion market in detail for 2 years and
concluded that AYRO is clearly positioned to be a global leader in this sector,” said Christian

Lim, managing director of SWEN Capital Partners. “Wind propulsion is critical for
decarbonization of shipping in the context of what is now being called ‘global boiling, and
ambitious targets set by the International Maritime Organization and carbon reduction
regulations coming into effect across the globe. The transformation of the maritime industry
has begun, and we are excited about the major contribution that AYRO will make.”
AYRO STORY
AYRO was founded in 2018 by Marc Van Peteghem, also Co-Founder of the VPLP Naval
Architecture firm, who imagined the OceanWings® concept based on the wingsail design which

won the America’s cup in 2010 with the BMW Oracle racing trimaran. Marc’s pioneering vision
was to take that high-performance concept and apply it to the decarbonization of shipping. The
concept was perfected with prototypes and demonstrators such as the Energy Observer zero
emission Catamaran which verified the high-performance wingsail design over several years and
across several oceans. The new generation of OceanWings® powering Canopée represents a

major step-up in scale (40 meters high / 363 m2
), ease of use (OceanWings® are fully automated)
and maturity of the solution.
“For centuries sails were used in maritime trade. When coal started being used in the 19th century,
transport vessels continued to need sails because they could not transport enough coal to cross
oceans,” said Marc Van Peteghem, Founder of AYRO. “Now that we need to abandon oil with its
high energy density as the single source of power for ships, wind will be an essential component,
alongside other technologies, to create hybrid zero-emission ships in the coming years.”
Marc who until recently was the CEO of AYRO, will continue to support the company as Chairman

of the Board. Emmanuel, who was since 2022 Chairman of the Board, has been appointed as CEO
to succeed Marc, and he will join Romain Grandsart in his new role as COO of AYRO.
Prior to joining AYRO’s board, Emmanuel was Co-Founder and CEO of Dashlane which he led for
9 years, growing the company from 4 to 350 employees, raising more than $200 million in capital
from tier 1 US investors. Prior to Dashlane, Emmanuel was the CEO of CBS Outdoor France, a top
3 Outdoor advertising company, the COO of LMG Group, a leading international publishing group,

and SVP at Vivendi Universal where he led a global K-12 Publishing division with 1.5 billion € in
revenue. Emmanuel holds a master’s degree in Math and Physics from Ecole Polytechnique in
Paris and a PhD in Computer Science from Université of Toulouse. He also studied Marketing and
Finance in the Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.
“Having worked with Marc, Romain and the rest of the board over the last 18 months, I know how
exceptional the team is: they enabled the building of the most advanced wind powered transport
vessel in history in just 24 months,” continued Schalit. “I am honoured to have been offered the
opportunity to join as CEO and am looking forward to helping scale the company to its massive
potential.”
PRESS RELEASE
About AYRO
AYRO, a leader in maritime transport decarbonation, is a French industrial start-up that designs,
manufactures and markets OceanWings®, rigid wings designed for installation on cargo ships
and yachts, helping to reduce CO2 emissions by cutting fossil fuel consumption.
For more information, please visit our website: https://ayro.fr/

Corporate Communications: communication@ayro.fr
About SWEN Capital Partners and Blue Ocean
SWEN Capital Partners is a leading responsible investor in unlisted assets in Europe, with €8
billion under management (cumulative commitments). Blue Ocean is SWEN’s venture capital
fund investing in innovations that help regenerate ocean health, hence contributing to achieve
SDG14. It was launched in scientific partnership with Ifremer, France’s ocean research institute.

Blue Ocean is the largest ocean impact innovation fund in the world to date, with a size of €170m.
Press inquiries: lfornari@swen-cp.fr
About Ocean Zero LLC
Ocean Zero invests in innovative young companies such as AYRO that can make a
breakthrough difference in decarbonizing transportation on the world’s oceans, rivers and
seas. The fund seeks visionaries who have a realistic opportunity to make a significant leap in

scale and impact that can dramatically change the overall emissions of CO2 and other
pollutants incurred by sea shipping, ferries and recreational boats. Ocean Zero was the lead
investor in AYRO’s Series A raise and a repeat investor of significance in Series B. AYRO was the
second of eight companies Ocean Zero invested in since its founding in 2020.
For more information, visit OceanZeroLLC.com

About Bpifrance
Bpifrance Investissement is the management company that handles Bpifrance’s equity
investments. Bpifrance is the French national investment bank: it finances businesses – at every
stage of their development – through loans, guarantees, equity investments and export
insurances. Bpifrance also provides extra financial services (training, consultancy) to help
entrepreneurs meet their challenges (innovation, export…).
For more information, please visit: https://www.bpifrance.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @Bpifrance
– @BpifrancePresse

South Africa faces a pressing road safety challenge, with a disproportionate number of accidents involving heavy vehicles, particularly trucks. In an effort to address this issue and promote safer road conditions, it is imperative to raise safety awareness among truck drivers across the country.

To promote safe driving amongst heavy vehicle truck drivers, certifications solutions company JC Auditors (JCA) will participate in a series of road shows in collaboration with industry partners, dedicated to raising awareness among heavy vehicle truck drivers and promoting safe driving behaviours.

The first event will be hosted at the Highway Junction Truck Stop on 4 October 2023, targeting an audience of 2 000 drivers. During this event, drivers will not only be treated to delightful surprises and giveaways, but will also receive a crucial safety message emphasising the importance of responsible driving. The Highway Junction team are spearheading this event, with the JCA team providing driver safety resources and support.

For the second year, JCA will partner with the Reinhardt Transport Group (RTG) for their “Safer Roads” road shows, which will take place in various locations, including Komatipoort, Steelpoort, Rustenburg, Brits and Richards Bay. This collaboration will enable the dissemination of vital road safety information to a broader audience of truck drivers across these high-volume routes.

In addition to these road shows, JCA will host its third Annual Driver Day at Highway Junction, which will encompass driver health checks and the highly successful one-on-one driver motivational talks. This event further recognises the challenges faced by truck drivers and aims to express appreciation for their demanding profession. Each driver will receive a token of gratitude as a gesture of recognition for their commitment to one of the most challenging jobs around.

“The JCA team strongly encourages all stakeholders in the road safety ecosystem to consider and implement initiatives that elevate the professional status of drivers,” says Managing Director Oliver Naidoo. “By collectively addressing the issues faced by truck drivers and promoting safer driving practices, we can work towards improving South Africa’s lamentable road safety record.”

JCA is committed to fostering a culture of road safety and believes that these road shows, in collaboration with industry partners, are a meaningful step towards making our roads safer for everyone.

“South Africa’s trucking industry plays a pivotal role in the nation’s economy, facilitating the transportation of goods that are essential for daily life,” continues Naidoo. “The significant increase in freight volumes proportionately increases the safety risk exposure, hence the need for greater awareness and adherence to safety protocols among truck drivers.”

In this regard, Naidoo highlights some key factors the road freight sector should consider:

High accident rates: South Africa has one of the highest road crash rates in the world, and a significant proportion of these accidents involve heavy vehicles. The consequences of these accidents are often devastating, resulting in loss of life, injury, and damage to property.

Economic impact: Road accidents involving trucks have a substantial economic impact, causing delays in supply chains, increased insurance costs, and damage to infrastructure. These costs ultimately affect businesses, consumers, and the overall economy.

Driver well-being: Truck driving is a demanding profession, often requiring long hours on the road, exposure to adverse weather conditions, and significant physical and mental strain. Ensuring the well-being of truck drivers is not only a safety concern, but also a matter of basic human rights. The increasing truck crime statistics and social unrest incidents make the situation even worse.

To address these challenges, there is a growing need for comprehensive safety awareness programs targeting truck drivers. These initiatives should include:

Education and training: Providing truck drivers with access to training programs that focus on safe driving practices, defensive driving techniques, and understanding road conditions. This should not be purely classroom based which has limited impact, but should use personal, innovative, and consistent means of engaging with the drivers to bring about the desired shift in safety culture.

Mental and physical health support: Offering resources and services that address the mental and physical health of truck drivers, including stress management, nutrition, and regular health check-ups, especially for drivers with chronic illnesses.

Technology integration: Implementing advanced safety technologies such as collision avoidance systems, fatigue monitoring, and using telematics data to enhance driver safety.

Community engagement: Encouraging collaboration between government agencies, the trucking industry, and local communities, to create a collective commitment to road safety.

Recognition and appreciation: Recognising and appreciating the contributions of truck drivers who undertake one of the toughest jobs in the country, often under challenging conditions.