DESPITE construction delays due to the ensuing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis, contractors can still catch up to deadlines while keeping their workers safe as building activity picks up again with the easing of lockdowns in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.
All they need to do is just consider wider use of building solutions already available locally and look at how innovative materials and techniques are being used in other markets to meet completion targets albeit having limited labors in adherence to social distancing protocols, according to Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President (SVP) for Marketing and Innovation Ram Maganti.
“Construction does not have to take backseat while the search for a permanent solution to Covid-19 is ongoing. We can adapt new technologies and ways of working to address labor shortages and restrictions to large numbers of workers at job sites. Such innovations are already available for wider use in the Philippines,” he said.
Road building, for instance, can use one-day concrete rather than the regular one that takes 14 days to mix, place, cure and attain the desired strength.
The former allows roads to be built faster with considerably less labor as seen with Holcim Philippines’s SuperFastcrete (SFCrete), which has been successfully utilized in the past few years to repair sections of Edsa and C-5 in the Metro.
Masons may use dry-mix mortar, a pre-packed mixture of cement, sand, and chemicals, for brick-laying and plastering in buildings and homes.
With this, fewer workers are required to cut cement bags and mix materials on site. Holcim also offers such.
Using more pre-cut and bent steel rebars that need less processing and easy to move and carry lightweight blocks can also help lessen manpower at construction sites.
Holcim Philippines can also draw from the expertise of LafargeHolcim Group in building solutions to help partners in the local industry, the top executive said.
He added that self-compacting concrete, one that distributes itself uniformly around a steel mesh without having to be vibrated, is another material that can be useful here, especially for foundations.
Per Maganti, the firm is also ready and willing to share with partners its knowledge and expertise in keeping worksites safe for people.
The SVP for marketing and innovation noted that health and safety are a core value of their company which has a strong background of handling risks at its sites to keep its people and partners free from any danger.
“The construction industry has a critical role to play in revitalizing the economy and building the needed structures to make us more resilient against Covid-19 and other health challenges. Adapting to our current reality by embracing innovative solutions can help us proceed in building these structures safely,” Maganti said.
To help revitalize the economy, the national government has allowed more types of construction activities to proceed in areas under quarantine but contractors should obey strict health and safety guidelines for workers.
Publicly listed Holcim Philippines is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the global leader in the building materials industry present in 80 countries with more than 75,000 employees.
The cement-maker has manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental and Davao, as well as aggregates dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions.