ROADLAB GIVES DIAMOND PRODUCTS THE THUMBS UP

Civil engineering materials testing laboratory Roadlab guarantees quality control in the construction and civil industries by testing and validating various materials at its accredited testing laboratory.

Roadlab is the largest independent and commercial laboratory in South Africa, with a core focus on the testing of construction and civil industry materials, as well as quality control applications.This is achieved by either making a specimen of the concrete in the laboratory using the supplied materials, or going directly on-site to take a sample of the placed concrete or asphalt for testing.

Roadlab general manager Deon Juckers notes that the company is able to take samples of concrete and asphalt using equipment supplied by Diamond Products – a leading specialist in the manufacture, assembly and sale of diamond tools and equipment for industrial applications.
“We are fully-accredited to carry out concrete core drilling for civil projects, by making use of a variety of core drills and bits supplied by Diamond Products. Once extracted, we take the samples back to the laboratory for testing,” he explains.

Juckers explains that when concrete is placed, it will have a certain strength requirement as specified by the design engineer. “If the sample tested does not withstand the required megapascals (MPa), it fails. The onsite contractor is subsequently required to rectify the problem and may have to demolish a structural component.”

Diamond Products director Darryl Gray notes that Roadlab is making use Shibuya R 1721 Core drilling systems combined with specially designed 109mm x 101 mm core barrels for drilling concrete and asphalt.
According to Juckers, Roadlab has been highly satisfied with the service and equipment supplied by Diamond Products. “The service from Diamond Products is excellent. When we require a new core drill bit or other items of equipment, delivery is always prompt and efficient. The products have performed well and we will continue working with Diamond Products in the future,” he continues.

Roadlab was established in 1965 and has grown exponentially since then. Juckers attributes this ongoing success to delivering good customer service and internal training programmes. “The company has an in-house training programme where staff members without formal qualifications can obtain a secondary education qualification (ABET), which makes them eligible for further external training,” he states.

The laboratory has also accommodated employees from external companies that have been in their departments for years, and boast experience in the industry. “These are senior people who have in some cases written the methodology on the applications, and undertake the training to gain more practical experience and learn about changes in the industry. They can take this knowledge back and share with their staff,” adds Juckers.

Senior Roadlab employees are also responsible for training junior staff members on how to use the Diamond Products equipment. Juckers reveals that the company may be on site at about 20 different locations at any given time. “Some projects can last for as long as three years, and there are not enough senior staff members with sufficient knowledge of the equipment to run all the sites.They need to train their team on how to operate the machinery effectively and Diamond Products has also regularly given training to staff at the laboratory,” he notes.

Juckers is optimistic of the future outlook. “Our industry expertise and quality of work is clearly evident in the fact that we have been in business for almost 50 years. As quality control becomes increasingly important in the local construction and civil industries, I believe that Roadlab is well-positioned to add greater value to the market and achieve further growth as a result,” he concludes.