Buildmind- 21 July 2011

Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser.

THIS WEEK ON

www.buildmind.co.za

Thursday, 21 July, 2011

Do you know someone who might be interested in joining our BuildMind community?

Not a member of www.buildmind.co.za?

Editors Note

It’s been a busy week for the BuildMind team, we attended the Soweto Small and Emerging Contractor Indaba last week and met hundreds of small contractors, who were excited to join the site and start networking with industry people. We hope that this will help their businesses grow from strength to strength!

The Green Building Conference and Exhibition held at the Sandton Convention Centre last week was also a great success. The idea behind it was to give builders an opportunity to be aware of and respond to the effects that building has on the environment.

Courtesy of PPC Cement, we have also started posting a series of articles which explain the different cement classes and hope that you will find this insightful when making your buying decisions.

You will be pleased to know that BuildMind is almost ready to launch its upgraded new-look version, which will make it easier for you to navigate the site and will send information that is relevant to your business / interests straight to you. Please visit your profile and update your details.

We would love to receive your company news. BuildMind now has a press office function which will post your articles straight onto the site, free of charge. Send us your news today: info@buildmind.co.za

That’s all from me for this week – happy networking!

Claire

Upcoming Events

Event Name
Light Steel Frame Builders Training Course

Event Name
Design in Hospitality (DiH) conference and exhibition postponed

Event Name
Women in Engineering Science and Technology Conference 16-17 August 2011

Event Name
Building our Future: MBA Congress 2011

Latest Members

Jan Marneweck
Specification Consultant at Kwikot

Marcel Roeland
Director of Spancrete

Mosele Maloleka
Sponsorship officer

Quintus Grunewald
Owner of House Shop

Rene O'Donovan
Sales representative

Leigh-Anne Robertson
Marketing co-ordinator at Franke Kitchen Systems

Liz Myakayaka
Marketer at Van Dyck

Pfuluwani Phaswana
Director of Lfp trading

Wynand Lombard
Gen. Manager at Builders Trade Depot

Daryl Moodley
Marketer at Medal Paints

In the News

SA economy pays high price for wage raises

Increasingly violent labour protests are stoking worries about inflation. Unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers in the mining, steel, chemical and petroleum sectors have walked off the job or are threatening to do so, demanding wage increases about triple the 4.6% inflation rate.Read more »

Eskom extends deadline for its ‘open innovation’ pilot project

The first phase of power utility Eskom’s ‘open innovation’ pilot project would close by the end of July, said Eskom innovation manager Kammy Dhaver-Young at the beginning of this month. This gives engineers and other solution providers about two weeks to submit their proposals on www.openinnovation.eskom.co.za
Read more »

Understand the industry rules and jargon

“Emerging contractors should learn to be patient and understand the industry jargon and regulations”, Deputy Public Works Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu said yesterday. Bogopane-Zulu was addressing more than 400 emerging contractors at the Soweto Small and Emerging Contractor Indaba.Read more »

Construction opportunities exist across borders

Local companies have come to a realisation that the market is oversaturated with heightened competition for the few tenders available and this has put pressure on their margins and revenue. Afrifocus Securities construction analyst Hutan Chetty says construction companies should be looking for expansion opportunities across borders. Read more »

PPC Cement Tips: Do you know the legal requirements for cement?

It’s important to know the legal standards and requirements for the cement you use. Cement selection is an important aspect when considering the various aspects to your project. How you intend to use concrete in your project will determine which cement you will use. Read more »

Update your profile – it only takes a minute

BuildMind is getting ready to reveal its new look-and-feel to you and we are very excited about the opportunities that it will bring because browsing the site and connecting with your colleagues will be easier and faster than ever. The site will now filter all the information which you would like to receive directly to you. But in order for this to happen, you need to tell us exactly what you would like to receive. By taking just a minute to update your profile and fill in the missing fields, this will be possible.

Update your profile here:

Tell us YOUR news

It’s so easy! A press office is a central place where you can send all your company news and we will post it straight onto the site for you.

We really want to hear about what is going on in your business, perhaps in the form of case studies, project updates, or just general news.

Email us at info@buildmind.co.za today.

Seeking thought leaders

BuildMind is always on the look-out for industry experts who can write informative articles and opinion pieces for our Leaderboard.

Please feel free to nominate anyone who you think would fit this role or send us your own content.

Email us at info@buildmind.co.za today.