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Mabati Rolling Mills steps up rivalry with construction software
Mabati Rolling Mills has launched a software it says will reduce cost of estimating building materials like iron sheets and steel. File
Mabati Rolling Mills has unveiled a software for estimating quantities of building materials targeting the mass market in an effort to grow marketshare.
The construction materials manufacturer says the software will help property developers and individuals to estimate quantities of iron sheets or steel products and costs, designs, and roofing structure, saving them wastage and allowing them to work within schedule.
Customers will access the services at Mabati’s service centres in Nairobi and Mombasa. The firm said it is building such service centres in Kisumu and Eldoret.
Investors, especially in rural areas who cannot afford the services of architects and quantity surveyors have relied on contractors’ estimate that, in some cases, turn out to be inaccurate.
“The software can be used by anybody who desires to build, does not know how to start, and does not have the resources to hire an architect, a structural engineer or a quantity surveyor,” said Mr Kaushik Shah, the regional executive of Safal, the owners of Mabati Rolling Mills.
Once data is fed into a computer, it generates sample designs. Currently builders buy physical models of their dream houses, which also increases costs.
Once the designs are generated, the software computes quantities — roofing sheets, steel trussing and accessories.
“The difference is the speed and efficiency and also getting exact quantity of materials,” said Mr Shah. “Some builders have specific requirements on size, length or colour. This cannot be mass produced as not everyone will want the same thing.”
Consumers have welcomed the use of technology , saying it will help to cut costs that have been rising.
“I wanted to build a three bed-roomed house in my rural home and a local contractor quoted 13 more iron sheets than I needed,” said Mr Michael Kusimba, illustrating the predicament of many investors who cannot hire professionals. “Such technology would have helped me to buy the exact quantities and divert the remaining cash to other materials,” Mr Kusimba said.
Knowing the right quantities would also benefit builders who borrow to reduce the risk of running short of cash or paying interest rates on loans one did not need. However, the move to turn to technology may cut the demand for professional services from architects and quantity surveyors.
Mabati Rolling Mills says its action has been informed by the shift in consumers’ tastes and preferences amid pressures to save costs.
Although competition has helped to keep prices of cement in check, high levels of inflation have seen the real estate industry soldier a heavier burden linked to imports like oil products and other raw materials.
Steel products
In an effort to cut costs, the property sector players have been using bulldozers, concrete pavers, compactors, excavators, mixers and other machines in mixing concrete, and clearing land, in an effort to lower costs of construction that has seen house prices increase beyond the reach of many consumers.
Makers of cement, corrugated sheets, paints and other steel products are already passing on the rising costs of production to property developers and use of modern technology is being seen as one of the ways to reduce these costs. KCB, a major player in the mortgage business recently launched a website portal of a mortgages developers club allowing members to access and advertise their products in the East African region.
