MAL38:20 | Page 12

CORPORATE SCENE

SAFBUILD : The Region ’ s Premier Pre-Engineered Steel Buildings

By Marketing Africa Crew

Manish Garg , a civil engineer

by training and alumnus of
Harvard Business School is a steel building technology expert , with over two decades of experience in project management and running successful business ventures . He has worked with large metal building companies and was credited for bringing the Pre-Engineered Building ( PEB ) concept to India way back in 1997 , with the distinction of being involved in the execution of the first ever metal building on Indian soil . He has been instrumental in setting up metal buildings businesses for Multi National Corporation ’ s and making it large for them .
Mr . Garg currently runs the Safal Building Systems in the capacity of Business Head and leads the team to achieve the objective of pioneering the Pre-Engineered Building concept in the African continent for Safal Group . The team has already built the first PEB project in Meru county , Kenya .
Marketing Africa Magazine held a discussion with him on the launch of SAFBUILD , the region ’ s premier coldformed , pre-engineered steel building solutions ( PEB ) and what this new technological innovation portends for the entire construction landscape in this part of the world . The excerpts are shared in the storyline here-under .
Kindly share with us a brief on who Safal Group is on a global scale . How does MRM sit in the Group ? And where is the SAFBUILD baby domiciled in this whole equation .
The company opened its first manufacturing facility , Mabati Rolling Mills , in Mombasa , Kenya , in 1962 , rapidly widening its reach to include further countries in East Africa , and then Southern Africa . In 2003 , all operating companies were reversed into the current holding company and conduct its business across Africa as the Safal Group . Today , the Safal Group manufactures in 10 African countries and sells and markets its building solutions across the continent .

Generally life is stressful nowadays and construction makes it even worse . At Safal we thought about making construction less stressful with solutions which takes all the pain out of the whole construction process . This in turn helps unlock peoples ’ crucial time to focus on their primary jobs .

The combined outputs of its roof manufacturing operations in the 10 countries in Africa make it the largest producer of steel roof sheeting on the continent . A full range of steel roofing flashings and accessories are offered as a complete roofing system , available from one trusted source . The Group has built a portfolio of trusted steel roofing brands established over many decades . It has built its business by offering millions of end users greater product choice and performance with roofing and related products which have defined the market , and continue to lead the way .
Safal Group is therefore the holding company for all the independent companies under the group with MRM being more of a first born and of course the flagship company within the group . Safal Building Systems is the new kid on the block within the larger family .
What was the company dream when making a foray into the African territory ?
The group dream stems from our vision of an Africa built with pride which naturally branches out through our vision of striving to make ours a business that can help build the future of Africa , by manufacturing ethical products , establishing strong brands and growing with our markets . We walk this dream by delivering trusted building solutions that are made with pride and care to provide superior customer value . This has been consigned into what we call The Safal Way , which drives a strong customer focus , innovating for world class solutions , partnerships for shared success , a commitment to ethics and compliance , and care for our employees , our communities and the environment at large .
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