From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

Professionals in the construction industry interrogated and tested the latest building tools and consumables at local construction equipment distributor Upat’s open day, in January. Schalk Burger has the story.

Schalk Burger:

The innovations displayed at the open day included new nylon plugs, chemical anchors, hand-held band-saws and chainsaws, as well as digital innovations for tracking powertools and for documentation and processing of measurements on a smartphone.

Upat distributes the Fischer range of construction fasteners, Milwaukee power-tools, AEG power-tools and Stabila measuring tools, and provides technical support and advice on their applications and use.

Upat MD Richard Kuhlmann highlighted the changes in the construction industry including battery-powered handtools, and the growing digital integration of physical tools into construction professionals’ work processes.

For example, the latest Milwaukee power-tools could be remotely tracked, assigned to sites or teams and locked using a smartphone application. Upat also showcased chemical anchors for light-weight concretes, including polystyrene-cement, which is seeing growing use in some inner-city projects.

Richard Kuhlmann tells us more.

Upat MD Richard Kuhlmann:

Sashnee Moodley:

Other news making headlines:

Business outlines five partnership priorities as it calls for new growth framework

And, Agricultural sector plan prioritises job creation and agroprocessing

Business Unity South Africa has called for a “new framework for growth” that addresses, through public-private partnerships, the economic risk being posed by high levels of inequality.

Busa president Sipho Pityana:

Agbiz recently shared the agricultural sector’s five-year business plan at the Business Unity South Africa Business Economic Indaba, held in Midrand.

Agbiz CEO Dr John Purchase:

Sashnee Moodley:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.