Dion Rudolph has joined the Citi-Con team, bolstering the company’s robust project management capabilities with him almost 30 years of concrete construction experience.

This knowledge includes new concrete construction and the maintenance, repair and protection of existing structures to ensure that they continue adding value throughout their design lifecycle. Furthermore, he is a flooring expert having installed many durable polyurethane floors for industrial applications. This is a complex field considering that flooring failure is one of the most litigated areas of construction.

Rudolph’s extensive knowledge has been harnessed across industries by leading mining houses; consulting engineers and contractors at new and older power stations; prominent commercial, residential and industrial property owners and developers, as well as their professional teams; and top agricultural companies. This is in addition to the services that he has delivered as a specialist sub-contractor on numerous greenfield and brownfield public infrastructure projects, including road construction, periodic maintenance and upgrades, as well as reservoir maintenance and repair.

Among Rudolph’s many career highlights was his involvement in the construction of a large vehicle wash bay on top of a workshop for Westvaal Volkswagen in Mbombela. This first-of-its-kind project at the time entailed placing just under 3 000m3 of concrete, which also had to be effectively waterproofed and protected against corrosion.

He is also especially proud of his involvement in the construction of Nelson Mandela Bridge. This iconic structure is the largest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa. Rudolph led the team that accurately core drilled the holes in the concrete blocks to which the bridge’s 48 stay cables are anchored, and his team sealed the joints.

He also played his part in ensuring that two new stadia were ready for the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010. At Royal Bafokeng Stadium, his team was appointed to pump grout into the many steel pipes that support the grandstand, which seats more than 40 000 people. This specialist application involved carefully considering the grout mix, pumping distance and pressure. At Soccer City, Dion installed the striking polyurethane floors and sealed all the joints in the bathrooms.

He was also responsible for installing the rustic-looking floors at many Pick and Pay Clothing stores, while working closely with the architects to achieve the desired aesthetic finish.

As a Citi-Con Project Manager, he especially enjoys sharing his wealth of knowledge with members of his team. As he explains, Citi-Con’s cutting-edge techniques deployed in concrete maintenance, repair and protection, as well as flooring installation cannot be transferred in a classroom. “It requires ongoing practice under the watch of a seasoned Project Manager, who can explain the many ‘tricks of the trade’ to ensure that project specifications are always met in an efficient and, just as importantly, safe manner. Dedicated mentees will find their feet quickly especially if they also keep pace with latest materials, equipment and methods – something I encourage all members of my team to do,” he says.

Dion is currently leading Citi-Con’s team undertaking extensive repairs to silo bins for a leading agricultural company. With this project close to completion, he looks forward to his deployment to the company’s Cape Town office from where he will manage Citi-Con’s many projects in the Western Cape.