Core Construction Limited, at the recent Ghana Construction Industry Excellence Awards, clinched the Overall Best General Construction Company of the Year 2020/2021 for as the citation read ‘living up to its vision of becoming the fastest and preferred hub for construction works in Ghana and Africa at large.
“Evidently, the ability of the company to produce such high-level quality equipment coupled with the excellent construction capabilities has contributed significantly to Ghana’s infrastructural development.
Again, the company’s desire to excel, surging in advance with a presence in a couple of sectors and involvement in progressive projects, makes it the construction company of choice and the most sort-after company in Ghana and beyond especially after the completion of the Tema-Motorway Interchange Works in Partnership with Shimizu Dai Nippon JV.
In recognition of your outstanding performance in the Construction Industry in the country, the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry and its Partners congratulate you on being accorded the Overall Best General Construction Company of the Year 2020/2021 Award”, the citation read further.
Currently, Core Construction established on March 2, 1995, is at the core of Ghana’s road construction industry. The company’s subsidiaries including Platinum Seal Limited, Platinum Seal Quarries and Seal and Tar, provide varied support to the construction industry in both the public and private sectors.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Frank Lartey, later in an interview explained that Core’s steady progression in the construction industry has been fueled by research and the desire “to always do the right thing”.
Every Road Is Different
According to him, the company had thrived on some basic principles and one of them was that “every road must be treated differently. The soil types, topography, road usage requires that we give different treatments to different road construction.
He said, his curiosity to investigate why some roads in the country fail shortly after construction led him to traverse several countries including Mexico, China, Czech Republic, South Africa and Turkey.
The outcome of those travels which started in 2007, is the introduction of the Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB), a chemical reaction product, which makes asphaltic overlays more rugged as compared to the conventional asphalt.
The PMB plant, which was designed by Mr Lartey himself, sits at Kpone near Tema in the Greater Accra Region, from where it supplies the specialized product to many road contractors in the country.
“Most road contractors who buy Butimen from us now benefit from our specialized product. We add the chemical to the design mix because it has higher adhesive strength, dry faster, and ensure that the road lasted longer”.
A test of the PMB product according to Mr Lartey is the 22-km Apedwa-Bonsu Highway, in the Eastern Region, which after about five years of construction has remained in good shape.
“Work on that road started in 2016 and within nine months we had finished. The scope included milling the existing asphalt which was bad and spraying our specialized asphalt on it.
Mr Lartey explained that there was a portion of the Apedwa-Bonsu road that his company could not reconstruct because its feasibility study showed that part of the road required a different treatment which the company did not have at the time.
Similarly, the condition of the Kpone main road near Tema, which is heavily plied by heavy-duty trucks would have been worse but for the PMB which was used to tar the road 13 years ago.
Meanwhile, surfaced dressed roads usually last between seven to 10 years depending on volumes of traffic that ply it.
Currently, Core is undertaking the rehabilitation of the sections of the Old Winneba Road. It has successfully completed its work from Kaneshie to First Light under the Department of Urban Roads (DUR).
However, the company according to Mr Lartey is awaiting delivery of special equipment to enable it to continue the work from Dansoman Hansonic Junction to Mallam Junction. The reason is that the present overlay is overaged and would, therefore, require special treatment, he stated.
Explaining further, Mr Lartey said, his research was specifically carried out for Ghana adding that the design mix the company used for the overlay at Elubo was for instance one that fitted into the climatic conditions of South Africa, which is similar to Elubo.
“Elubo area is different from Accra. Core product is not a one size fits all”, he stressed.
Core Construction Limited sponsored the training of 24 Civil Engineers as part of its strategy to get industry players to understand the PMB product and its application in the Ghanaian road construction sector.
DowDpont, the world largest chemical manufacturing company based in the US is to carry out both physical and chemical research on the PMB to further enhance its performance and cost-effectiveness, Mr Lartey stated.
that DowDuPont, the Core Construction Ltd
The Night Road Surgeons
“When the road is critical, Core would be called”, Mr Lartey stated. He said, Core Construction Ltd, operated like a surgeon except that it did most of its work at night when the road was free from traffic.
“While you are sleeping, my men and I would be on the road. We cut the road, excavate the bad materials, refill with appropriate crush rocks (aggregates) and make it motorable again by the time you wake up in the morning to use it. That is how we work.
Recently, we did some work on the Spintex Road, and it was done at night so we do not unnecessarily disrupt the flow of traffic. The same approach was used on the Anloga Road near KNUST in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
After over two decades of operations, Core Construction Limited and its allied companies according to Mr Lartey have come of age and has the capacity to produce the required high-quality construction materials – PMB and special aggregates for the industry.
Facts Sheet
Core Construction Limited has the capacity to produce the required special aggregates for the industry.
Core Construction Limited is the only company in Ghana that produces the Polymer Modified Bitumen, which is of higher quality than the conventional asphalt.
Core Construction Ltd Polymer Modified Bitumen sells at the same price as the conventional asphalt.
Pull Quote
The product is good. The Ejumako road on which polymer emulsion was used has no potholes. The road is still intact after four years – Mr Sammy Akuako, Central Regional Director of Ghana Highway Authority.
Source: Mypublisher24.com/Naa Lamiley Bentil