In-Situ Turns Plastic Into Bricks
Pauline Dikuelo | Tuesday October 19, 2021 06:00
Trading as In-Situ Civil Works, the company began in 2018 after Nthoi identified the gap in the market while he was working as a civil engineer. “I was not fulfilled to be just an employee, so I wanted to have an impact to the next generation by creating something friendly to the environment whilst creating employment in the process,” he said.
Nthoi then used his expertise and experience to come up with an eco-friendly product that was still new in the market and bring innovation into construction. He said the bricks are made by mixing plastic waste with sand, then heat and compress the materials into bricks sold at varying prices.
Currently, the company offers services, civil works, earthworks, paving and plant hire.
Despite the market being saturated by players, Nthoi said his product gives him an edge over his competitors adding that the bricks have no offcuts, are user-friendly and have more compress strength.
“We face some stiff competition from well-established contractors, but we believe in executing quality work, something that makes us work,” he said.
Most of his clientele are individuals and he also works with big contractors as subs. His factory can produce between 100 and 200 plastic bricks in a day, made from different kinds of plastic. The company has plans to add another big production line that could triple capacity to meet the demand.
However, the entrepreneur said capital has been the biggest challenge as he needs money to buy bigger machinery that will produce more plastics as his clientele keeps growing by the day.
“Our clientele keeps growing every day and we also need to increase our production, hence why we need a larger plant. We also have plans to diversify and manufacture roofing tiles and stormwater pipes. All our products will be done using our new innovative way of manufacturing, which exclude cement as a component needed in manufacturing,” he said.