The government's recent decision to repatriate illegal foreign workers may well put a spanner in its goal to build 612,000 houses under the Eighth Malaysia Plan between 2001 and 2005 and to provide affordable quality living for the rakyat. The Malaysian building 'Industry has depended on cheap foreign labour for years, so much so that when the exodus of workers started, it was literally crippled. The inevitable delay in the construction process due to inadequate labour has caused developers to cry foul, as they claim they stand to lose RM1.2 billion in liquidated and ascertained damages (LADs) for late delivery of houses.
It should be pointed out, however, that their laments about the unfairness of the government's move are not going to resolve anything.
Instead, they should consider constructive steps (no pun intended)'to address the issue and treat is as a blessing in disguise. For the repatriation of workers and the minimal activity on construction sites could be the wakeup call for the industry that now is the time to look into alternative building solutions that are less lahour-intensive and more cost-effective.
Among the solutions is the Acotec wall panel, an innovative hollow-core concrete wall panel manufactured by PJD Concrete Products Sdn Bhd. Marketed as a substitute to brickwork, the Acotec panels with a standard width of 2ft come in two sizes, namely 3in and 4in.
The length of tbe panels can be customised to a maximum length of 101~. The panels have hollow cores for wiring and act as a sound barrier and provide thermal insulation, thus making the house cooler.
PJD Concrete Products chief operating officer Tan Hong Meow said the technology was brought in from Finland by the company seven years ago in order to revolutionise the country's building industry.
Now, the company's three factories in Nilai, Negri Sembilan; Taiping, Perak; and Johor Tenggara are producing more than 1.6 million square feet of panels per month for its clients nationwide.
Projects in which the Acetec wall system has been utilised include the Raja Uda commercial centre in Penang, Endah Parade shopping complex and Endah Regal condominium in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur as well as five-storey fiats and single- and double-storey terraces in Taman Putri, Kulai,Johor.
It was also used in the Selangor medical centre in Shah Alam, the Palace of the Golden Horses, also in Selangor, and for the sound barrier wall along the Shah Alam Expressway.
Tan said the 3in panels are recommended for internal walls, while the 4in ones are more suitable for external use due to the vagaries of weather and for seepage prevention.
The panels are installed onsite; two workers are needed to put them up and temporary wooden wedges are used to hold them in place while a special adhesive is applied between them to ensure both are properly "bonded". "The issue of wall crookedness does not arise as, after every panel is installed, workers will take measurements to ensure it is 90 degrees to the next," said Tan.
He said with Acotec panels, developers are guaranteed of speedier construction time with less labour costs. "A 2ft by 10ft panel is equivalent to 112 bricks, which need four to five hours and at least three workers to put up. However, with Acotec, you only need two workers to put up the panels and the speed is four times that of conventional brickwork," he said.
Tan said the workers only need to be semi-skilled and cost about RM50 per day. He added that the panel is an environment-friendly product as there is no need for formwork or external burning, thus reducing rubbish at the work site.
In addition, the Acotec panels are lighter, with 10sq ft of the Acotec panel 50 per cent lighter than 10sq ft of brick wall, which consists of 54 bricks weighing an average of 260 kg,' he said.
These advantages translate to direct savings of about seven per cent compared with conventional walls. Developers
Can also save about four per cent in indirect savings as speed of construction is increased and pilferage reduced (each panel is custom-made to suit a particular house, hence it cannot be used for another house).
Another advantage of the panels is that users are assured of a quality surface |