Piled Foundations
MEGA PILE – one of South Africa’s largest, privately – owned geotechnical and piling companies – has started 2014 positively with a strong order book that includes some high-profile contracts along the Umhlanga Ridge and in the Umhlanga New Town Centre. These contracts are in addition to a long list of noteworthy contracts already completed in the past 18 months.
While the piling company has head office is located in Broadlands, Mount Edgecombe, it also has an inland branch with an office in Johannesburg – giving the company a strong presence in Gauteng as well as in the inland regions of South Africa.
Mega Pile experienced unprecedented growth over the past 18 months and a decision was subsequently taken to enter into a consolidation phase in order to slow this growth and restructure. The intention is then to manage the growth in a focused, controlled and sustainable manner.
Training and Development
To meet its restructure and growth targets, Mega Pile is currently in the process of training and developing its existing employees as well as employing additional personnel who will have the same drive and motivation to grow the business in a sustainable manner.
“We believe that the growth we have experienced over the past 18 months is a positive indicator for the local construction industry and the economy. Due to the nature of our business, we are generally the first activity on site and we usually see the upturn in the construction sector ahead of the main construction companies,” explains Greg Whittaker, Mega Pile Managing Director.
“There has been an increased interest in the private development sector in this region and this should be positive for the industry as a whole.” Whittaker adds that Mega Pile has completed 126 contracts in the past year-and-a-half.
Experience and expertise 
Mega Pile is able to service the full spectrum of the piling and geotechnical market – ranging from the lower-end small housing contracts for private clients through to higher-end multi-storey apartment and office blocks, shopping centres, industrial warehouses and factories. The company’s expertise also covers bridge and marine piling contracts.
The key factors that place Mega Pile in this unique industry position are the experience and expertise of its staff, and the company’s substantial plant and specialist asset base.
Mega Pile boasts a plant complement of 21 piling and lateral support rigs. This includes small, highly specialised micro-rigs that undertake difficult contracts in restricted and limited headroom areas; tractor-mounted piling rigs for the general market; as well as three computerised hydraulic Bauer piling rigs imported from Germany and capable of installing piles up to a maximum diameter of 1 500mm, with a maximum drilling depth of up to 45m.
Completed contracts
Some of the more noteworthy contracts successfully completed by Mega Pile in the past 18 months include:
uMhlanga area
SA Home Loans new office
Gateway Private Hospital
Ridgeside Office Park
Centenary – Quadrant 3
Rydall Vale offices
FNB head office
Beacon Rock
New Patio Warehouse
Seasons Court apartments
53 Richefond Circle
Seasons Park apartments
Nedbank offices
Ridge 6 offices
Other areas
Bruma Oriental City, Phase 2, Bedfordview, Johannesburg
Gauteng High Court Basement, Johannesburg
Unilever – Riverhorse Park
Nestle – Estcourt
Elangeni Hotel
Kolonnade Shopping Centre – Gauteng
New Midstream Mediclinic – Centurion
Pavilion Shopping Centre – Westville, Durban
85 Grayston Drive – Sandton, Johannesburg
Clifton High School – Morningside, Durban
Nsuze River Bridge – Nkandla
Watercrest Mall – Waterfall, Durban
Hillcrest Private Hospital
Tafta – Point, Durban
Lion Match Factory – Kings Park, Durban
Current contracts
Some of Mega Piles’s current contracts include Herwood Skye apartments, Illovo Growthpoint offices and Central Park apartments.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]