PROFILE OF BOSHARD CONSTRUCTION

A Major step forward

In 1997 Boshard took a quantum leap forward by persuading Grinaker-LTA, a national South African construction group, to take a 30% stake in the company and to finance the existing management in a buyout of the remaining shares. A few years later this process was rounded off by Boshard buying out the Grinaker-LTA share, thereby becoming wholly management owned.

In effect this meant that Boshard was by April 2006 a fully-fledged black owned company. More importantly, the initial tie-up with Grinaker-LTA meant that for the first time in its history Boshard had guarantees to enable it to tender on larger and far more complicated contracts.

In addition Grinaker - LTA took the company in as joint venture partners on such prestigious major contracts as The Grand West Casino, the Cape Town Airport's international arrivals terminal, the Juliett Apartment block in the V & A Waterfront, the UCT chemical engineering block and, in Port Elizabeth, the Aspen Pharmaceutical factory and the Coega construction staff's recreational centre.

This exposure to major contracting was of inestimable value to Boshard senior staff who in the process acquired a vast range of new skills and who more than once ended up in charge of their respective divisions in the joint venture projects.

Today Boshard Construction has very few limits on the size of contracts it is prepared to handle - up to R400 million would definitely be possible.

Boshard Construction has since attained emerging contractor status (Grade 8) with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and in addition Boshard can proudly display their ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Certification.

Ongoing Upliftment Programme

The majority of staff presently employed has benefited from Boshard's active transfer of skills and self-advancement program's. All current foreman except one were apprenticed and trained to their present positions. Two of the directors were put through Cape Technikon and obtained higher diplomas. Formal and on the job training is given to all PD subcontractors where contracts are of longer duration.