ZA
Passive fire protection involves the use of materials and design features in buildings and structures to prevent the spread of fire, smoke, and heat. This business opportunity revolves around providing products and services that enhance the fire resistance of buildings, protecting lives and property during a fire.
There are two business opportunities in South Africa on opposite ends of the market: shack fire mitigation in dense informal settlements and wildfire mitigation of large houses bordering vegetation.
This will include:
Fire-Resistant Materials: Manufacturing and supplying fire-resistant materials, such as fire-rated doors, walls, ceilings, and insulation, that are used to compartmentalize a building and slow down the spread of fire.
Fire Safety Audits and Inspections: Conducting fire safety audits and inspections of existing buildings to identify areas where passive fire protection measures can be improved for compliance with fire codes and regulations.
Fireproofing Services: Providing installation and application services for fireproofing materials and systems in new construction and existing buildings.
Fireproof Coatings, Sealants & Sprays: Providing fireproof coatings and sealants that can be applied to structural elements to enhance their fire resistance.
Firestop Systems: Offering firestop systems that seal openings and penetrations in walls, floors, and ceilings to prevent the passage of fire and smoke.
Shack fire Mitigation
Fire is a serious hazard in shack settlements in South Africa. It has been argued that "On average in South Africa over the last five years there are ten shack fires a day with someone dying in a shack fire every other day." - Wikipedia
This is due to the dense nature shacks that allows it to spread. Passive fire protection is a barrier or shield, stopping the spread of fire from one area to another. This does two things: It can contain a fire for a certain period of time preventing spread until a fire engine can arrive to estinguish it. But it can also give people enough time to evacuate by not only buying time but by insulating.
Weekend Argus - 8th July 2018 via Magnastruct
The main focus of shack fire mitigation in building materials has been the use of Magnesium Oxide (MgO) board also known by its local trade name "MagnaBoard". Magnastruct - the company which manufactures MagnaBoard which claims a fire rating of 30 minutes to 2 and a half hours tried to enter the shack fire mitigation business. In 2019 they launched a Flat-pack kit home as "the answer to informal settlement fires". Here is how they sold it:
The Square, a 2.7m2 x 2.7m2 home made of MagnaBoard, which has a zero flame spread and smoke development rating, making it ideal for homes in informal settlements.
Dave Lindup, chief executive of Magnastruct, has been through a frustrating time, but he is ready to launch a product that will provide a solution for countless residents in informal settlements frequently ravaged by fire.
His company produces the green building product, MagnaBoard, which is made from magnesium oxide. The breakthrough advantages of these boards are that they are 100 percent fire retardant, water impervious, mould and mildew resistant and the ideal building material for informal homes.
Currently in the planning stage the dwelling will be called The Square. The 2.7m2 x 2.7m2 structure will be sold in kit form, which will include the roof, walls, floor, a window, a door and bolts and screws with instructions for assembly. The flat pack kit will retail for under R7 500, compared to a Wendy house which retails for around R18 000 – and doesn’t have the fire retardant benefits.
“We are really excited as the dwelling will be able to be safe and secure when the owners are at work and although it is small, rooms can easily be added on as funds become available. A further advantage is MagnaBoard is great to paint on, so the owners can decorate the exterior,” says Lindup.
“We are talking to a finance house for small loans for our customers and plan to launch later this year. We want to make it easy for anyone to assemble a safe warm starter home.”
Lindup says magnesium oxide is superior in every category compared to traditional wood, gypsum and cement based products.
“MagnaBoard has a zero flame spread and smoke development rating, a huge advantage considering that informal houses are generally built very close to each other, so fires can easily spread very rapidly from one to another,” says Lindup.
“In a recent fire test held at an informal housing settlement in Pniel near Stellenbosch one of the homes was made out of MagnaBoard whereas the other shacks were built with conventional materials. When the fires were started the shacks made of conventional materials burnt, buckled and collapsed, whereas the fire in the informal house made of MagnaBoard could be contained and extinguished.”
So why hasn't "The Square" taken off? 2.7x2.7m2 is too small and people would rather take the risk and use other cheaper materials if it means a bigger shack. You see the comparison to a Wendy house above is not a size by size comparison. MagnaBoard is not cheap, it is more expensive than the pine planks used in Wendy houses and it is even more expensive than fibre cement aka "Nutec" on a per square meter basis. That is why most of the people who build with MagnaBoard are actually more affluent people using it to build "ecofriendly" homes or "energy efficient" buildings. You see not only does MagnaBoard have good fire resistant properties but it also has great insulation properies keeping your home cool in summer and warm in winter meaning no need for airconditioning or heaters. It is also great for sound insulation.
Selling
The biggest problem with this opportunity is that wildfire mitigation is very niche in South Africa. We know the area around Table Mountain is susceptible, we know houses in Knysna border vegatation but is that big enough. This type of niche contractor platform can then be adapted to many other use cases such as measuring what type of solar power kit you will need. Like you can type in how many TV's, fridges etc. and the system recommends how many panels and batteries you will need to power your house while loadshedding is happening.
Business Model
Material
Magnastruct was not wrong magnesium oxide board is superior, even though it is more expensive than conventional materials is could save lives. This is one of the most important value propositions you can have.
“Price Is What You Pay. Value Is What You Get.” – Warren Buffett
It is also widely available, easy to source and if you have enough resources can even manufacture it. Magnastruct's problem besides the size was it was not extensively marketed. The problem with informal building is who do they sell to? Who builds these shacks? We know what a Wendy house is we know what a Nutec house is but shacks are neither. It's not like people advertise "I build shacks". They sell metal sheets, they sell secondhand building materials etc. Magnastruct marketing didn't reach those people.
Format
The Square was a 2.7m2 x 2.7m2 structure will be sold in kit form, which will include the roof, walls, floor, a window, a door and bolts and screws with instructions for assembly.
I don't necessarily agree kit form is the way to go. For example I was speaking to a builder to build a beach cottage using Nutec. Nutec as the exterior wall and as the interior living room wall but MagnaBoard as the interior bedroom walls for acoustic insulation due to my misophonia which is a disorder of decreased tolerance to specific sounds and one of the treatments recommendations is using sound protection or creating "noise-free" zones within living spaces.
The same approach can be looked at for informal dwellings. Yes, a magnesioum oxide panel is more expensive than sheetmetal but do you put a price on your children's life?
Manufacturing
We know that MagnaBoard is magnesium oxide board like we know that Nutec is simply fiber cement. Anybody can make their own brand and call it something else for example acrylic sheet we know it as Perspex but other places its better known as Acrylite, Altuglas, Lucite, Optix (Plaskolite), Oroglas, and Plexiglas etc. But manufacturing is not a cheap endevour even if you have a plan to target the massive of informal settlement market.
Importing
The other options is important, you can even import and rebrand. The problem you will face here is the same like the importing of other raw materials and that is quality. If you buying Nutec or even PPC cement you know what you getting the same can not be said for some imported brands. The supply would have to be reliable and the volumes would have to be large.
Buying locally
The obvious small business option is to buy locally and add value somewhere else. Buying from Magnastruct or MgO boards from another supplier and delivering to the townships is adding value via logstics even if you are not doing any type of processing. You can also sell precut panels or certain size walls.
Wildfire Mitigation
When it comes to larger homes bordering vegetation the industry term is "wildfire hardening". An assessment it done of a house to see where it lacks proper wildfire prevention strategies.
What we have seen recently pop up in the US is digital assessment tools to help homeowners prevent their houses from burning down.
Wildfire Assessment ©Faura
This assesment tool is a assesment and lead generation platform in one similar to the way handman platforms work. The homeowner answers a bunch of questions and if they are lacking in certain areas then a contractor is recommended. This contractor pays the platform for every lead recommended.
There is also an opportunity to make money as an affiliate for wildfire mitigation equipment
Wildfire products ©Faura
Wildfire products affiliate links
