How to start a Pre-cast concrete business in Uganda. (2022)
Having a successful small business is one of the best ways to build financial security and starting up a pre-cast concrete business is a step towards that goal. Using Uganda in this context, there is a steady growth in the construction industry which is anticipated to grow more. This is expected of any developing country as infrastructure is part of development. You are late if you are thinking of starting a pre-cast concrete business in Uganda. Though everything has its own time so if you are serious about how to start a pre-cast concrete business, this post shall guide you through the startup process and get you on the ship with all the others.
To start with, we shall discuss a pre-cast concrete business prior to a complete guide on how to create it.
What is pre-cast concrete and what exactly shall you be dealing with in this business?
Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in reusable formwork. Concrete is then cured, transported to the construction site, and then placed. In this business, you’ll be dealing in pre-casting concrete, curing it, and later selling it off at a profit.
Is there a market for pre-cast concrete products?
This is a question I answered already in the introduction. Though I suspect it slipped off your ears. This is the future of the construction sector. There is a shift from clay products to concrete ones. This is because of the immense advantages of concrete which you should keep inherent through practices such as quality control to give the cast concrete the required strength. You can’t go wrong with pre-cast concrete. There is just too much market for it. As long as you keep quality at your fingertips.
Who should start a pre-cast concrete business?
Just like any business, this also is for business people. Nevertheless, if you have some construction/engineering knowledge, then it’s perfect for you. If you are just a businessman, then you may need the help of a professional engineer.
How to start a pre-cast concrete business?
There we go. how to start a pre-cast concrete business is what is discussed onwards.
Talk to a professional engineer.
The first step in our guide on how to start a pre-cast concrete business is seeking professional guidance if you ain’t one. For most businesses, we start by writing business plans but this is a little complex. If you have engineering knowledge, then you clearly know what is required and what exactly you are going to do. Else, you need help from someone who knows. If you are a good researcher, then you can pitch out what exactly you need.
Write a Business plan.
Now that you know what exactly is needed, plan on how you are going to achieve that. We highly recommend you plan your business. Don’t start off without a clear plan. Here are key elements you should look at in your precast concrete business plan.
Executive summary, Business Description, Business goals and objectives, Market analysis, Sales strategies, Funding, and more.
For detail on what you should include in all these components, we have a detailed post about how to write a business plan. This can be of help.
Decide on the production strategy.
To start a pre-cast concrete business, you need to decide on a production strategy, this shall depend on the available finance. Some of the production strategies to consider and the respective capital requirements are;
labor only;
This type of strategy is ideal for you if you have fewer funds to start your pre-cast concrete business. Here, the client buys his materials such as sand, cement, and water and all you are paid for is labor. ie making the different pre-cast concrete products.
Wholesome;
This strategy is ideal if you have enough start-up capital. In this strategy, you produce all the products using your money and the client chooses what they want from the available products.
Hire professional top management staff.
These I mainly mean engineers or someone with experience. It’s not good and I don’t advise you to start off with any engineering material production without analysis and design by a knowledgeable person of the materials and more of the sort.
Make detailed drawings and designs of the products you are to produce.
If you are not a professional, now is the time to do detailed design because you’ll have the guidance of a knowledgeable person. Some products you can produce are culverts of different diameters, slabs, concrete blocks, pavers, fencing poles, and more. This is the time to do drawings for them. We recommend doing market research to determine how the different products are doing in your area before you decide to produce.
Look at the Fund requirement.
As you know, money is one of the main requirements to start any business and a pre-cast concrete business isn’t exceptional. The plain truth is that the monetary requirement for this business especially on a large scale is big. Though freedom is left to you to start small. The monetary requirement also depends on the products you’ll produce and who your target market is.
Location and Facilities.
The key points to look out for on a suitable site or location are;
A spacious location for curing the different concrete products, storage of materials, and expansion of the facilities when the need arises.
An accessible location with a good display yard where products can be displayed and trucks can pack and load materials.
Tools and equipment.
Further to start a pre-cast concrete business, you’ll need some tools and equipment to ease your work. some of the tools and equipment you’ll need include;
A concrete mixer to ease the mixing of the different constituents and improve the quality of work from the production of a good mix.
Formwork for all the different pre-cast concrete elements
A vehicle for transportation of the different materials.
a vibrator for compaction of concrete and many more tools used in casting concrete.
Materials and supply.
The materials required for this business are;
Water, coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, and cement. Some additives(admixtures) may be added to enhance the properties of concrete and reinforcements for some pieces like culverts.
I’ll not go into the detail of these, their properties, and so on as we have standards we follow for different pieces. I recommend that you hire the services of a professional engineer and you’ll get over these together.
Material suppliers: In this business, material suppliers are very important as different materials have different properties. You can call for bids for supplies of construction materials and check out clearly what each has to offer.
Advertise your business.
When you’ve started your business and have it running, think about how you are going to have your products across the lines. it’s through advertising. use technology to your advantage through, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. moving around to get subcontracts from different contractors in your area to produce pre- cats concrete material for them too is an ideal way of advertising.
How to get ahead of others in this business.
Make quality. Remember concrete never lies. If you make it without good quality control, it shall fail and paint a bad name on you.
Purchasing materials in large quantities can save you lots of money. You can make special orders from the manufacturer if you are purchasing a great deal of material.
Prioritize large-scale production. With a registered business, you can look out for contracts or subcontracts to fix some of these materials such as pavers.
Prioritize your worker’s safety and well-being. this makes them more productive and hence getting you more profits
Conclusion.
If you are out there planning to start a concrete works business, then I think this post was informative and full of guidance. That’s where the world is moving. Away from grass lawns to paved ones, from clay bricks to concrete blocks. So I welcome you into the concrete works world. Feel free to comment and share your experience if you are in the business already, or you can hit us up for any help starting up a concrete works business. We got your back.
