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The growing number of entrepreneurs in
developing countries gave Brian Williams, of
Russell, the idea of introducing manufacturing
systems able to make concrete roof tiles in low
volumes.
At the time, concrete-tile making was restricted
to high-volume plants in industrialised countries.
These multi-million pound enterprises produce
around 100 tiles a minute. Elsewhere in the world,
something more affordable was needed.
By simplifying the technology, Russell Design
& Engineering was able to offer a system which
produced tiles of the same quality but at a rate of
four per minute and an overall cost which could be
as low as £30,000.
The first of these plants went to the Caribbean
and other orders soon followed, many of them from
Africa. In Uganda, Paul Wasswa bought his original
plant in 1991. Today his family-run company employs
25 people making 5,000 tiles a day, some of them
for export to Tanzania, Kenya and Congo.
Russell Design & Engineering has supplied
plants to many countries in Asia, Latin America and
the Caribbean as well as Africa. They enable
entrepreneurs and family concerns to set up in
business locally, providing jobs and satisfying a
growing demand for better houses made of better
building materials. As Brian Williams points out,
satellite television – reaching even remote corners
of the world – has stimulated demand for modern
homes with modern roofs.
Russell’s low-volume machines do not need highly
skilled operators and are easy to maintain. The
sand, cement and water they require are available
almost everywhere.
The production process is straightforward. In
brief, aluminium pallets (moulds) are driven
through an extrusion machine. Concrete is compacted
on top of them to create tiles. These are left to
cure overnight and are separated from the pallets,
which can then go back into the machine.
Overseas customers are invited to Russell’s
factory in Scotland to discuss what they need and
receive training. Customer support from inquiry to
commissioning of the plant has been vital to
Russell’s success. It has developed logical and
comprehensive information to enable customers to
fully understand the concrete tile manufacture in
which they have shown interest.
Reynell Barnes, a chemist wanting to start a
family business in Kingston, Jamaica, says he was
attracted to Russell by the low capital outlay,
allowing his company to “dip a toe in the water”.
Russell helped him with specifications for his
factory and trained his production supervisor in
Scotland and other workers in Jamaica. The plant
was in action within five months of this initial
inquiry.
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