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Founder’s Reflections
Fond
memories
After what can only be described as a traumatic
experience I vowed never to put my welfare in the
hands of an employer again and made up my mind
to somewhere, somehow start my own business.
While I searched for the right opportunity I worked
as a freelance consultant to a number of firms in
the country.
I knew that to be successful my business had to be
founded on products that were unique, would appeal to
markets outside of South Africa, and would allow me to
travel.
After two business failures, I became involved in the
housing industry in Africa. At the time there were some
500 million people on the continent so I reasoned that
there had to be a need for housing.
I knew that the human race had been building using
soil or mud for thousands of years but I also knew that
most of the structures built in this way frequently didn’t
last long when the rainy season arrived. Still, the use of
soil in structure appealed to my sense of the necessary
economics for my business. In addition, I knew that the
building system had to be simple so that unskilled people
could make the blocks and build with it.
It was this thought process that led me to the idea of a
dry-stacking interlocking block which used no mortar when
building. The building system also needed to be able to
accommodate with relative ease a reasonable variety of
doorways and window openings.
It was then that I began working in my garage,
tinkering about with designs for the machines as well
as the blocks they would produce. And so emerged the
concept of a high-quality compressed block made from
soil that was readily at hand plus the addition of a little
cement.
In practice, however, I discovered that the key to a
strong block was clay content: too much was as bad as
too little. Another important factor was the curing process,
which needed time, water and sunlight.
Even more important was a robust design as these
machines were likely to be needed in far-flung rural
areas all over the third world and I couldn’t afford to have
them breaking down all over the place. Testimony to the
success of that element of the design is the fact that
today some of the machines we built in 1990 are still in
productive use.
Of course, while I had the idea and the skills to design
the machines, Hydraform would not have lasted 25 years
without the people who joined me in my quest. Not wishing
to offend any of those who have contributed over the
years by forgetting to name them, I will restrict myself to
the three people without whom my dream may never have
been realised.
The first of these is the current MD, Robert Plattner. A
solid partner since 1988, Robert stuck with the business
The story of Hydraform began in 1983 when
I was retrenched by a large engineering group
that closed its offices in South Africa.
through thick and thin and his unwillingness to give up is
a major reason why Hydraform is the company it is today.
The second critical player is John Carter, our present
chairman and one of the first investors. John became
involved in 1993 and Hydraform benefited greatly from his
sage advice while I grew personally from having him as
my mentor.
Finally, and most definitely not least, is Linda Kempster,
our current operations director. Linda started at Hydraform
in 1995, handling the money that kept the business
running. Without her the company could never have
survived.
Perhaps one of my fondest memories is of our company
motto back in 2005: “Hydraform goes where no one else
goes.” Long may it continue.
Jochen Kofahl
Founder
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