international
construction
july-august 2013
SITE REPORT
56
Reaping the rewards
Following a huge investment in equipment in 2008 and
2009, quarry operator and contractor Groupe Mojazine has
grown to be one of the largest construction companies
around Marrakech, Morocco.
Chris Sleight
reports.
T
hroughout the last few years of economic turmoil,
Morocco has managed to maintain a steady path of growth.
Even in 2009 when global GDP fell for the first time in
generations, the Moroccan economy grew by almost +5%. It also
escaped the disruption of the Arab Spring, which affected many
of its neighbours in 2011.
This stability, and at times robust growth, has been good news
for the country’s construction industry, stimulating investment
by the private and public sectors alike. On the government
side, a series of major motorway projects to link some of the
country’s major cities, along with plans to improve rural roads,
are providing a boost to the industry. Meanwhile, construction
related to the tourist industry and real estate developments are
significant drivers on the private side.
Both these are key factors in and around the historic city of
Marrakech. Tractafric, Caterpillar’s dealer for Morocco and
Central Africa has a branch in the city, and its head, Mohamed
Lamlyah, said business was good.
The branch has about 300 customers in its 400 km
2
territory,
ten of which Mr Lamlyah describes as large – having fleets of 50
machines or more. He said that in total the dealership serves a
population of some 800 machines, many of which are less than
five years old.
Infrastructure work, including road building, water, sewerage,
along with quarrying, are key activities and major projects in the
region include the 400 km Safi to El Jadida coastal motorway and
the 170 km Marrakech to Beni Mellal highway. In fact, although
the new purpose-built Tartaric branch in Marrakech has only been
open a year, business is such that the company may outgrow it.
“We are very optimistic. We think we’ll have to expand again in
five years,” said Mr Lamlyah. “That is based on current projects
and things that are coming up. There is a big programme of road
building in rural areas for example. There are lots of opportunities
in paving and road maintenance.”
Equipment investment
One of Tractafric’s larger customers in the Marrakech area is
Groupe Mojazine, which has five divisions active in the public
works, constructionmaterials, real estate, road building&bitumen
products and pre-fabricated concrete products businesses.
The company was set up in 2001, and now owns a fleet of
more than 200 pieces of construction equipment, about a third
of which are Cat. These include the majority of its excavators –
mostly 20 tonne class machines – as well as 80% of its 20-strong
wheeled loader fleet, which goes up to 24 tonne 966H models.
Reaping the
The advantage of river gravel as a feed
material is there is no need for blasting
or ripping. It can be excavated and
loaded all in one process as shown here
using a Cat 324D, which weighs in at
just below 25 tonnes.
The view from the primary crusher hopper at Mojazine’s Sidi
Ghanem quarry.
