Founded in Randfontein in 1989
Dave Onderstall, the sole owner, founded Heatconsult in 1989 and the operation has been based in Randfontein since. Heatconsult manufactures a vast range of specialised refractory and moulding materials, developed in-house rather than as standard equivalents.
Development-led manufacturing
The product range grew from about 1,000 development projects covering a wider spectrum of refractory technologies. Heatconsult maintains approximately 350 running metres of shelving containing samples of developed materials, together with 186 lever-arch files of development projects and an extensive technology-record archive. This allows the closest existing formulation to be located and modified quickly for an exact requirement.
Quality assurance built for specialised work
The in-house QA system is aimed at research and development rather than fixed-range mass production. Most materials are batched in 8 kg to 25 kg bags, reducing variation caused by segregation from bag to bag. The company’s approach is to accept responsibility for conformity and only manufacture a formulation when it is superior in some meaningful way.
Fast turnaround
Heatconsult consists of five mini factories with 10 qualified staff members. The operating model is designed for extremely fast response, making same-day production and delivery possible for many orders. Rapid moulding techniques also allow many new precast items to be produced at approximately one day’s notice.