TECT Systems

ALEX: Hey there, welcome to the latest episode of MARKHAM Invisible Strength Podcast series! For those of you who haven’t heard us before, I’m Alex Portelli, MARKHAM Specification Consultant in Australia, and with me is Hayden Prestidge, Sales and Marketing Manager. Hayden, want to introduce yourself?

HAYDEN: Yes I do. Yes, I do, but first, what is going on with this weather, Mr Portelli? It’s terrible in Sydney, isn’t it?

ALEX: Oh my goodness, it is wetter than a wet Sunday, that’s for sure, every day of the week.

HAYDEN: And how are we supposed to be working on-site when we were given this sort of weather? But anyway, that’s beside the point, I guess. Hayden Prestidge; I’m working with MARKHAM for over 7 years now in Sales and Marketing. And yes keen to be part of this and talk about … what are we talking about here today?

ALEX: Today we’re going across our TECT systems again and just giving an overview, basically, on how they’re actually helping the industry and why we put them together,

HAYDEN: Yes, nice.

ALEX: So a couple of weeks ago we launched our FLOOR-TECT system. Really, really pleased about the interest that there’s been in the industry, and all the contact that we’ve had from that. So it’s been unbelievable. In our previous podcast, we also talked a little bit about the whole TECT approach – why we did it, why we brought it together, and basically we want to dive a little deeper into that topic in its own right. So Haydo, can you remind us about the TECT approach?

HAYDEN: Yes, TECT is all about protection, for us, and that’s why we’ve used the TECT word. So we’ve got BASE-TECT, FLOOR-TECT, SLAB-TECT. Obviously, we’re all about concrete protection, and our vision, as you know, is Saving the World One Concrete Structure at a Time…

ALEX: It is.

HAYDEN: …and that’s about protection. So you need protection in every way. And why we’ve brought out these systems is to make it a whole lot easier for the industry to understand, really. We’ve had a lot of products. There’s a lot of, lot of, products on the market. Every provider’s got products. But not many have a system. Not many have a system that can work for what you’re trying to achieve; and that’s where the TECT systems come in. It’s all about providing… It’s often a combination of product, but it’s also right from design, right through to delivery as part of the system.

And we’re really building on the MARKHAM experience and what we’ve, I guess, what we’ve learned from years and years of experience in the market; providing different solutions to different situations, and getting those results. And then bringing it up to this point where we can provide one system; one package that’s really easy to specify, really easy to deliver; and ultimately, the client or the asset manager’s getting what they need for the job. So it’s as I say, it’s about protection. It’s about system, it’s about a holistic approach and ultimately protection adding life.

ALEX: Sweet, sweet! So our first bundle was the BASE-TECT system and that was obviously geared right towards basement waterproofing as a holistic approach. And then we have our SLAB-TECT for exposed concrete industrial floors and the likes. And now we’ve got our FLOOR-TECT system for concrete slabs under resilient floor coverings. Are you able to outline the benefits of systemizing things in this way?

HAYDEN: Yes, yes, so MARKHAM‘s unique in the way it provides product supply and installation. So there’s a lot of product providers out there. But then someone else puts on the product; and that can result in all sorts of headaches, as you can understand. So MARKHAM has always held providing the product, manufacturing of the product, right through to applying with our own teams on site. That’s what we call the end-to-end approach.

And that that also works with design: the architects; and then design-and-construct designers – you know what I mean, like builders’ design teams; to really establish and understand what they need, what the performance expectations are for a job, and the requirements. And then we work to make sure that the system is designed to suit that job. And that might be just simply around programme time and things like that. That all comes into it. It’s not always just about the concrete.

ALEX: OK, so just to recap there, we don’t just have a system put in place that we throw out into the market again. Again, every single facet of the project is looked at when it comes to the design of the concrete; and how we can best put the products into place to ensure that they’re actually going to gain the desired finish at the end. But in doing that we also take into consideration time restraints and working on site with the other trades etc. Is that right?

HAYDEN: Yes, 100% and right through to warranty. What do they need for, you know, what is it? Is it a performance-based warranty? What are they trying to achieve? So if it’s waterproofing, are we doing a totally dry basement? Is there a combination of things we can look at to, you know? Do we want to deliver a very cost-effective solution but some protection? – those sort of things, and that all comes under that ‘system’ thing.

ALEX: Yes, so it’s…There’s definitely a holistic approach to the whole project, not just, you know, the key elements to do with concrete. We’re actually, you know, covering a lot of bases in that, which is awesome.

HAYDEN: From what we see, and what we’re told is … the market absolutely hates at this point, is just given a product and a tech sheet and expected to know what to do with it.

HAYDEN: Yes, and it’s becoming so hard. No one got time to decipher that information. No one’s got time. And then also to take that risk, you know, like, Hang on. Do I understand this enough?

So where we can provide a system right through from design, specify it, draw it up, shop drawings, provide it, install it on-site, and offer that full warranty. That’s where it comes in.

ALEX: Yes, it’s awesome. That’s awesome. So we talked about the risk reduction, obviously, in the previous segment, a little bit here, where construction professionals are really trading in risk, that’s another benefit of this approach; we’re really minimising that for them, aren’t we?

HAYDEN: Absolutely, it’s a huge thing, risk; and everyone wants to minimise their own risk. And in saying that, MARKHAM itself is a risk-averse company. We’re not going to take on every single job; because we know where our products work and where they don’t work; whether they’re well suited and whether not so suited. But what you say is, yes, absolutely. It’s trading in risk. Basically, they’re buying and selling risk through subcontractors, through different systems they put into their buildings.

So take basement waterproofing as a big example, and probably the most glaring example, Everyone from the architect right through to the building owner is dealing with one entity if MARKHAM are involved in there. So when we provide the BASE-TECT system, everyone right from that design phase, consultant phase, right through to the owner, getting what they, their building handover – it’s one head, so to speak, being MARKHAM, that’s controlled the whole application. And there’s no blame-shifting. There’s no pointing a finger. We provided the product; we provided the installation; we provided the warranty.

And yes, yes, I’d say we’ve had times where we’ve had to go back on site and, you know, tweak things that weren’t quite meeting expectations. But overall, the delivery is excellent, and that’s what the market’s needing. And that’s what this TECT system is all about; to make sure that’s delivering excellence for the building itself.

ALEX: Yes, that’s awesome. So it’s a simpler process for everyone involved. It’s easy to specify. It’s simple to cost up; and the construction team is dealing with one entity for scheduling … scheduling!

HAYDEN: Yes, that … scheduling, and scheduling! Now that’s 100%, and that’s what it’s all about…

When … I guess, when would we had some market feedback and putting this together, it was like, How can you make this easier to put together? And actually, highlighting that there. There was good feedback from an architect the other day. There’s some groups that can’t put in actual products, right? How did that go?

ALEX: That’s right, yes. So basically in the industry, there are some restraints when it comes to the actual specifying of products and going down one path. What we’re actually offering in some cases is a system to put in place, especially in the educational scene, for example. When it comes to protecting under floors and fast timelines and whatnot, we’re putting a system forward that is going to ultimately benefit not only the builder but the asset owner at the end of the day. So that, yes, that did come into play.

HAYDEN: Yes, so they’re not tied to one product as such.

ALEX: That’s right.

HAYDEN: They’re saying, Here’s what we need as a system. You guys go and deliver on-site.

ALEX: Basically, yes.

HAYDEN: And that’s where MARKHAM can help out. So here’s a system. OK, you need this, this, this, we’ll come and do this. You guys do this. You know, really clear expectations and they get the result they need to. I think that’s important. And ultimately if you talk about architects, like … their reputation’s at risk; same with the builder. They’ve got to make sure it’s right for them.

That’s really what our TECT approach revolves around, is that we’re involved in all stages, reducing that risk. One supplier, making it easy, and it’s a real win-win for designers, construction teams, asset owners, all parties.

ALEX: That’s awesome! So if you guys want to find out more, get in touch with us at markhamglobal.com. There’s the contact page or send us a message with Percy the chatbot. Thanks for your time Hayden, and look forward to the next one!

HAYDEN: Thank you so much!