Concrete Units’ roots lie in the sea, the unpredictable moving sea where life and work are difficult. Harbours, breakwaters and jetties are easier to build when parts, indeed many parts, are built on peaceful, non-moving land. In 1983, Marine Civil, a harbour construction specialist, needed a division to precast heavy concrete units for use in jetty and breakwater construction. MC Precast was born. Jobs, though, arrived which were non-marine work and, in 1987, MC precast turned in Concrete Units, a specialist in precasting strangely shaped and heavy concrete units.

Nowadays, the company manufactures standard precast items such as concrete stormwater pipes, culverts, road barriers and jacking pipes. Concrete Units, however, continues to lead the market in precasting complicated items and large heavy units. 60 ton segments of towers for wind farms and 40 ton bridge beams are formed as part of the company’s heavy lift capacity. Breakwater armour units weighing up to 25 tons are produced in factories set up in harbours around South Africa.

Exposed aggregate façade units and panels with writing engraved into the surface are part of Concrete Units repertoire of specialised casting ability. Precast jetty components, concrete sea walls decorated as bricks and coastline splash walls are a throwback to the roots of Concrete Units. Stadium seats in single or multiple layers high, oddly shaped walls with rounded tops to make attackers slip off, precast units for river weirs, and support blocks strong enough to carry ships being dry docked are all part of the specialised world of Concrete Units.