Lesotho’s Founda Construction Loads Up With New JCB 3CX Backhoes

Lesotho, the tiny yet independent landlocked country surrounded by South Africa, boasts an interesting and unique feature related to its geography. It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above one thousand metres in elevation, with as much as 80% of the country being above 1,800 metres above sea level.

Its capital, Maseru, is a busy place with several impressive buildings under construction. Further to the north in the Leribe and Butha-Buthe districts, a large water distribution project is currently underway with many kilometres of piping being laid in trenches to provide water to the multitudes of villages that dot the hilly landscape and beyond towards the Maluti mountain range.

Founda Construction is a civil construction company established in Lesotho in 2019. The company’s focus is on delivering infrastructure projects for the Government of Lesotho, as well as subcontracting from larger construction companies engaged in mega-projects with strict qualification protocols determined by the likes of the World Bank and other international aid agencies.

The company currently employs around 500 people who are engaged in a wide variety of projects, and Founda Construction believes in employing local people from the different districts that it works in. Skills training is given as a matter of course, which leads to the company uplifting local communities and leaving a legacy. This also applies to machine operators who undergo strict skills testing before being employed.

Working mainly in water supply and reticulation as well as road and associated construction, Founda Construction has built a reputation as a company that delivers projects on time and on budget, which in turn is bringing it much repeat business in a country where the supply of this type of infrastructure is being prioritised.

“We have several 15-man teams working, with each team having its own backhoe loader to dig trenches and backfill them once the water pipes have been laid,” says Alan Shi, Founda Construction’s General Manager. “As we’re working to strict deadlines and, at times, in difficult terrain, in challenging soil conditions, and in between existing housing, schools, shops and roads, it’s imperative to have the best digging and backfilling tool on the market that won’t break down and delay the work. This we’ve found with our JCB Backhoe Loaders.”

“We started buying JCB 3DX Plus Backhoe Loaders soon after our company was established in 2019, and we now have 18 in our fleet,” he adds. “These versatile machines complement the other earthmoving equipment in our fleet, which consists of excavators, graders, rollers, front-end loaders and tipper trucks.”

Of the 18 JCB Backhoe Loaders in Founda Construction’s fleet, the most recent 13 models have been bought from Bell Equipment through the company’s dealer for Lesotho, Live It Investments. Live It Investments is owned by Piet van Tonder and Selloane Leche, and the company operates from premises with a large workshop and offices in Maseru. Although a young company, Live It Investments is fast making a name for itself as the dealer of choice in earthmoving and agricultural equipment in Lesotho and representing strong brands like Bell Equipment and JCB with its own solid backup service.

“Alan and Founda Construction have been very loyal customers, and they put a lot of faith in the JCB Backhoe Loader brand,” Piet van Tonder says. “We were particularly excited when, in early August 2024, they took delivery of three new JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders, which Bell Equipment brought into Southern Africa as the new range of this legendary tough Backhoe Loader.

“The mechanics Founda Construction employs keep a close eye on all their machines and help the operators with their daily checks and preventative maintenance,” Piet adds. “When they do need replacement parts, orders with part numbers are clear, and this makes our job of getting the correct parts to them easier and so minimises downtime.”

Alan explains their reasoning for constantly adding Backhoe Loaders to their existing fleet. “Many of our contracts, whether they are standalone or subcontracts, last a long time, and we feel we therefore cannot remove machines from construction teams that rely on them so heavily to get the job done. The JCB 3DX and 3CX models are durable and reliable machines and incredibly versatile while being economical to run and easy to maintain, which makes them the ideal multipurpose machine for our varied applications.”

Founda Construction’s JCB 3DX and 3CX Backhoe Loaders are all fitted with standard buckets at the front and rear and are used for a wide variety of tasks such as digging trenches, backfilling, levelling of the soil after backfilling, loading rubble and sand, and general housekeeping to keep sites tidy.

“Our operators on the three new JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders report that the machines are definitely more powerful than the previous models, and we can ascribe this in part to the new variable-displacement piston pumps that drive the machine’s hydraulics,” Alan says. “This also means that the engine speed is reduced, which in turn reduces fuel consumption. As we work mostly on wet rates, this is a positive item for us as it will reduce our fuel bill in the long run.”

Alan goes on to say that with more infrastructure projects in the offing, Founda Construction will need more yellow equipment, and given the efficiencies and versatility that the new range of JCB 3CX Backhoe Loaders bring, we’re confident that the company’s already substantial fleet is going to grow even more.

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