The company soon realized that the importation of finished houses would not be economically viable for Kenya due to heavy importation duties. Elsek & Elsek therefore decided to transfer the benefits directly to Kenyan employees. Technicians were brought in to train locally and create employment thus adding value to the country’s economy. The company heavily invested in machinery (please refer to Elsek & Elsek Production link ) and labor force training for 2 years, eventually bringing down the production costs from USD 571 to USD 183 per square meters.
The company realized that direct transfer of technology would not be acceptable for the Kenyan individual customers. They were not happy with the hollow sound produced from the Fiber Cement cladding. We therefore invested more in research and development of the wall cladding of the individual houses. The new and improved innovation now satisfied Kenyan individuals.
This innovation involved direct cladding with cement, sand and our own patented chemical mixture on top of Fire Retardant Expanded Polystyrene Styrofoam (E.P.S.). Although new for the Kenyan population, the technical specification of the product was acceptable. Fire retardant E.P.S. is the most effective insulation material for housing construction and is mainly used for cold room insulations. We are proud to be the first company that invested in this production line in East Africa. Four years later, The National Housing Corporation eventually invested in the same.