INTRODUCTION

Controlab has its origins as a civil engineering firm that operated in East London in the mid 1960’s. This included a testing laboratory and it was decided, for various reasons, that this element should be discarded and set up as an entity operating independently. Thus, the seeds were sewn for what was to eventually become (in April 1990) Controlab and the name has not been changed since.

Controlab’s Head Office in the Quigney (East London) with the main laboratory situated at 10 St Paul’s Road, North End (East London) and has branch laboratories in Port Elizabeth (Labco), Mthatha, Kokstad and Cape Town (Geoscience Laboratories (Pty) Ltd).

Controlab is a SANAS accredited specialist testing company, catering for the civil, geotechnical and structural engineering fraternity.  It offers a full range of testing services of soils, aggregates, bitumen, asphalt, concrete and geotechnical investigations for, amongst others, new roads, borrowpits, road rehabilitation, gravel roads, township developments, buildings and structures.  We also have had field laboratories on various projects nationally.

 SERVICES

Controlab is a specialist testing company, catering for the civil, geotechnical and structural engineering fraternity.  It offers a full range of testing services of soils, aggregates, bitumen, asphalt, concrete and geotechnical investigations for, amongst others, new roads, borrowpits, road rehabilitation, gravel roads, township developments, buildings and structures.  We have had field laboratories on various projects nationally.

Our Company has also previously monitored the Eastern Cape Government Provincial Laboratories in the absence of other qualified personnel. In February 2008, we achieved our SANAS accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025) for the laboratory (reference number T0308).  The tests for which we have been accredited for are as follows:

 OUR PHILOSOPHY

Our company is totally committed to maintaining the high technical standards within the civil engineering materials field and therefore have assisted the Walter Sisulu University of Technology (previously the Eastern Cape Technikon and Border Technikon) by making available our laboratory facilities and staff for practical laboratory experiments.  We have served on the advisory committee for the Water Sisulu University of Technology and were awarded a certificate of recognition by them on 10 May 1999.  We also employ students for experiential training as required by such institutions.

Training for our staff consists of in-house training and the testers’ courses offered by the Society for Asphalt Technology.  These courses are run from our laboratory and our premises.