As South Africa gears up for peak holiday traffic volumes experienced during December, road safety is at the forefront of the minds of those who manage traffic flow and all road users.  The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) recently teamed up with the City of Johannesburg to host a Quality Road Markings event in support of Transport Month and to increase safety and user experience on the city’s roads.

Plascon was one of three paint suppliers to demonstrate their road-marking paint products at the event which took place at Hyde Park 6th Road between Jan Smuts and First Road last month.  Road marking paint is critical to ensuring road safety as it needs to be both visible and durable. The paint products showcased by Plascon and the other suppliers had to comply with the following factors required by JRA: 

• Paint products must include crystal glass beads with the strong capacity for absorbing, storing and emitting light.
• Can glow for more than twelve hours in the dark thereby increasing safety for road users.
• All the paints (pigments, masterbatches, and aggregates) are non-toxic with no radioactive additives. They must be harmless to the environment which offers a greater level of social responsibility.
• Paints must be quick drying and suitable for direct application to all types of new or previously painted bituminous and concrete road surfaces.
• Can be applied by brush, roller or road striping machine.
• Must have good retro reflectivity due to excellent glass bead retention.
• Produce a surface with anti-skid properties thereby increasing safety when it is raining.

Rolf Redelinghuys, who heads up Plascon’s road-marking paint division, highlights the importance of using specialised highly visible, durable and long lasting road-marking paints to keep traffic flowing smoothly and minimise driver distraction. “It can be applied to all suitable bitumen, asphalt and concrete road surfaces. The specialised resin technologies used in these products, provide maximum resistance to wear and weather conditions.  

These products can be used for painting traffic lines on freeways, city streets, airport runways, factories, parking lots, playgrounds – wherever durable traffic markings are required. “Importantly, to minimise traffic disruptions during application, these products dry rapidly within 15 minutes."

“Another important feature is that these Plascon road-marking paints are very durable with high visibility during the day and night time and designed to withstand a wide range of road and weather conditions that reduces the repainting frequency of lines within the city. Generally speaking, suitable quality asphalt roads exposed to the high traffic volumes within the city and the varying highveld weather conditions in Johannesburg, traffic line markings under ideal conditions should last up to three years. Furthermore, the product is water based and therefore have low risk to operators and is environmentally friendly.” 

Plascon Brand Manager Mareta Le Roux says, “It was an honour for Plascon to be invited to participate in the JRA and City of Johannesburg’s worthwhile road markings initiative, which highlighted the importance of road-marking paint in improving the user experience and safety of Joburg’s roads.”

The announcement of Ravine (62) as Plascon’s Neutral of the Year tells us that, even though it has evolved over more than ten years as one of the top decorative neutrals, grey is here to stay. Ravine (62) is a timeless blend of grey and beige which invites a minimalistic yet luxurious look to a space and, according to the Plascon Colour Connoisseurs, is the perfect hue for the classic home in the 21st century.  Part of the Plascon Colour Forecast’s 2019 Luxury colour story, Ravine (62) has a soothing taupe undertone, perfect for classically decorated homes.

On grey’s enduring popularity, Colour Expert, Claire Bond says, “Ravine continues to be our warm go-to natural as it provides a neutral canvas making it a safe option when detail needs to be added, be it a coloured painted feature wall, curtaining, flooring or upholstery.” For a luxurious classic look, Claire recommends pairing it with optimistic blush pinks such as Nutmeg Dust (O3-C2-2) or gentle salmons such as Orange Delight (O5-A1-4).Partnered with bright whites and blonde wood tones, versatile Ravine (62) also invites a clean, clear and calm Scandinavian aesthetic to a home. Claire comments, “In contrast to other cooler shades that have been popular in the past, this neutral shade of grey adds warmth to a space.  

The recently launched Plascon 2019 Colour Forecast identified cocooning, mindfulness and individualisation as some of the trend drivers compelling people to transform their homes into personal sanctuaries away from a busy, technologically-driven world. Ravine (62), moving away from the ‘more is more’ concept, is about creating spaces where life’s simple pleasures take centre stage. Says Claire, “The concept of luxury has taken a new direction with the new interpretation extending to simple joys like reading a book, taking a bath or enjoying a long lazy Sunday lunch with family and friends.” Ravine (62) can be used in any space depending on the mood you want to create. A soothing relaxing bathroom would do well with a coat of this grey as would a reading nook or dining area.

To get that luxurious minimalistic look, Plascon suggests using Ravine (62) as the core colour and teaming it up with accent colours such as dramatic Dark Antelope (P7-E1-1) or Bovine (47) for a monochromatic look.Ravine (62) also works well with Golf Greens (G4-A1-1) from the colour forecast’s Urban story while rich feature colours such as Winter Storm (B3-B1-2) or Atlantic Ocean (B2-C1-1) on a feature wall or painted furniture brings the palette into the millennial age. Golden Lake (Y5-C1-3) from the forecast’s Luxury palette also combines beautifully with Ravine (62). Claire recommends introducing woods and shiny copper fittings for a modern touch to a traditional décor scheme or textural elements like a rich floor rug that inspires luxury.

The beauty of Ravine (62) is that it’s the ultimate grey that can be used for building a signature palette. Paired with colours such as calming Berry Good (P1-A2-3) and beautiful pastels, it also offers a French Provence edge which Claire sees in the classical home. “Because Ravine (62) is a blend of grey and beige, it effortlessly brings opulence into a home without having to fill the space with too much stuff. With this wonderfully adaptable grey you won’t go wrong when transforming your home into a refuge where simple luxuries are the order of the day,” Claire concludes.

Aaron Matumbike, the handyman at Trinityhouse Little Falls Pre-Primary in Roodepoort, did not know that the purchase of Plascon paint last year would change his life. Matumbike took his chances and entered the Plascon Bumpa Competition with great hopes of winning, but never expected what lady luck had on the cards for him. To much excitement, the grand prize of a Ford Ranger valued at R500 000 was handed over to an astonished Aaron in a surprise ceremony arranged at the school on 27 March 2018. With the school children in on the secret, Aaron was overwhelmed by the goodwill from the people around him.

About his amazing windfall he said, “I am very excited. Even though I was very hopeful, I did not expect to win. I am grateful for the prize, as this is the first step towards buying a house for my family. Thank you to the Plascon team for the life-changing prize, there are not enough words to express my gratitude” Aaron further thanked Trinityhouse Little Falls Pre-Primary, who have been like family to him, for their support and kindheartedness.

 Principal Lynn van Jaarsveld said, “Uncle Aaron as the kids call him is such an amazing person. He helps with the school maintenance, is friendly and always does his work with a smile. He has a wife and one-year old daughter and walks to school every day even though he has a driver’s licence. There is honestly no one better deserving of this prize which we believe will change his life completely.” Aaron has been working at Trinityhouse Little Falls Pre-Primary since January 2015 and is a much-loved member of the school and local community. 

Katlego Kondlo, Plascon BU Head Decorative, Colour and Professional said “We are so thrilled and incredibly happy for our winner, Aaron. The immense joy that was created not only for him but also for all those around him lets us know that we as Plascon are on the right journey in our Designed For Life philosophy which we adopted last year. This simply means, that if what we do does not change people’s lives, then it isn’t Plascon. We wish that this experience for Aaron becomes the catalyst for even greater and positive changes in his life. And when his dream house comes along, let’s hope it’s Plascon that makes life for him and his family even more colourful.”

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For more information, images and interviews, contact:
Louise Hunt, Director Hunt PR, on behalf Kansai Plascon
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Mbali Mpofu, Hunt PR Account Executive, on behalf of Kansai Plascon
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