Monday, December 22, 2025
While Paul Maschinenfabrik is a household name in the global woodworking machinery and mechanical engineering industry—celebrated for its AI-powered rip-cutting lines and high-precision circular saws—the German engineering giant is equally a titan in the world of prestressed construction technology. This dual expertise was recently showcased on an international stage during the successful expansion of the Hazelmere Dam in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Located approximately 30 kilometers north of Durban, the Hazelmere Dam is the lifeline for the coastal region, providing essential drinking water and irrigation. The project to raise the dam wall, which reached a major milestone in late 2024 and was formally commissioned in early 2025, relied on “Made in Germany” precision to nearly double the reservoir’s capacity.
Originally constructed in 1977 with a capacity of 24 million cubic meters, the Hazelmere Dam required a massive upgrade to meet the demands of the region’s rapidly growing population and housing sector. The ambitious plan involved:
Raising the Wall: Increasing the height from 86 meters to 93 meters.
Volume Expansion: Boosting storage capacity to approximately 44 million cubic meters.
Structural Integrity: Managing the immense additional pressure exerted by the expanded reservoir on the existing dam structure.
To ensure the dam remained stable under this new load, the Australian ground anchor specialist SRG was commissioned to install high-strength reinforcement. This is where Paul Maschinenfabrik’s century-long legacy of mechanical engineering became the project’s backbone.
For a project of this magnitude, SRG turned to Paul’s division in Dürmentingen for specialised equipment. Paul delivered two high-performance stressing jacks that set new benchmarks in construction technology:
The 15,000 kN Jack: Used to stress 40 ground anchors, each containing up to 61 strands of steel.
The 22,000 kN “Colossus”: At the time of its deployment, this was the most powerful stressing jack in the world.
To put its power into perspective, 22,000 kN (kilo-Newtons) translates to roughly 2,200 tons of tensile force. This single machine possesses enough strength to lift 55 fully loaded heavy-duty lorries. Using this technical marvel, the engineering team installed 43 ground anchors—each with 91 strands—which were recognised as the most powerful permanent ground anchors ever used in a dam project.
Technical Insight: A unique feature of Paul’s technology is the ability to carry out the stressing operation in a single stroke of one meter, significantly increasing on-site efficiency and precision.
The integration of Paul’s high-capacity technology allowed for a significant optimisation of the original 1977 design. By using larger, more powerful anchors, SRG was able to reduce the required number of ground anchors from 243 to just 83. This 65% reduction in anchor quantity not only accelerated the timeline but also provided a more economically viable solution for the South African Department of Water and Sanitation.
To maintain absolute precision, Paul also developed a bespoke lifting device in 2018, specifically designed to control the prestressing force of these 83 anchors during the final phases of construction.
Transporting the “Big Ladies,” which weighed seven and ten tons respectively, was a feat of logistics in itself. The units were air-freighted via Lufthansa to Durban, requiring specialised mobile cranes for unloading.
Before leaving Germany, the jacks underwent rigorous calibration in partnership with leading Swiss and German institutes to ensure that every kilonewton of force applied to the Hazelmere structure was documented and verified.
As reported by the South African Government News Agency, the completion of the Hazelmere Dam upgrade is a transformative event for the eThekwini Metro and the municipalities of iLembe and Kwa-Dukuza. The project successfully:
Augmented supply: Increased water availability for towns like Ballito, Verulam, and Groutville.
Flood resilience: Integrated a Piano Key Weir (PKW) spillway, the highest of its kind, to manage extreme flood events.
Economic growth: Created 187 local jobs and supported numerous Small Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
The success of the Hazelmere Dam project underscores the versatility of Paul Maschinenfabrik. While the company continues to innovate in the woodworking sector—recently showcasing AI-driven automation at LIGNA 2025—its contribution to global infrastructure through prestressed concrete technology remains unparalleled.
By providing the world’s most powerful stressing equipment, Paul has not only reinforced a dam but also the future of a region, demonstrating that German mechanical engineering remains the gold standard for projects that demand absolute reliability.
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Tags: Hazelmere Dam South Africa, infrastructure engineering West Sussex, Paul Maschinenfabrik, prestressed concrete technology, SRG Australia, stressing jacks, woodworking machinery
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