Creating structures in Africa for over 30 years has given Sabre Industries a unique perspective on the growth and development of the mobile market and, more recently, the advent of the independent tower industry. Using technology proven in the mature US tower market, combined with local African expertise, Sabre Industries is able to assess a client’s requirements and create bespoke structures which not only account for their load and environmental requirements, but also for shipping, construction and ongoing maintenance issues. TowerXchange spoke to Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, about Sabre Industries’ background and future in the African market.
TowerXchange: Please tell us about Sabre Industries’ current product range and footprint.
Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, Sabre Industries:
Having been in the tower industry for more than 40 years, Sabre Industries is one of the largest tower manufacturers in the world. We have our own in-house engineering and drafting departments, making it easier for us to keep up with the growing demands of the industry. We offer a wide variety of tower and monopole structures, along with shelters, accessories and installation worldwide.
Sabre’s biggest market is North America; probably 90% of our sales are in North America and 10% of them are outside. Having said that, we’ve been in the African market for over 30 years and we were in Africa long before the telecom industry existed, working in broadcasting, AM towers for some of the missionaries and churches, and creating infrastructure for the UN.
Sabre started to really take off once the mobile phone industry came about. There weren’t a lot of tower manufacturers at that time. Although the competition has increased enormously since then, Sabre has identified some key niches we’re good at doing which no one else has figured out.
Because we have our own in-house tower engineering and drafting department, we have the ability to design anything we want right at our fingertips
For example: We have the largest selection of guyed towers in the industry worldwide. We can now offer guyed towers for any application whether for cell sites, broadcast, CCTV surveillance towers, microwave in the oil industry, and many other applications. We’ve designed some nice variations which the African market seems to like. Sabre’s guyed towers range in face width from 1 ft. to 8 ft. and are available in heights over 1,000 ft. They come in easy build knock down sections ranging in lengths from 10 – 20 ft., or all welded sections in lengths from 10 – 20 ft. Our guyed towers feature solid or tubular design leg members, and angle or solid round bracing. In addition to guyed towers, Sabre manufactures both three and four-legged self-supporting towers with either solid or tubular legs. These towers are capable of handling any type of antenna or wind loading.
We also offer monopoles with design choices such as round flanged sections or 12, 16 or 18 sided slip fit designs. Our monopoles can be camouflaged as mono-palms, pine or elm trees, or flagpoles. We offer shelters manufactured from various types of material such as concrete, steel, and lightweight aluminum. In addition to structures and shelters, Sabre offers hardware or accessories such as light to heavyweight antenna mounts, light kits, and paint.
We have also added a new division with its own engineering and construction services for all tower modification needs. This has become a necessary factor for all towercos who have purchased pre-existing sites and need to add tenants.
TowerXchange: Please introduce our readers to Sabre Industries’ manufacturing plants – what capacity do you have?
Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, Sabre Industries:
Sabre Industries now has four manufacturing plants located in North America, with a total of 1,415,200 square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing and related facilities. We have the manufacturing capacity for approximately 329 million pounds of steel structures annually. Our brand new operation in Sioux City, Iowa is set on 150 acres, and is one of the most streamlined and efficient manufacturing facilities in the industry. In addition to manufacturing, Sabre has an on-site galvanizer at our Alvarado, Texas facility that is one of the most environmentally friendly galvanizers in the United States. It is home to one of the world’s largest operating kettles measuring 65’ long x 11’ deep x 9’ wide, and capable of dipping even the largest structures with ease.
TowerXchange: How has Sabre grown in the tower market and what has fuelled the growth?
Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, Sabre Industries:
The mobile phone industry has certainly fueled our growth in the telecom sector over the past 20 years; with the towerco/build to suit industry being one of our leading customers outside of the independent operators who purchase directly.
Because we have our own in-house tower engineering and drafting department, we have the ability to design anything we want right at our fingertips. Using an industry-accepted software programme, we create the least expensive route for our clients. We take the number of sites, wind and environmental information, et cetera, and enter it into our software programme which then spits out a structure. We then assess that structure for shipping and erection purposes - maybe in a jungle or a remote site – and work out the best solution for the client.
TowerXchange: How have you found customers’ response to your towers in the African market? Which products are most popular and how does that vary across the continent?
Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, Sabre Industries:
Some customers at first can’t imagine Sabre being a North American manufacturer capable of competing in the local markets throughout Africa. While it can be difficult, we have been successful in supplying our self-supporting and knock down guyed towers throughout the African Continent. Both products are designed for ease of installation and shipping; and built with Sabre’s strong quality control standards that ensure our products arrive complete and ready to erect.
The response we’ve received from erectors throughout the African region and elsewhere is that they love to see a Sabre tower show up on their site because they know everything will be there and fit together with ease.
TowerXchange: As operators turn their attention to meeting regulatory requirements in rural areas and on maximising capacity through urban infill, do you see a change in what the market demands?
Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, Sabre Industries:
Yes, we have seen changes. In the past towers have been designed for a standard three to four carrier loading across the board in both rural and urban areas. We are now beginning to see height restrictions being regulated in urban areas, along with camouflage structures mandated; in some cases, near parks or on properties such as those owned by the government and hotels.
Towercos need to judge how much to invest or whether it would be better to stick with the infrastructure they already have
It’s really unique, and each case brings unique situations. The towerco business in Africa is all new so I wouldn’t call what’s happening ‘change’, but they’re adapting as the market evolves. A towerco supplying towers throughout the continent looks at each country differently. One African country may only have two operators in a region while another might have five operators in the market. The towerco has to consider several different things. If they buy towers for the market now, will they have capacity to serve the operators; will there be another license down the road; and will there be growth in the market? They need to judge how much to invest or whether it would be better to stick with the infrastructure they already have. That trickles down through country after country. The towerco has to adapt to stay in business. It is pretty simple math; there is no guessing or misjudgment because this footprint isn’t the first time it’s been put down.
We understand this at Sabre, because our sales and marketing staff has more than 20 years of experience in BTS. Several of our competitors don’t offer that.
TowerXchange: What are your ambitions for the future? As the African market shifts towards independent towercos, are you finding a need to change your services to suit? What is the difference between what they ask for?
Mike Checchio, Director of International Sales, Sabre Industries:
Sabre has been supplying structures to independent towercos/ build to suits throughout North and South America for the past 20 years, so we are aware of the requirements and needs of the towercos in other regions of the world, and particularly Africa. With having so many product options to choose from, Sabre is a great partner to have for any towerco or operator.
The difference between what the main operators and towercos ask for is that the main operators historically only want enough antenna loading for their own systems. Now with the towercos leading the market in providing structures, most of the operators demand for antenna loading has increased significantly to handle each operator’s antennas and lines. For example, a main operator’s typical single carrier tower would consist of one level of panel antennas at the top with a few microwave antennas mounted below. Now, a typical towerco owner will want to utilize, where applicable, as many as six levels of panel antennas with microwave scattered in between.
Towercos are going to have to go back and look at the sites they’ve purchased and do structural analysis with future loading requirements for what they need to offer. They’re going to have to build the tower up. Sometimes they may do a ‘drop and swap’ where they replace the tower outright if they can get away with permits and zoning. Another option is to use the same equipment and maybe put a temporary site in until they put a new tower up, or reinforce the existing tower. At the present time reinforcement of existing structures is the biggest market in the U.S. domestically, and eventually Africa will be the same.
