A construction project involves more than bricks, steel and concrete. Behind every building is a complex supply chain through which thousands of products move from manufacturers and distributors to retailers, contractors and construction sites. But what happens when the material delivered is not what it claims to be?
A recent case in Kakamega has brought this question into focus. The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) reported the seizure of 578 counterfeit gypsum boards valued at KSh 880,000 from a hardware store in Kakamega. The authority said laboratory and material analysis would be undertaken to establish product defects and trademark infringement. According to the ACA, the suspected counterfeit boards also raised safety concerns relating to their material composition and fire-retardant properties. Read the ACA Report: https://aca.go.ke/media-center/news-and-events/641-counterfeit-gypsum-seized-in-kakamega-as-aca-warns-of-collapse-and-fire-risks
The incident raises a broader question for Kenya’s construction industry: how can businesses make it easier to identify construction products and trace their journey through the supply chain? Construction materials can pass through several stages before they are installed. A product may move from a manufacturer to a distributor, then to a hardware store and eventually to a contractor or construction site. At each stage, information about the product and its movement needs to remain accessible if effective traceability is to be achieved.
Consider a shipment of gypsum boards arriving at a construction site. The receiving team needs to establish whether the product is what was ordered, who manufactured it, who supplied it and whether the available product information corresponds with the delivery documentation. If a concern emerges later, the ability to trace the material back through the supply chain becomes even more important.
This is where standardised identification can play a role. GS1 standards provide a common framework for identifying, capturing and sharing supply-chain information. In the construction sector, GS1 Kenya highlights the use of identifiers such as Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) for products and Global Location Numbers (GLNs) for organisations and locations. GS1’s construction guidance notes that unique identification can support the exchange of product information and traceability throughout a product’s lifecycle.
A GTIN gives a construction product a unique identifier that can be used across the supply chain. Instead of relying only on a product name or description, businesses can use a standardised identifier to distinguish products and connect them to relevant information. This can help shift the question from simply asking, “What product is this?” to also asking, “Who supplied it, where did it come from and where has it been?”
However, a barcode alone does not guarantee that a product is genuine. Identification should not be confused with authentication. The value comes from connecting the identifier to reliable information and business processes. GS1 Digital Link, for example, enables GS1 identifiers to be connected to online information, creating opportunities to link physical products with digital information and services.
This is also where the evolution of 2D barcodes creates new possibilities. A 2D barcode can provide an entry point to additional product information, depending on how the manufacturer and other supply-chain partners implement their systems. On a construction site, scanning a product could potentially provide access to information associated with the product and help connect it to relevant supply-chain records. The aim is not simply to have a barcode on the product, but to create a digital connection between the physical material and trusted information about it.
Traceability can also become valuable when something goes wrong. If a particular product or batch is later found to have a quality or compliance concern, businesses with appropriate traceability records may be better positioned to identify affected products and understand their movement through the supply chain. Similarly, when a questionable product is discovered, records of suppliers, locations and transactions can provide useful information for investigations.
This does not mean GS1 standards replace product testing, regulatory oversight, procurement controls or anti-counterfeit enforcement. Rather, standardised identification and traceability can complement these measures by improving supply-chain visibility. The more consistently products, organisations and relevant supply-chain events are identified, the easier it can be for businesses to retrieve information and respond when concerns arise.
For Kenya’s construction industry, the opportunity therefore goes beyond putting more barcodes on building materials. It is about creating a supply chain in which products can be consistently identified, information can be accessed and their movement can be better understood. As construction becomes increasingly digital, standardised identification can provide part of the foundation for connecting manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and construction sites.
The Kakamega seizure is an enforcement matter, but it also illustrates why supply-chain visibility matters. Before a construction material becomes part of a building, it has already travelled through a network of businesses and locations. Making that journey more visible can support greater accountability and provide businesses with better information about the products moving through their supply chains.
From manufacturer to market, from market to construction site, traceability can help make the journey of construction materials more visible and what can be identified and traced is easier to understand, manage and investigate.
Sources: Anti-Counterfeit Authority
By Smart Construction
