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Design Ethnography Sessions with Patrick

MSc Product Design Engineering. Project: A Low Cost Manufacturing Tool for Informal Sector Artisanry ('Jua Kali') in Kenya. 

Patrick Showing the Aluminium Gutters they Produce for Domestic Rain-Water Harvesting

Patrick is a Jua Kali entrepreneur and artisan in Dagoretti in Nairobi. Him and his associates mostly make domestic rain-water harvesting equipment such as aluminium gutters and pipes. They then install these on the rooftops of houses across the county.

Patrick and his Associate Demonstrating How they Manually Produce Aluminium Pipes

They make their products manually by hand with the use of basic tools such as a self-fabricated workbench and a steel bar that serves as a hummer. An example of this, is how they make the aluminium pipes; they fold  a sheet of aluminium around a steel pipe, fold the edges to interlock, and then beat the interlocked edges to seal it.

The Window Frames and Wheelbarrows that Patrick's Enterprise Produces

He also makes window frames and wheel-barrows that he sells to home construction businesses. He fabricates these out of steel bars and pipes whereby he uses a welding machine. He says this is his most valuable equipment of which he bought at about Ksh 30,000 (£220).

The Manual Metal Sheet Roller that Patrick is Planning to Purchase for Producing Aluminium Pipes

Patrick is in-fact planning to purchase a manual metal sheet roller that he would use in making of the aluminium pipes. At the time of the fieldwork session he also took me to see it and mentioned he was in negotiations hoping to purchase it for under Ksh. 25,000 (£180).

At the end of our last session, Patrick mentioned that his greatest challenge to improving his enterprise's productivity is the lack of equipment due to their high costs. He stated that he would consider an electrically powered machine of Ksh 30,000 - Ksh 40,000 (£220 - £300) to be affordable.

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Design Ethnography/ Field Research Methodology

MSc Product Design Engineering. Project: A Low Cost Manufacturing Tool for Informal Sector Artisanry ('Jua Kali') in Kenya. 

A Satellite View of 'Jua Kali' (Informal Sector Artisanry) Sites in Kamukunji Constituency in Nairobi, Kenya. Source: Google Maps. [Click Image to Enlarge]

In a period of two weeks I visited a number of informal sector artisanry establishments in three locations in Nairobi, Kenya. The purpose of this was to engage with the artisans with an aim of further understanding the context of the problem being tackled in this project. I visited each of the establishments multiple times during the period. One of the establishments was in Dagoretti constituency, three were in Kamukunji, and one was in Nyamakima.

A 'Jua Kali' Establishment in Kamukunji, Nairobi, Kenya

The goal of the research sessions was to collect data/information on the current production processes used by the informal sector. These information is such as; the type of processes & equipment used, the setup costs of these processes & equipment, the products they produce, how they produce them, the time and energy involved, the cost of producing them, their sale value, how much training & knowledge is required, the barriers and challenges they encounter in the production, and the needs they have relevant to the subject, amongst other issues. 

A 'Jua Kali' Establishment in Dagoretti, Nairobi, Kenya

The artisans were interviewed and their activities observed during the sessions. The interview and observation techniques used were structured based on the above mentioned goals. Some of the research sessions will be discussed in the blog posts that follow as documented during the visits.

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Existing Knowledge on the Informal Sector in Kenya & Africa from Desk Research

MSc Product Design Engineering. Project: A Low Cost Manufacturing Tool for Informal Sector Artisanry ('Jua Kali') in Kenya. 

Post-it Board: Existing Knowledge on the Informal Sector in Kenya & Africa. Sources: See Bibliography.

In preparation for my fieldwork research/ design ethnography, I carried out some desk research on the subject of informal sector in Kenya and Africa. Some of the information I accumulated from this is that:

The informal sector provides employment for majority of the Kenyan population and plays a significant role in the country's economy. Most of the informal sector labour is lowly educated and those that are well educated find their knowledge not applicable. Training is mainly through apprenticeship and hands-on learning.

The production methods and equipment used in the informal sector are very basic and obsolete. As a result, the goods produced are of relatively low quality. Conventional equipment such as those used by more industrialised manufacturers are way beyond the informal sector enterprises' economic means.

Manufacturers in the informal sector lack proper design processes and usually produce goods based on specifications given by the customer and by copying their competitors' products. They as well work in environments of poor condition.

Four Existing & Potential Solutions to Problems in Informal Sector Manufacturing. Sources: See Bibliography.

In the desk research done, a few solutions to the issue of basic & obsolete production equipment were identified. Some of these solutions are already being applied while some are still just potential solutions.

The manually driven metal sheet roller seems to be the most popular machine in the informal sector manufacturing in comparison to other machines. The power driven lathe is a less popular machine, probably due to it's power requirements and definitely due to it's steep purchase cost.

The concrete lathe is a potential solution due to it's relatively low cost of construction. Majority parts of the lathe are built in cast concrete and only those that must are made of steel. Another potential machine is The Multi-machine is an all-purpose machine that can be built at a relatively low cost with hand tools and with discarded vehicle parts. both these machines are designed by Pat Delany.

Early hypothesis/ideas of the proposed machine in this project based on the desk research include; the machine will require to be produced at a low cost. The machine should preferably be manually powered/driven. It should also be simple enough for the Jua Kali workers to manufacture it themselves.

Bibliography of Desk Research

Daniels, S. (2010). Making Do: Innovation in Kenya's Informal Economy.

Kinyanjui, M., McCormick, D. (2008). Industrializing Kenya: Building the Productive Capacity of Micro and Small Enterprise Clusters.

Kinyanjui, M. (2008). A New Industrialisation is the Strategy for Africa’s Social Economic Dynamism?

McCormick, D., Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, B. (2007). Industrial Clusters and Innovation Systems in Africa: Institutions, Markets and Policy.

Ragan, S. The Concrete Lathe Project. Make Magazine.  http://blog.makezine.com/2012/04/12/the-concrete-lathe-project/

Ragan, S. Pat Delany's Designs for Low Cost DIY Machine Tools. Make Magazine.  http://blog.makezine.com/2011/05/16/pat-delanys-designs-for-low-cost-diy-machine-tools/

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A Manufacturing Tool for Informal Sector Artisanry in Kenya

MSc Product Design Engineering. Project: A Low Cost Manufacturing Tool for Informal Sector Artisanry ('Jua Kali') in Kenya. 

Kenyan Informal Sector Artisans. Source: S. Daniels, Making Do: Innovation in Kenya's Informal Sector.

I am currently working on my main project for my MSc programme. The projects aim is to design a manufacturing tool for use by informal sector artisans in Kenya. The tool is to enable the artisans to improve the productivity of their production processes and the quality of the produced goods. 

A Kenyan Informal Sector Trader. Source: Business Daily Africa.

The informal sector is a source of livelihood for majority of the population and those that work in the manufacturing segment of this sector are millions of Kenyans. This informal manufacturing sector is locally referred to as 'Jua Kali', Swahili translation for hot sun as they are known to operate out in the open. They produce basic household metallic goods such as cookware as well as other goods such as metallic rain-water harvesting pipes. 

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The artisans in the sector have for several years used methods and tools such as hammers that are highly labour intensive and of low capability. Their production processes are therefore highly inefficient as compared to the standard processes of more industrialised manufacturers. The goods they produce are also therefore of relatively poor quality and thus of low value.

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The human-centred design challenge of the project is to therefore design a tool that will enable the artisans to earn a higher income and thus rise above their current poverty. This is by producing goods more productively/efficiently of which are of a good quality and thus good value.