SASSDA - Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association

LATEST NEWS

Stainless Steel can build to 50% of its Workforce

The inputs of our industry and Sassda’s subsequent submission to government which outlined how the South African stainless steel sector can safely re-open when the country moves to Level 4 of the current COVID-19 lockdown tomorrow, have yielded significant success. In fact, the results have gone above and beyond our expectations, which shows what can be achieved when our industry follows the mantra of ‘strength in numbers’.

Sassda lobbies for the re-opening of the Stainless Steel Industry

One of the best examples of how Sassda has revved up its response to the COVID-19 outbreak was our comprehensive submission to the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition by the incredibly tight deadline of 12pm on Monday, 27 April 2020! This covered how the South African stainless steel sector can safely re-open when the country moves to Level 4 of the current COVID-19 lockdown on Friday, 1 May 2020.

The Steel Master Plan

At this difficult and unprecedented stage in the history of the world, our country and industry; Sassda is working with the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (dtic) as major partner to alleviate pressure in, and create positive outcomes for, the stainless steel sector. We are therefore committed to keep you up to date with the latest news regarding new developments.

Stainless Hotspots for Growth

As part of the latest phase of the Steel Master Plan development, the Department of Trade Industry & Competition is investigating proposals from industry including ourselves regarding initiatives to kick start industry. Sassda has therefore supplied proposals around the gas field developments in Mozambique and increased domestic LPG/LNG gas use in South Africa as well as import replacements and the rejuvenation of the local hollowware sector.

Relief Packages to help you fight the Financial Impact of COVID 19

In light of the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic and as part of our efforts to keep you fully informed of the aid available to assist you during these difficult times, we’ve put together a list of the various financial and tax relief packages as well as business growth facilities

Times are tough but so are we..

Following President Ramaphosa’s announcement of a total lockdown to be implemented on Thursday, 26 March we would like to reassure our members that despite these uncertain times, Sassda will continue to operate as normal – albeit from home based-locations to ensure we comply with the regulations stipulated by government.

Make sure your stainless is also safe during the lock down period!

As we head for a 3-week lockdown this evening it’s important to note that there is a high risk for corrosion during this period.

Stainless steel is not able to give optimum performance without the necessary oxygen to maintain the passive layer. This layer is thin and tenacious and acts as an inert barrier against corrosion attack.

Local Value Chain

Despite the challenges we face, this is also South Africa’s time to shine as we focus on beefing up local supply chains or as we like to describe them, value chains and championing the country’s output and expertise, especially in the stainless steel sector.

National and Regional Support

The dti is also continuing to drive the Steel Master Plan forward, and Sassda attended a very positive meeting hosted and chaired by the Minister of Trade & Industry Ebrahim Patel last Friday regarding this plan.

SASSDA TAKES A STAND AGAINST COVID-19 - Strength in Stainless

With the recent and sudden arrival of the COVID-19 disease which has spread rapidly around the globe, Sassda remains committed to supporting our members, staff, clients and suppliers during these uncertain times.

The State of the Stainless Nation #2020 Vision

Predicting anything positive for the stainless steel industry in terms of market growth in 2020 would be risky and remains in the ‘Daily Lotto’ realm when looking at current economic forecasts. Against this backdrop, Sassda Acting Executive Director Michel Basson takes a look at past and present performance and where there are slivers of potential for growth and development in the local stainless steel sector.

Why Training & Development makes Perfect Business Sense

Sassda has several stainless steel focused courses that are targeted at various levels of a company’s employee complement. Here Sassda Training Manager Mankabe More unpacks the realities of modern day training and how Sassda is meeting these needs in an expert and innovative manner by embracing the concept of continuous training and the use of digital technologies that have made the association’s world-class courses far more accessible and cost effective.

Mozambique’s $128-billion Gas Project could be a Lifeline for SA Stainless

The largest project ever undertaken in Africa, the US$128-Billion Mozambique LNG Gas Project which shifted into higher gear earlier this month, holds excellent potential for local stainless steel supply and may be the lifeline that South Africa’s beleaguered stainless steel sector has been searching for

Economic Policy Dialogue African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

Sassda recently attended the dti’s Economic Policy Dialogue on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which aims at providing a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of people and investments. Its goal is to boost Intra-Africa trade from an existing level of about 13% to 25% or more over the next decade, thus contributing to economic growth and attracting investments from both within Africa and the world.

Lets’s Talk about Tariffs…

When it comes to the minefield of trade tariffs, Sassda is not a policy creator or implementer but rather acts as an invaluable facilitator based on its strong relationships with the relevant government bodies, to ensure all our members’ interests are equitably represented in an independent and objective manner. Tariffs expert and Sassda Market Intelligence Specialist Lesley Squires explains how this complex relationship works.

Sassda’s Input for Steel Master Plan to Ebrahim Patel

In an effort to fulfil our purpose statement, and with the current lack of projects within South Africa, we have been actively working with Trade Export South Africa and subsequently the Trade Invest Africa units of the dti to facilitate trade between South Africa and other countries on the African Continent. Our particular focus is Africa as the nature of our members’ products tend to be large and therefore logistical costs hamper a lot of exports to the rest of the world.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

We’ve spent months listening to what our members need from a 21^st Century industry association and created a new cost effective, tiered membership model that’s designed to maximise return on investment.

To spread the word on this exciting new offering, we’re currently travelling the length and breadth of South Africa spreading the word on Sassda’s vision in preparation for the launch of our exciting new membership packages in 2020. They’re designed to boost your business bottomline with valuable features like world-class virtual training courses, one of a kind technical expertise and in-depth African market intelligence.

Sassda doesn’t just want to survive, it wants to thrive by adding value to our members’ businesses every step of the way!