The increased use of stainless steel in water and hygiene related applications may represent a much needed lifeline for certain local players amidst the current unprecedented economic storm.
According to Sassda Acting Executive Director Michel Basson the implementation costs of stainless steel (traditionally viewed as expensive) could also be a cost-saving opportunity, where the initial cost outlay would be recouped through the savings gained in reduced maintenance and replacement costs. Life cycle costing is the key value that stainless steel brings.
“The return on investment and total project costs could be built into the financing structure and provide a compelling initiative for South Africa’s water distribution services.
Unfortunately, the reality is that most of the current water related maintenance work involves short-term and low cost repairs to municipal water infrastructure. However, there are increasing examples of a more sustainable long term approach to the use of stainless steel,” says Basson.
LOCAL SUCCESS STORY
One of the most successful of these is the Drakenstein Municipality in the Western Cape, that has converted to the use of stainless steel in all its water treatment and bulk conveyancing applications. It currently has a water loss figure of less than 13% versus other municipalities average water loss of 39%. This is not an overnight success story, but rather the strategic replacement of critical components with stainless steel over a period of more than a decade.
Other sectors that hold potential for the use of flexible tubing fall within the solar (heat exchangers) and the construction industry when it is specified by developers and contractors such as plumbers and architects. For example, Sassda member, Easyflex, has developed a Proudly South African stainless steel Adaptor Kit which offers a standard, off-the-shelf plumbing fitting for its corrugated stainless steel tubing. This can be supplied to low cost housing developments and heat exchanger manufacturers for use in hospitals, commercial and residential units. It can also be safely used for gas and electrical conduits.
SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERTISE
Looking to the future Basson says; “We have the local ability and the technology available to manufacture the specified stainless steel pipes. This could be a coup for the manufacturing industry in South Africa, both at an incubator level for start-up businesses and as a commercial enterprise. “If our municipalities are already investing heavily in leakage repairs and replacement piping, it makes sense to replace outdated pipe systems with stainless steel.”
As such, a resilient and planned local response must focus on efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable future water management systems. The good news is that this type of approach also paves the way for the increased use of stainless steel in securing our country’s water supply and providing
a much needed growth sector for local producers and fabricators.