WINNER
DIEGO SELLA
Diego Sella has been awarded the lifetime achievement award in 2016 for his contribution to the stainless steel industry over the past 27 years. His professionalism and technical and business knowledge has earned him the respect and admiration of his peers.
Diego started his career with Hall, Longmore and Co. in 1969. During his first eight years at the company he was the project engineer involved in major contracts for the Rand Water Board, the mines, Eskom, Mobil and Sapref. In 1977 he was appointed to oversee Sasol II and Sasol III.
Diego has enjoyed a long relationship with Sasol in his role as project manager responsible for major contracts involving the pressure vessels for Sasol II and Sasol III plants and the Uranium Enrichment Project at Pelindaba and the Koeberg Nuclear Plant.
After leaving Hall Longmore in 1982 to join Krugersdorp Engineering as technical director responsible for engineering he worked alongside another lifetime achievement recipient, Dave Slater. Here he handled the management of major pressure vessel contracts for the pulp and paper, chemical and petrochemical industries, the Greenside Project and Mossgas.
Diego left Krugersdorp Engineering to join Murray and Roberts in December 1991 and was then appointed as a director of Falcon Engineering from 1991-1992 where he was responsible for brewing and filtration technology. In 1992 he was appointed business manager for Consani Engineering’s food and beverage, pulp and paper and petrochemical divisions.
In October 1999 Diego opened Sella Engineering Services, which he still runs today. Sella Engineering Services specialises in servicing the requirements of the brewing industry with the supply, construction and maintenance of specialised process plants.
From 2000 to 2012 Diego was a contracted consultant to sassda and represented sassda on various technical committees such as the South African
Institute of Welding (SAQCC); the Department of Labour (PER); the South African Bureau of Standards (for stainless steel; pressure vessels and QMS related standards); SANAS; The Association of AIA’s; NIASA and UNIDO.
Prior to his tenure at sassda, large end users had opted to go to overseas fabricators for their major projects, partially due to the fact that they were
not aware of the capabilities of local fabricators and partially because they felt secure in using international accredited fabricators.
Diego started by accrediting fabrication members of sassda and in doing so brought them in line with their international competitors. Having done this he introduced them to large end users and fought for them to be included on supplier’s lists. An example is when he got 27 sassda fabricators on to the preferred suppliers list for Sasol.
INTERVIEW WITH DIEGO SELLA WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF WORKING IN THE STAINLESS STEEL INDUSTRY?
Most of the work I have been involved in has had it’s own unique highlights. However, the project that made the biggest impact on me as a trainee engineer was the installation and welding of the stainless steel liner plates of the reactor pool for the Safari 1 Reactor at Pelindaba, while I was
in training at Hall Longmore in the 1960’s.
WHAT IS SOMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT DIEGO SELLA?
I don’t think there is anything. I like to think I have always been pretty much an open book.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED DURING YOUR CAREER AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES?
That for every decision or action there are consequences.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU AREN’T WORKING?
Spending as much quality time as possible with Jenny and our grandchildren.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF WORKING IN THIS INDUSTRY?
The myopic clients who put Capex saving before product and project excellence.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
I am constantly inspired by people who achieve, but the first was the late Ronny (Ronald Neil) Hobbs, AKA “the boss”, who headed up the chemical projects division at Hall Longmore and whom I met for the first time in 1964.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS YOUR BEST PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT?
I guess it was when I took early retirement, set up Sella Engineering Services and then linked up with three European specialist producers of high-tech brewing process equipment.
WHY STAINLESS STEEL?
Apart from the Safari 1 project at the start of my career, my introduction to stainless steel was a natural progression from carbon steel, but once I began to appreciate the attributes and superior properties of this great family of materials, there was no going back.