Archive News

South Africa’s R15-billion stainless steel industry has felt the strain of a contraction in its apparent consumption figures in the last two years, caused by a flood of Chinese exports and resulting stagnant demand for locally fabricated products. This was the view of our Executive Director John Tarboton at the recent sassda 2017 AGM where […]

11 April 2017 In a tough economy, consumers veer towards the cheapest option and some contractors may be tempted to cut corners. Unfortunately, contractor mistakes cost a fortune, mistakes kill profits and both parties usually blame the other, and often stainless steel itself, through angry exchanges that waste time – so what happens when stainless […]

6 March 2017 The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (sassda) has launched an exciting new competition in which entrants (e.g. engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, end-users and specifiers and members of the public) stand to win a trip to Paris worth R125 000!  Entrants need to download and use sassda’s life cycle costing (LCC) app to […]

15 February 2017 On 31 March 1889, after workers had riveted the last of more than 18 000 iron pieces into place to complete construction of the Eiffel Tower, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, climbed its 1 710 steps to unfurl the French flag from its pinnacle. A hundred and twenty seven years later, at a Corrosion Seminar […]

14 February 2017 With South Africa experiencing Stage 2 and 3 water restrictions following its worst drought in decades, the spotlight falls on the solution of using stainless steel in water distribution and service pipes in South Africa to reduce leakages and maintenance costs and preserve our already strained water resources into the long-term future. […]

The first recorded use of stainless steel in the Architectural Sector of the market is the roof cladding of the iconic Chrysler Building in New York City, which was completed in 1930 and remains a shining example of aesthetically pleasing and long lasting benefits which stainless steel offers to Architecture. Although it is now 86 […]

5 December 2016 A sassda facilitated visit by one of its members, Kenyan-based stainless steel fabricator Desbro Engineering to a number of South African counterparts has resulted in a training partnership between the South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) as part of a joint initiative to boost the skills base within the Kenyan stainless steel […]

24 October 2016 The 2016 Sassda Columbus Stainless Steel Awards are a clear indication that the local stainless steel sector is home to a wealth of world-class products and skill, with a record 39 world-class winners having been announced up from the 14 awards presented in 2014. These winners were drawn from a broader spectrum […]

17 November 2016 Predictions that 2016 would be another tough year for the stainless steel industry may be less accurate than originally thought. This after the last three Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (sassda) Short Track Surveys revealed an overall average improvement in market statistics. Sassda Executive Director John Tarboton confirms that in the […]

22 September 2016 Two years of intensive research by the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (sassda) in association with the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa; now gives local stainless steel fabricators insight into growth opportunities in new export markets as well as import substitution within the South African market. Sassda Executive […]