Awards 2018 – Overview
The biennial Sassda Columbus Stainless Awards are a testament to the strength and durability of the South African stainless steel industry, despite the buffeting winds of change that have beset our country in the two years since the last awards event was held.
This year, as was the case in 2016, Sassda employees personally interviewed each of the awards entrants, to remove barriers to entry. A benefit to this approach is getting the opportunity to talk to our members face-to-face about their successes and what we saw was that often companies are working closely with their projects and don’t necessarily see the brilliance of what they’re doing.
The personalised entry process resulted in 189 entries from 53 companies which represents a 20% increase in entries since the last edition in 2016. These led to a stellar list of more than 60 finalists from the five key sectors that make up the awards.
Columbus Stainless - Celebrates Excellence
Columbus CEO Lucien Matthews
Columbus Stainless is proud to once again be the official sponsor of the Sassda Columbus Stainless Awards 2018. This prestigious event is a testament to the different applications and innovations that can be achieved using our precious metal.
The Stainless Steel Awards have for many years served to recognise and applaud exceptional achievements within the stainless steel industry and in so doing recognise and promote excellence, innovation and entrepreneurial development and the profiling of world classthinking. It is for this reason that we continue to support this initiative.
Overall Winner - ND Engineering
The Sassda Columbus Stainless Awards Overall Winner is Durban-based ND Engineering, a company with a passion for South African stainless steel complemented by a strong presence in the global market. Not only has it achieved winner status in the Manufacturing Innovation and Duplex Stainless Steel categories, but also first runner up in the Welding category and merit awards in both the Export Achievement and Agro-Processing categories.Bacterial outbreaks leave the country suspicious of processed foods – how can stainless steel help allay these fears?
John Rowe - Lifetime Achievement Award
With a commitment to supporting and developing the stainless steel sector spanning an active and ongoing 30-year career in the industry,
John Rowe is honoured for his lifetime contribution of leadership, lobbying and education initiatives within a global context. From his current position as Secretary General and member of the Executive Board of the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF), based in Brussels, John Rowe continues to oversee the representation of all stainless steel producers across 76 members in 26 countries and lead the charge in the development of new stainless steel global markets.
Ron Hollander - Lifetime Recognition Award
The late Ron Hollander has helped shape the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) industry in southern Africa with his pioneering work designing and developing South Africa’s first vent-free fireplace burner. He was an avid supporter of stainless steel right from the beginning when he quit his day job to devote all his energy to manufacturing stainless steel gas braais.
Spanning a 35-year career building a successful family business, Chad-O-Chef, Ron’s material of choice, since the late 1970’s, has always been stainless steel, due in part to his own family’s background in the catering industry, where he learned from a young age the benefits of using stainless steel in the kitchen.
Business Excellence Awards
STANDING THE TEST OF TIME BY EMBRACING CHANGE
As a champion of the innovative use of stainless steel and production processes, Fabrinox is a South African company with experience in Manufacturing solutions, offered on six continents, striving to provide the most accurate and prompt service to global customers.
Fabrinox’s reputation for quality and expert work is built on the experience and skills of the team. This has earned the company Approved Supplier Status with customers such as EDF, General Electric, ABB, DeLaval, Heat and Control, Orica, Howden, Wabtec and SABMiller.
Export Achievement Awards
EXPORTS DOMINATE A WINNING OUTWARD BOUND STRATEGY
With the economic slump in the South African market, especially the stagnation in the Southern African mining sector, Hazleton Pumps International made the strategic decision to concentrate on exports with stellar results.
In line with this shift in focus, every avenue has been explored to gain insight into export markets and the export assistance offered by the dti under the EIMA Programme has proved to be a valuable tool.
Most Transformed Company Awards
EMPOWERED INGENUITY WINS THE DAY!
In today’s ever-changing business landscape, privately owned companies have had to quickly adapt to the Black Empowerment Policies of Government.
In 2016 Sky Hill was a Level 3 B-BBEE based on the old codes of compliance, and dropped to a level 5 B-BBEE in 2017, based on the ‘new’ codes. It then had to look at restructuring its business ownership and management structure to meet the new codes and requirements.
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Duplex Stainless Steel Awards
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS WIN COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH DUPLEX
Securing an order to fabricate, deliver and install a massive Duplex SAF 2205 Oxygen Reactor column in one piece for client Mondi, ND Engineering demonstrated their ability to win against stiff international competitors and ensure the local industry benefited from the work.
Operating within the project’s logistical, safety and installation challenges in a live plant, ND Engineering delivered a high quality product, featuring exceptional welding and an excellent finish achieved after pickling and passivation, together with quality corrosion protection coatings.
Ferritic Stainless Steel Awards
SMART CANOPY HAS GOT IT COVERED
Functional, durable and offering all the benefits of grade 409 stainless steel lifecycle costings (LLC) featured throughout their entire SmartCanopy range, Rock Solid Industries (RSI) effectively educates and demonstrates to their customers the advantages of stainless steel.
Product Development Awards
COOL INNOVATION REVS UP THE GLOBAL MARKET
As part of the international automotive industry, Senior Flexonics currently manufactures more than 13 000 EGR coolers for automotive application per year for export to Europe; made possible through its cutting edge Vacuum Brazing technology.
Working in collaboration with a sister company in Wales to establish a design and manufacturing procedure, the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission reduction technique used in petrol and diesel engines, which also serves to increase efficiency through better fuel consumption.
Architecture, Building & Construction Awards
MATCHING INTERNATIONAL DESIGN WITH LOCAL INGENUITY
Perfecting a balance between fineness of construction details, environmental quality and efficiency of internal composition, Antonini Darmon architects matched their local design ingenuity with an extension on to the internationally acclaimed Dominique Perrault designed CTLES Centre in France.
The extension, intended to archive documents from the libraries of universities and research centres in the Paris region, as well as from the French National Library, is set to ensure proper conservation of the archives; the easy flow of documents; and ease for the user.
Agro-Processing, Food & Beverage Awards
SUPERIOR MIXING SOLUTION FROM A PIONEERING INDUSTRY LEADER
Aleader in the manufacture of customised stainless steel processing equipment of the highest quality, Anderson Engineering’s strength lies in its mixing equipment.
The business' expert design and engineering capabilities and project turnkey work have enabled the company to deliver some of the most innovative manufacturing solutions to South Africa’s largest food, beverage, chemical, dairy, cosmetic and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
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Art Awards
STAINLESS STEEL RAISES NIKE’S ‘PULSE’
Mimicking the weightlessness of an athlete in motion in abstract vision, ‘Pulse’ is an elegant and intricate, linear sculpture designed and constructed by Spiral Engineering for display outside Nike World Headquarters.
Fabricated from 5 tons of 316 structural steel, it is based on an interpretation of middle-distance athlete Sebastian Coe and reminds observers that competition motivates us to reach new heights and that we each have the ability to surge ahead of the pack.
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Consumerware, Hospitality & Catering Awards
MOBILE KITCHEN SHOWS THE STRENGTH OF STAINLESS STEEL IN THE TOUGHEST TERRAIN
A reputation for creating some of the world’s toughest off-road trailers, manufacturer and exporter Desert Wolf Consulting is a preferred supplier to the South African National Defence Force for its diesel cooking burning technology. Its Boma 250-man Field Kitchen is a tour-de-force.
Engineering Awards
MASSIVE CRYSTALLISERS AN ENGINEERING FEAT
A heavyweight in stainless steel fabrication, Styria Stainless Steel Fabrication prides itself on solutions provision. This is apparent with its extremely complex fabrication of six crystalliser units for installation at Sasolburg. Each unit, at 9m high and 4m in diameter, weighs in at 22 tons.
Environmental Awards
A PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN ‘GREEN’ SOLUTION WINS ‘GOLD
Proudly South African environmental champions Inox Systems manufactures and supplies corrugated stainless steel Easyflex pipes purposefully designed for hot and cold water supply applications suitable for residential, commercial and industrial applications. With an innovative, flexible and lightweight design, Inox Systems' corrugated stainless steel pipes provide a number of advantages when compared with conventional applications.
Manufacturing Innovation Awards
MEETING MANUFACTURING CHALLENGES FOR INDUSTRY
Showcasing a South African manufacturer’s ability to produce, assemble and deliver very sophisticated pieces of equipment with their 180m³ Vertical Crystalliser for Tongaat Mozambique. ND Engineering has also made a huge contribution to the project by taking the modular construction approach, to reduce manpower and project risk exposure on site.
Service Awards
DELIVERING VALUE-ADDED SOLUTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE TO THE STAINLESS STEEL INDUSTRY
One Eighty Materials Testing has made an invaluable contribution to the stainless steel industry over the past 15 years. By offering a fully integrated engineering solution to local and international markets, One Eighty Materials Testing works across the oil, gas, marine, fabrication, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, defence, food and beverage and power generation industries.
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Welding Awards
CHALLENGES OVERCOME THROUGH CLIENT COLLABORATION
This project involved category winner Hlakani Engineering Services resolving and overcoming substantial tolerance, distortion and welding challenges to support client, Eskom in developing a new burner fabrication standard for its Camden Power Station in Mpumalanga. Hlakani Engineering Services faced many challenges throughout the project, including the use of stainless steel 314 for the project, which is known to be difficult to work with and the client’s required tolerances, which were very tight for a welded construction.
Student Awards
YOUNG SOUTH AFRICAN MAKES HER MARK ON THE LOCAL INDUSTRY
During the course of her Masters Degree, winner of the student category, Bridget Nomshado Zuma-Rubambura, was motivated by the need to revive the local stainless steel industry in the midst of the South African industrial crisis.