THE BEST OF THE GPS E-NEWSLETTER
Each month Sassda rounds up a selection of global and local market intelligence articles that are sent to our members in an easy-to-read package of content. They’re designed to highlight pockets of potential growth in demand for stainless steel. Here are some of the best articles from the last few issues...
New Scaw steel mill to replace R4bn imports
Scaw Metals has invested R5-billion in the development of a new steel mill in Johannesburg, positioning the company
to replace hundreds of thousands of tonnes of steel imports with locally manufactured products. The local manufacturer of long steel products, which competes with ArcelorMittal South Africa (Amsa) and many mini-mills and micro mills across the country, is likely to replace some R4bn worth of products that are currently imported…
ArcelorMittal SA turns down Networth Investments’ R19-Billion bid
A R19-billion transformation bid for ArcelorMittal South Africa (Amsa) by local firm Networth Investments has been rejected, despite promises to revolutionise the country’s struggling steel industry with green technology and more profitable stainless steel production…
Indian stainless steel giant in trouble again?
Indian stainless steel group Jindal seems to be thinking aloud about ending its stainless steel production in Indonesia after recent business figures that fell well short of expectations. And scrap demand in Taiwan is up more than 34% month-on-month in September….
City of Cape Town sets conditions for rail takeover
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says national government will have to transfer the required budget, estimated to amount to R123-Billion over a 30-year period, for the City to take over passenger rail services. According to the City’s Rail Feasibility Study, which proposes ownership models that it hopes to serve before Council for approval in order to take further steps, the passenger rail services would be more efficient and fully functional under the municipality…
Businesses pledge over R76 billion to boost KZN economy
Sixteen major KwaZulu-Natal businesses made pledges of over R76 billion over the next two years at the 2024 Trade and Investment Conference in Durban. The event included keynote addresses by KZN Premier Thami Ntuli, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) Parks Tau, and Edtea MEC Rev Musa Zondi, who welcomed the pledges but also called for further investment during the conference to unlock KZN’s economic growth on a global stage…
ArcelorMittal SA faces tough times ahead as imported steel weighs down operations
A recent Business Report article says that optimism is waning for South Africa’s steel industry, with ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) identifying the influx of cheap imports, high costs for energy and logistics and weak demand as contributing to this against the backdrop of fresh uncertainty for its longs business that has continued to operate at a loss….
Govt committed to enhancing rail and freight, Ramaphosa tells auto sector
President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving South Africa’s rail and freight sectors during his keynote address at the SA Auto Week opening in Cape Town. His remarks come amid Transnet’s ongoing efforts to revitalise the Port of Durban and a R7.5-Billion project aimed at upgrading rail infrastructure between Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, a move designed to boost the automotive and component manufacturing industries…
Dark clouds gather over some of South Africa’s biggest employers
South African mining companies, particularly those producing platinum group metals, diamonds, and coal, are facing immense financial pressure as commodity prices remain weak and the operating environment is difficult. Once the backbone of the local economy, South Africa’s mining industry has been steadily weakened by volatile labour relations, organised crime, and regulatory uncertainty. Despite declining output, the sector is still vital to the economy, employing over 477 000 South Africans and paying billions of rands in tax each year...
Steel industry vital for SA’s industrialisation, Majola says
Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Fikile Majola has stressed the impact of the local steel industry and its importance to South Africa’s industrialisation, and the challenges that the sector is facing from local and global pressures, emphasising the need to build an “inclusive sector” that contributes to the economy..
PPC opens new highveld blending plant to secure cement supply
PPC has officially inaugurated its new blending plant. The facility, located in the Highveld Steel Industrial Park in
Emalahleni, demonstrates PPC’s ongoing commitment to improving efficiencies, reducing turnaround times, and delivering exceptional quality and customer service to all stakeholders in the built environment sector of the
Highveld region….
South Africa to form company to expand bulk water infrastructure
President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved a law to set up a new agency that will develop and manage the country’s water infrastructure and attract financing for new projects. The law establishes the “National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency SOC,” to “enable South Africa to expand bulk water infrastructure and improve the management of existing water assets to ensure water security over the next decade,” the presidency said in a statement….
SA manufacturing sector needs to find ‘glocalisation’ opportunities
As consumer behaviour and preferences change in the wake of sustainable options, coupled with incoming decarbonised goods trade regimes, it is worth considering more “glocalisation” opportunities for the South African manufacturing sector. This was the consensus reached by a panel on globalisation and localisation during the second day of the 2023 Manufacturing Indaba held on 25th October...