Regional Round Up 2018!

Despite the fast approaching threat of ‘Day Zero’, Sassda Western Cape Regional Manager Michel Basson says there are definitely pockets of potential in the drought ravaged province…

  1. How would you categorise the performance of the Western Cape economy in 2017 and within that the stainless steel sector in the province?

    The Western Cape also suffered the same economic hurdles as the national economy and as such, we have experienced similar problems in the stainless steel industry. The drought has caused some impact on the fabricators working in the agricultural sector, but due to a fairly diversified product range and markets, the industry has managed to make some progress and at least maintained the performance of the previous two years.

  2. What do you see as the biggest challenges faced by players in the stainless steel sector within your particular province?

    The major impact on the industry in the region comes from uncertainty regarding the lasting effects of the drought and political direction

  3. What are the key areas/sectors e.g. hollowware, water infrastructure etc. that have seen the most activity/growth and why do you think that is?

    The fabrication industry in the region remains strongly focused on agro-processing with food, wine and beverage processing in the lead. Since a big part of this production is not limited to the market in the region, it is foreseen that this type of work will continue strongly. The avian flu problem in the province is under control bringing positive news to regional members in the poultry industry. Unfortunately, not much work has surfaced in terms of the water crisis and initiatives coming from this.

  4. What do you see as the most interesting/exciting areas within stainless steel to watch out for in your province in 2018 (3 – 5 hot spots/developments/projects to watch out for)?

    The region is known for having diverse expertise and markets. This will be key to survival and growth for 2018. It is foreseen that food and beverage processing will be the main line of business in the region as it is also a focal point for the provincial government programmes.

 Sassda KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Regional Manager Angie Baker:

  1. How would you categorise the performance of the KZN economy in 2017 and within that the stainless steel sector in the province?

    The stainless steel industry definitely went through a tough time over the past few years in KZN with many saying the pie had gotten smaller but was having to ‘feed’ more. We have therefore seen a price war amongst many players, with everyone trying to go lower than low just to boost turnover, cover costs and get rid of stock.

  2. What do you see as the biggest challenges faced by players in the stainless steel sector within your particular province?

    The biggest challenge is that many people are breaking away from their companies and starting businesses in opposition – so competition is rife and ruthless.

  3. What do you see as the most interesting/exciting areas within stainless steel to watch out for in your province in 2018
    (3 – 5 hot spots/developments/projects to watch out for)?

    Hollowware is definitely an exciting avenue to watch in KZN as there are a couple of new businesses manufacturing locally as opposed to importing
    (Click here to read more on Sassda member CTI System’s latest venture).

    Other than that, everyone is keeping quiet about their projects either because they not sure or because they don’t want anyone else to catch wind of it, so it will be interesting to see what 2018 holds.