The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) in November announced the winners of the 2014 Stainless Steel Awards at a gala banquet held at the Indaba Hotel, in Fourways, Johannesburg.

“We have seen some of the strongest entries in several years for the 2014 Stainless Steel Awards. I did not envy the formidable task of choosing the winners for these awards,” said Sassda executive director John Tarboton at the event, which also served as a celebration of Sassda’s fiftieth anniversary.

The awards were adjudicated by a panel of six independent judges, which were individually selected based on their experience and expertise in various sectors of the media, design and stainless steel industries. The judges were all highly knowledgeable individuals with diverse expertise in stainless steel. “We thank them for their time and commitment in judging these awards,” Tarboton commented.

The panel comprised stainless steel stalwart Diego Sella, architect Tom Steer, media representative Peter Middleton, engineers Nicolette Skjoldhammer and Dr Janet Cotton, and designer Luke Hartdegen. Sella and Steer have also participated as judges in previous years.

The award categories included Best Stainless Steel Project, with subcategories in art, architecture and engineering; Best Stainless Steel Product; Innovation Award; Achievement Award; Student Award; Sustainability Award; and the overall Stainless Steel Award.

The criteria used to evaluate entries included excellence, innovation, sustainability, efficiency, quality, environmental impact and job creation.

Engineering Project Award
There were 11 entries for this category, including stainless steel engineering firm RPL Engineering, specialised process industries solutions provider Gerhard Unger Dairy Equipment, steel fabricator Conceptual Steel Engineering (CSE), air-conditioning and heating engineering company HC Heat Exchangers, brewing and bottling company South African Breweries (SAB), artist Rina Stutzer, architecture firm Cloete Architects and diversified engineering firm ND Engineering, which was recognised for three separate projects.

ND Engineering’s tar separators project for petrochemicals giant Sasol scooped the Engineering Project Award, as well as the overall Stainless Steel Award.

Tarboton congratulated ND Engineering on its project, which he described as “an exemplary example of top-notch South African engineering and fabrication at international standards”.

Gerhard Unger scooped the runner-up award in this category for its involvement in JSE-listed food products manufacturer Tiger Brands’ mayonnaise plant in Belville, Cape Town.

Art Award
The two entries for the art category were Stutzer with her design of the Sway fence at the Everard Read Gallery, in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and Cloete Architects for a stainless steel memorial. Sassda reports that the judges were particularly impressed by the form, implementation and choice of 3CR12 stainless steel used by Stutzer, who won the Art Project Award.

Architecture Award
CSE and stainless steel and aluminium architectural and building products manufacturer Gutco were the two entries for the architecture category. CSE entered its 3CR12-based seven-level helix spiral staircase for a water tower in Lanseria, while Gutco was nominated for a Western Cape-based mesh facade for the South African National Roads Agency.

However, after much deliberation, the judges decided not to award a winner in this category owing to insufficient information on the submissions.

Innovation Award
The judges awarded first place in the innovation category to fencing and barrier specialist Ecostake for its agricultural trellis. “The trellis was designed to solve a real problem and had many clever features, such as a plastic wire and an anti-uproot feature to prevent theft. The manufacturer also realised that stainless steel was the best material for the job,” commented Steer.

Product Award
The product category saw the most submissions for last year’s awards. This category was won by automotive canopy manufacturer Rock Solid Industries for its revolutionary move from aluminium to stainless steel in the manufacture of its automotive canopies. “This was a real winner with the judges. The canopies were extremely well made, high-quality, well researched and met a market demand both locally and abroad,” said Steer, noting that the judges were particularly taken with the company’s flat-pack design.

Solar energy equipment supplier Solar Primeg was runner-up in the product category for its innovative development of solar water heaters, which the company manufactures from duplex 2304 stainless steel instead of standard grade 444. “Solar Primeg is truly pushing the boundaries with this product,” said Steer.

Meanwhile, Franke Kitchen Systems scooped a merit award for its knee-operated washbasin system. “This product is not exactly new but it has been rethought by Franke in such an innovative way that the final product is a great product for a multitude of industries,” he commented.

Achievement Award
In this category there were four entries; however, two companies that entered were disqualified as the judges felt this award should be given to an individual. Metallurgical engineer Don Maxwell of 3CR12 stainless steel fame and consultant John Cluett, on behalf of SAB, were nominated. “Both the entries deserve recognition,” commented Sella.

Maxwell scooped the Achievement Award for his commitment to stainless steel over the decades, with a multitude of projects under his belt completed with unrivalled enthusiasm and dedication.

Student Award
Five students entered the Student category, two from Franke’s Design a Bathroom Competition: Murray Farquharson and Andrew Mboyi. Siphiwesihle Memela entered this category with the design of a multifunctional ottoman with an integrated arm and back rest, while Ming Zhang submitted a paper on the use of chromium-ore in the stainless-steel alloying process.

The winner in this category was Folorunso Omoniyi for his research paper on how to spray austenitic stainless steel with ceramic oxide to form a thermal barrier. The judges said they eagerly awaited the results of Omoniyi’s research.

Sustainability Award In this category,
5 Star Stoves took first place, and was commended for creating “a truly sustainable product from stainless steel”.

“The stove is ecofriendly and it is a great solution for the many problems that arise owing to other forms of informal cooking,” they concluded.