The winners of the inaugural Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) Awards for Excellence were announced during a gala dinner on May 28 – the first day of the Metals and Engineering Indaba – at Emperors Palace, in Johannesburg.

South African pumps manufacturer Hazleton Pumps took top honours in the categories Most Innovative Company and Customer Service of the Year award.

South African steelmaker Scaw Metals won the Health & Safety and Artisan Award of the Year, while power transmission specialist Voith Turbo scooped Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programme of the Year.

The Most Transformed Company of the Year award, comprising two categories, went to power and automation technology group ABB, which took top honours in the category for a company with more than 100 employees, and Johannesburg-based diversified steel business Africa Steel Holdings, which won the category for a company with fewer than 100 employees.

Seifsa CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba tells Engineering News that the awards were “born out of a need to recognise and encourage excellence” in the ailing metals and engineering sector.

He points out that the sector is facing several challenges, including the prevalence of cheap imports from Asia, the lack of competitiveness in local manufacturing and policy uncertainty. “We, at Seifsa, therefore believe that it is important to look for excellence and recognise those companies publicly in the hope that it will inspire other companies to do the same.”

He points out that, while it was difficult to get companies to participate in the inaugural event, he is positive that the outcomes of this year’s awards will provide impetus for more companies to enter in the years to come.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners and encourage them to continue to work hard towards excelling and providing the sector with examples of excellence. This will inspire other companies to improve their operations so that they can be afforded the opportunity to win at future Seifsa awards,” Nyatsumba concludes.