The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) calls upon companies that treat customers as kings and queens to submit entries for its annual Excellence Awards.
“We live in an era where customers’ choices are so limitless that they dictate products and services that they want the market to provide. It is, therefore, of paramount importance that manufacturers not only put customers at the centre of their business strategies, but that they also treat them as kings and queens,” SEIFSA CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba said.
He said the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence, now in their 6th year of existence, were born out of the need to celebrate excellence in the metals and engineering sector at a time when tough economic conditions, underpinned by slow growth, unemployment and lack of locally-manufactured products, make it difficult to compete, let alone excel.
SEIFSA will present the Customer Service Award of the Year to a company rated the highest in customer service performance during the period July 2018 – December 2019.
Last year, the winner in the Customer Service Award category was Vesco Plastics following the company’s demonstration of improved customer service excellence and its resourcefulness based on specific customer requirements.
Along with the Best Customer Service Award of the Year Award, the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence have six other categories. These are:
- The Most Innovative Company of the Year, which will be awarded to a company that has shown the best level of innovation in research and development or production;
- The Most Transformed Company of the Year Award will be received by a company that recorded the highest transformation level in ownership as well as the composition of its Board of Directors, Executive Management and Managerial Team. This category pits companies employing fewer than 100 people against those of similar size, and companies employing more than 100 people against others of similar size;
- The Health and Safety Award of the Year will be offered to a company with the best legal compliance record in Health and Safety or the lowest Lost-Time Injury Frequency rate between July 2018 and December 2019;
- The Artisan Development Award will go to the company that trained the highest number of artisans between July 2018 and December 2019;
- The Environmental Stewardship Award will go to a company that has successfully implemented greening initiatives in its day-to-day business operations during the period under review.
- Entries are also invited from companies whose Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme/s between July 2018 and December 2019 had a major impact on the lives of their beneficiaries.
Mr Nyatsumba said awards entrants will be assessed on their performance in the period 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2019. He urged companies operating in the metals and engineering sector to submit their entries for the seven categories before the deadline date of 28 April 2020.
Entries are open to members of Associations federated to SEIFSA as well non-members. The 6th SEIFSA Awards for Excellence ceremony will take place on 28 May 2020 at Summer Place in Boksburg.