The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has invited manufacturers operating in the metals and engineering sector to submit their entries for the 2017 Seifsa Awards for Excellence.
The awards are open to all companies in the sector, including Seifsa nonmembers.
Entrants will be assessed on their performance in the period January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2016, in seven categories, with the Most Innovative Company of the Year being one of them.
Seifsa CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba says although the metals and engineering sector was faced with many challenges and uncertainty in 2016, there were companies that still managed to excel.
The Most Innovative Company of the Year trophy is awarded to a company that has shown the highest level of innovation in research and development or production in 2016 in the process of either gaining market advantage or reducing production costs.
“Judges will consider if the company has created competitive advantage, contributed to significant growth, transformed the organisation or the wider industry, improved overall financial performance, achieved operational excellence, embedded ethical or sustainable practices, helped staff deliver better customer service, increased market share or customer loyalty, or supported strong leadership and management,” Seifsa sales and acting marketing manager Nuraan Alli points out.
Last year, South Africa’s largest manufacturer of secondary aluminium products, Zimco Aluminium Company, scooped the award.
Other categories include the Health and Safety Award, the Customer Service of the Year Award, the Most Transformed Company of the Year Award, A Decade of the Artisan Award, and the Environment Stewardship Award.
Entries are also invited from companies whose corporate social investment programmes in 2016 had a major impact.