Judges panel boasts high-profile names

The 2006 Stainless Steel Awards, hosted by the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda), were adjudicated by a distinguished panel of judges representing the full spectrum of stainless steel application from products to projects and services. Winners were announced at gala banquets on October 19, held simul-taneously in Johannesburg and Cape Town, linked by means of a two-way satellite. This was a first for the prestigious biennial event, which was introduced in 1998. The high-profile panel consists of: • Dave Slater, a Sassda executive director from 1986 to 2002, who has been linked with the association for about 30 years; • Louise Benson, from Hendler & Hart, the largest manufacturer of cookware in South Africa; • Brian Steinhobel, who founded and leads the Steinhobel group, carrying out consulting and entrepreneurial product development, with industrial design clients spanning Asia, Europe and the Americas, while serving on the Advisory Council for Industrial Design, and as the current president of Design South Africa ID; • Gold Mametja, an industrial designer with the CSIR, whose design successes include South Africa’s new National Orders and the commemorative gold bars for the Comrades Marathon; • Rodney Grosskopff, architect of the famous Ponte building in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, as well as a number of other significant buildings around the city, including the Civic Theatre, in Braamfontein, and the Randburg Waterfront; and • John du Plessis, technology manager of the Southern African Institute of Welding, a professional scientist with an MSc in Engineering Management and a member of the American Welding Society and the International Institute of Welding Subcommission 2C and ASM International.

Sassda MD Dr Oliver Damm says that the quality of the judges’ panel reflects the prestigious nature of the 2006 awards, as well as the diverse range of entries. “I consider it an honour to have been nominated as a judge. The Stainless Steel awards – a showcase of local and international talent and engineering prowess – carry much prestige in the industry,” comments Du Plessis.

“South Africa is an exciting country with rich natural and human resources, as well as huge potential for development, and its people are recognised globally for their innovation and dedication. “The Stainless Steel Awards programme offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase innovation in this important industrial sector, to compete in the international arena, and to reinforce the importance of innovative design as a critical element of value addition to our natural resources,” says Slater.

“Having been associated with the establishment of this programme, I am thrilled to have been asked to participate in this round of the Stainless Steel Awards,” he concludes.