The South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI) Southern African Steel Summit, to be held at the Emperors Palace Convention Centre in Kempton Park on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, will be a first-of-its-kind, fact-driven, one-day conference that aims to bring together key players for a candid exploration of the key issues influencing the southern African steel sector.

South Africa has a heritage of over 150 years of steelmaking. The steel industry plays a critical role in the manufacturing sector and the broader South African economy. Success in achieving our country’s infrastructure investment aspirations, as articulated in the National Development Plan, rests on, among other things, a reliable local supply of steel. But the industry’s contribution to GDP has fallen significantly since the 2009 financial crisis, mostly because of the impact of cheap imports, challenging trading conditions, and a lack of infrastructure spend in the country. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, low domestic demand and a depressed global market negatively impacted the local steel sector, leading to unprecedented job losses.

How did we get to this point? What do we need to do for the sector to regain its former position as a significant contributor to the growth and development of the region?

The SAISI Southern African Steel Summit will provide conference attendees with an information-packed understanding of our capability to deal with the evolution in steel-market behaviour and its impact on steel demand.

“We look forward to hearing from policymakers, producers, buyers, suppliers, analysts, and industry experts who will interrogate the many challenges hindering sector growth, the advancements in technologies and applications that guide the development route, globally and in our market space, and how – as a sector – we are responding,” says Charles Dednam, Secretary General of the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI).

The Summit will see speakers debate questions such as:

• Are demographical changes impacting trade flows, and does the growing trend of the flexibility of supply dictate a different supply model?
• Is it within our capacity to provide the steel necessary to meet the market’s shifting demands while maintaining a competitive advantage over the rest of the world?
• How do the suppliers of steel deal with issues such as availability, JIT, and quality?
• What responses do rapidly changing consumer behaviours, fluctuating market dynamics and evolving business models demand?
• What is the impact of consumers driving demand for safer, healthier, and more environmentally friendly products?

The Southern African Steel Summit will also provide a valuable opportunity to network with peers and other industry stakeholders. 

Visit the SAISI website on saisi.org to see the full programme and to register for the event. 

Don’t miss out. Register now.