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Neasa withdraws High Court application to interdict more custom duties

By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th August 2020 The National Employers’ Association of South Africa (Neasa) has withdrawn its urgent application in the Gauteng High Court to stop the implementation of a 10% import tariff and custom duties on coated flat-rolled products. Neasa had launched an urgent application in the Gauteng High Court last... →

SAVE-P signs contract for 2 000 ventilators, looks to assist India, rest of Africa

By: Irma Venter 14th August 2020 The Solidarity Fund has concluded a contract with the South African Emergency Ventilator Project (SAVE-P) to produce 2 000 new ventilators that will be donated to the national Department of Health. SAVE-P is a Durban-based nonprofit organisation (NPO) started by local businessperson Justin... →

Focus set on intellectual support services

14th August 2020 Hard face solution provider Rio-Carb is altering its business model to focus more on providing intellectual support services and is employing its own engineers to assist customers in all aspects of liner fabrication application. Rio-Carb director Thomas Reib says the company can now provide a... →

Rising demand for lithium-ion-powered forklifts anticipated

By: Cameron Mackay 14th August 2020 “The demand for lithium-ion-powered forklifts is increasing locally, owing to companies wanting to reap the benefits of energy efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as in preparation for changing legislation regarding emissions,” says forklift distributor for Masslift Africa national sales... →

CLEAN HANDLING The highest demand for lithium-ion-powered forklifts has been from fast-moving consumer goods applications that require clean environments for food

Tech crucial to market sales in local industry

By: Cameron Mackay 14th August 2020 Automation solutions provider MACmobile MD Andrew Dawson stresses that technology that offers mobility, automation and the ability to engage customers while maintaining social distance will be crucial to driving market sales in the local industry. “The key technology at this stage is mobility –... →

ANDREW DAWSON What’s important is enabling retailers, with their own methodology software-wise, to generate orders and use the call centres to create new sales and awareness

Vacuum packaging increases fresh food shelf life

14th August 2020 Fresh foods such as meat, sausage, fish, and cheese are usually vacuum packaged at a pressure of around five millibars. At this pressure, the oxygen content in the remaining residual air is so minimal that the activity of various microorganisms is prevented. →

SEALED SHUT Typical R5 rotary vane vacuum pump from Busch for use in chamber packaging machines

Outsourcing key utility services could benefit food sector

14th August 2020 A possible consideration for food manufacturers to consider during these challenging economic times is the outsourcing of key utility services, which impact an operations’ power consumption and capital investment decisions, says industrial refrigeration services and solutions service provider... →

Liquor sales ban mounts pressure on agricultural commodities

14th August 2020 Since the initial ban on liquor sales, owing to Covid-19 regulations, there has been an accumulation of supply of raw materials, some of which could not be stored for extended periods and which also did not have any export opportunities, highlights agriculture industry body Grain SA. Alcohol is... →

Collaboration improves quality of products

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 14th August 2020 Continuous engagement with original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users has allowed roller chain specialist KÖBO to continuously improve the quality and designs of its products, which meet the stringent hygiene and health and safety requirements of the food and beverage industry, says... →

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT KÖBO also has a continuous improvement programme, which entails doing research and introducing new products to the market

Women’s network growing steadily

By: Darren Parker 14th August 2020 The Protea Network – for women working in the predominantly male-dominated steel and other market sectors – is growing steadily and organically since its launch in April, says steel fabrication company Betterect MD Nicolette Skjoldhammer. She launched the network to provide women in the industry... →

NICOLETTE SKJOLDHAMMER The objective of the Protea Network for this year is to encourage and facilitate online forum membership, where members can engage on a daily basis

Steel awards go virtual

By: Darren Parker 14th August 2020 The South African Institute for Steel Construction’s (SAISC’s) yearly Steel Awards will be judged and hosted virtually through a dedicated application (app) this year. This comes on the back of efforts to mitigate restrictions on social gatherings and take advantage of the digital marketing... →

VIRTUOSITY ASSESSED Small teams of judges attend sites physically, observing Covid-19 health and safety protocols, while others attend site visits virtually

Greater collaboration needed in steel supply chain

By: Darren Parker 14th August 2020 To ensure security of steel supply, the South African Institute for Steel Construction (SAISC) is calling for greater collaboration among all players in the local steel supply chain, from upstream producers to downstream merchants. Local steel demand was low before the Covid-19 pandemic, which... →

Photo by Adobe
RELIABLE ROLLOUT? The security of steel supply is a key concern for downstream merchants and fabricators

Modular panel bridge project makes headway

By: Darren Parker 14th August 2020 Machinery and tools supplier Bosch Specialised Equipment (BSE) has successfully delivered 11 new modular panel bridges to Dunnottar Military Base in Nigel, in Gauteng, which will, in turn, be delivered to various locations across KwaZulu-Natal, to be erected over the next 18 months. BSE director... →

OVER TROUBLED WATERS The bridges help to prevent incidents of drowning and attacks on pedestrians

Market disruption expected to continue after Covid-19

By: Darren Parker 14th August 2020 The world will most likely never revert to pre-2020 norms, says steel grating and related products supplier Vital Engineering director Glen Pringle. He tells Engineering News that he expects continued market disruption and the rethinking of various elements of the market, including supply chains. →

GRATE CHANGE AHEAD Vital Engineering needs to ensure that it is as agile as possible to take advantage of the ever-changing status quo

Majola to officiate virtual sodturning ceremony of black industrialist firm

By: Simone Liedtke 13th August 2020 Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Fikile Majola will officiate the Toronto Group’s virtual sodturning ceremony of the first-of-a-kind charcoal manufacturing plant that will use alien invasive species on August 18. Toronto Group is a beneficiary of the Department of Trade, Industry... →

PPC progresses restructuring initiatives

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th August 2020 In reiterating the objective and current status of its restructuring and refinancing project, JSE-listed cement manufacturer PPC on August 13 said it remained on track to reach the necessary agreements for sustainable capitalisation of the company across the geographies that it operates in. The... →

South African team launches non-invasive breathing system for early-stage intervention

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th August 2020 In response to the Covid-19 public health emergency and an impending ventilator shortage in South Africa and other parts of the world, a team of experts have designed the first-ever Non-Invasive Breathing System (NiBS) in South Africa. The makers of the NiBS comprise a team of engineers, an... →

DeepMind grants first postgraduate AI scholarships at Stellenbosch University

By: Schalk Burger 11th August 2020 London-based artificial intelligence (AI) research and application company DeepMind has awarded eight scholarships for postgraduate studies in the fields of applied mathematics, statistics, electrical and electronic engineering and computer science at Stellenbosch University (SU). The DeepMind... →

Seifsa urges companies to buy from local suppliers as manufacturing struggles continue

By: Donna Slater 11th August 2020 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has reiterated the devastating impact of the national lockdown on the country's manufacturing output. Seifsa chief economist Dr Michael Ade says the Statistics South Africa data published on August 11, which reflects a... →

Offering diversified with new crop input solution

By: Tracy Hancock 7th August 2020 Environmental management company I-CAT will soon launch agricultural and forestry input solution Cyflo, as part of its product offering, targeting existing and potential clients, says I-CAT Planting Business Unit head Rachelle Botha. The product was developed by diagnostic agronomist Charl Marais... →

ENHANCED EFFECT Cyflo effects cellular permeability of agricultural remedies and fertilisers, and significantly improves their efficacy

Sector welcomes bearing distributor’s new products

By: Tracy Hancock 7th August 2020 Demand for the agriculture-specific products offered by Southern Africa bearings and power transmission products distributor Bearings International (BI) is slowly picking up now that lockdown restriction have eased, says agriculture business development leader Gerhard Pienaar. In addition, there... →

HANDY RANGE Bearings International has seen a huge increase in demand for its range of Grippaz hand gloves and has increased its stockholding

Furnace company to capitalise on increased gold price

By: Cameron Mackay 7th August 2020 Despite unfavourable local market conditions, furnace-related services provider Custom Furnaces South Africa intends to capitalise on a gold price that has been increasing this year. Custom Furnaces project engineer Nicholas Lucas says the improved gold price has instigated a “rebirth” in the... →

GOLDEN TARGET The company is looking to improve its offering in the local gold sector, focusing on its carbon regeneration kilns and ancillary equipment

‘Soil conditioner’ production keeps manufacturer bustling

By: Tracy Hancock 7th August 2020 The processing facility of manufacturer and minerals producer Pratley has been significantly busy producing Pratley Vulture Creek Clino during the national lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, as the product is mainly supplied to the agriculture sector and, therefore, classified as essential,... →

PRODUCTIVE PROPERTIES More farmers are experiencing improved crop yields when using Vulture Creek Clino, owing to its cation-exchange and slow-release fertiliser properties

Seifsa says high court ruling in favour of the DTIC ‘gives hope’

By: Simone Liedtke 6th August 2020 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has welcomed the High Court ruling in favour of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) in a procurement matter, saying that it will boost struggling local businesses amid the pandemic-induced economic... →

Kingsgate Clothing adds localised isolation gown to PPE line-up

By: Irma Venter 6th August 2020 The Kingsgate Clothing Group has expanded its personal protective equipment (PPE) production line-up to include isolation gowns, used by hospital personnel. The group already produces cloth masks for the commercial and corporate market. →

The localised isolation gown

Transnet signs deal to supply 300 freight rail wagons to Mozambican rail operator

By: Donna Slater 6th August 2020 State-owned rail engineering company Transnet Engineering (TE) and Mozambican State-owned railway operator Caminhos De Ferros De Mocambique (CFM) have signed a rolling stock supply agreement valued at more than R400-million. Under the terms of the agreement, TE will supply 300 freight wagons to... →

Representatives from Transnet Engineering and Caminhos De Ferros De Mocambique sign the 300 wagon deal

PPE scandal highlights need to modernise public procurement – National Treasury

By: Terence Creamer 5th August 2020 The National Treasury has halted the emergency procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and reverted to open procurement processes amid a normalisation of supply and growing allegations of corruption, which Finance Minister Tito Mboweni acknowledged on Wednesday had led to a breakdown... →

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni

Creecy extends public comment on compulsory proposed manufacturer recycling regulations

By: Donna Slater 5th August 2020 Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy, on August 5, granted a 30-day extension for public comment on proposed regulations regarding extended producer responsibility with regard to the management of waste post the consumer stage of a product’s lifecycle. Members of the... →

Mpact ensures business continuity as electricity, Covid-19 challenges persist

By: Simone Liedtke 5th August 2020 Paper and plastic packaging manufacturer Mpact managed to ensure business continuity, alongside the safety and health of employees, over the past six months, especially as the period, which ended on June 30, began with persistent external electricity supply interruptions across South Africa,... →

Mpact CEO Bruce Strong speaks to Engineering News following the release of the company's results on August 5. Camerawork: Creamer Media's Kutlwano Matlala. Editing: Creamer Media's Nicholas Boyd.

Manufacturers need to embrace Covid-19 opportunity, be ‘less reliant’ on global value chains

By: Simone Liedtke 4th August 2020 Despite positive indications, such as seen in various recent Purchasing Manager’s Indices, Manufacturing Circle executive director Philippa Rodseth is urging South Africa to take hold of the opportunity presented by Covid-19 in becoming less reliant on global value chains and single-source... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Manufacturing Circle executive director Philippa Rodseth

Alcohol industry welcomes positive response from Treasury on excise tax deferment

By: Simone Liedtke 4th August 2020 The alcohol industry has welcomed the positive response from the National Treasury to its request for a deferment of excise tax on alcoholic beverages. In response to the industry’s request, Treasury has proposed a 90-day deferral for the payment of excise taxes on alcohol to be made in August... →

SAB reconsidering capex projects worth billions amid alcohol sales ban

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd August 2020 South African Breweries (SAB) has cancelled R2.5-billion of scheduled investments that were earmarked as part of its yearly capital and infrastructure upgrade programme. These funds were previously scheduled as part of its capital allocation programme for this financial year, while an additional... →

SKF targets full carbon-neutral manufacturing by 2030

By: Marleny Arnoldi 31st July 2020 Bearing manufacturer SKF is aiming to have its factories carbon neutral by 2030, the Swedish group has announced. The company has already decreased its manufacturing carbon footprint by 36% since 2015 and is operating two carbon-neutral factories. →

Business for South Africa issues call to action on local procurement

By: Donna Slater 31st July 2020 Business for South Africa (BSA) has issued a call to action for corporate South Africa to undertake four actions to assist local procurement during the Covid-19 pandemic. The BSA, an alliance of the main business groups, is calling on companies to review their procurement practices and to give... →

Lower selling prices for intermediate goods put metals and engineering under further strain

By: Marleny Arnoldi 31st July 2020 The drop in the selling prices of domestic intermediate products will put a further strain on companies in the metals and engineering (M&E) sector, given the direct implications of these prices on their margins and profits, says Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa... →

Montego says solar plant investment yielding returns

By: Schalk Burger 31st July 2020 Pet food manufacturer Montego Pet Nutrition's R22-million investment in a dedicated solar energy plant last year is yielding returns. Marketing manager Wilfred Cawood says that, as a result, the company's carbon dioxide emissions have decreased by 300 t to date this year. →

Coega Development Corporation to implement Tshwane auto SEZ

By: Irma Venter 31st July 2020 The Coega Development Corporation (CDC), the developer and operator of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), has been appointed as the implementing agent to develop and operate the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ). The CDC, as a public entity, is the implementing agent of... →

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