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Early days for stainless steel in cladding, construction industry

By: Simone Liedtke 23rd November 2018 The South African stainless steel in construction and cladding market is in an early developmental stage, despite many architectural projects having been completed over the past few decades, says South African Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) Western Cape regional manager Michel... →

Trade wars costly to long-term construction projects

By: Simone Liedtke 23rd November 2018 Owing to the global trade war in steel prices, local manufacturers, such as local steel fabricator Fabcon, are finding it difficult to quote for long-term construction projects. “The stockholding of any steel company is dramatically reduced, as companies are unwilling to hold stock for a longer... →

ANDREW VAN GOOL Companies are unwilling to hold stock for a longer period of time

Steel construction, cladding industry demand to continue increasing

By: Simone Liedtke 23rd November 2018 The demand for steel in South Africa’s construction and cladding sector will continue to increase, owing to its myriad of applications and ease of installation, says steel gratings, stair treads, pressed floors and safety handrails manufacturer Vital Engineering technical director Glen Pringle.... →

DIVERSIFIED PRODUCT OFFERING Vital Engineering supplies various items, including stainless steel handrails, GRP products, galvanised steel gratings and stainless steel gratings

Stimulus plan, more efficient processing to promote steel construction growth

By: Simone Liedtke 23rd November 2018 With the new stimulus plan announced under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership, South Africa’s economy is poised for an upturn, which will inevitably promote growth in the steel construction sector, says cutting consumables and capital equipment distributor First Cut MD Andrew Poole. “This... →

SOLUTIONS PROVIDER First Cut supplies processing solutions, which comprise its latest-generation fribelaser solutions that cut sheet steel

Signs of positive change in steel sector

By: Simone Liedtke 23rd November 2018 The drive to import certain quantities of steel has gained impetus during 2018, as a result of some doubts in the steel manufacturing industry about the ability of local mills to produce the required level of quality of certain products they require, steel processor and supplier Allied Steelrode... →

WARNE RIPPON There has also more recently been a concerted effort made by the primary steel producer to improve its product quality

Large scale erosion control at Pepper Bay

23rd November 2018 A large-scale erosion-control retaining wall to stabilise the existing eroded embankments in the Pepper Bay harbour area on the West Coast was initiated in the interest of public safety by the Department of Public Works. The embankments consist of multiple layers of sedimentation reaching up to... →

CMA membership offers significant advantages

By: Shannon de Ryhove 23rd November 2018 As a leading supplier of innovative infrastructure products to the construction and mining industries in Southern Africa, the Infrastructure Specialist Group (ISG), which represents precast concrete product specialists Rocla and Technicrete, believes that Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA)... →

Supporting industry associations adds value – CMA

By: Shannon de Ryhove 23rd November 2018 To ensure the use of high-quality precast concrete products in the market, it is vital for professionals and manufacturers of products related to the built environment to realise the value of joining industry associations, particularly those that have the wellbeing of end-users and industry at... →

Industry associations offer innovative opportunities for precast manufacturers

By: Shannon de Ryhove 23rd November 2018 Leading construction materials company AfriSam, who has been producing quality construction materials for over 80 years, strongly believes that industry bodies, such as the Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA), have the opportunity to build the knowledge base and positively contribute towards... →

Komatsu Africa Holdings unveils multimillion-rand campus

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 22nd November 2018 Komatsu Africa Holdings, the Southern African division of global capital equipment player Komatsu, has opened a new industrial hub, built to the tune of R985-million, in Germiston, Johannesburg. The campus was officially unveiled on Thursday, at a ceremony attended by local and international... →

R1bn Dunnottar facility boosts Nigel economy, youth employment

22nd November 2018 Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa officially opened the R1-billion, 78ha Gibela train manufacturing facility at Dunnottar Park, in Johannesburg. The facility will manufacture, assemble, test, commission and deliver 580 new X’Trapolis Mega commuter trains for Prasa. Nadine James tells us more. →

R1bn Dunnottar facility boosts Nigel economy, youth employment

MCIT unchanged at 58 index points for Q3, drop to 50 expected for Q4

By: Marleny Arnoldi 20th November 2018 The Manufacturing Circle Investment Tracker (MCIT) for the third quarter of 2018 revealed stable investment spending in line with industry expectation and firmly above the neutral 50-point mark, with the overall index flat at 58 index points. Albeit stable on a quarter-on-quarter basis, the... →

Nampak forecasts higher earnings

By: Simone Liedtke 19th November 2018 Leading up to the finalisation of its results for the year ended September 30, JSE-listed packaging company Nampak on Monday said that it expected its headline earnings per share (HEPS) for continuing operations to increase by between 12% and 17%. HEPS was 146.3c a share in the previous... →

Leguan lifts introduced onto South African market

By: Thabi Madiba 16th November 2018 As part of expanding its product range, multitask articulated loader importer Avant South Africa (SA) started importing Leguan access lifts, developed and manufactured in Finland for maintenance purposes. Avant SA manager Steyn le Grange states that the first lift arrived in August in Boksburg... →

HIGH PLATFORM The Leguan lifts provide outstanding working height with stability

Allied Steelrode launches second stretcher leveller amid lacklustre environment

15th November 2018 Allied Steelrode earlier this month launched its second stretcher leveller, a machine which helps to eliminate the stresses in steel, amid a somewhat lacklustre local business environment. Simone Liedtke, who attended the launch, tells us a bit more. →

Allied Steelrode launches second stretcher leveller amid lacklustre environment

Sappi mulls further Saiccor expansion as it moves ahead with R7.7bn project

By: Terence Creamer 15th November 2018 JSE-listed forest products group Sappi has confirmed that it is considering a further expansion of its giant Saiccor dissolving wood pulp (DWP) mill in KwaZulu-Natal, having only recently pulled the trigger on a R7.7-billion investment to expand output at the facility by 110 000 t/y. An... →

The Saiccor mill

Improved performance drives Sephaku’s H1 earnings higher

By: Simone Liedtke 13th November 2018 Construction materials company Sephaku Holdings (SepHold) achieved a 75.9% year-on-year increase in basic earnings a share to 12.83c for the six months ended September 30, as a result of a significantly improved performance during the period. Headline earnings a share increased by 77.3%... →

South Africa needs an ‘explicit’ digital industrial policy

By: Terence Creamer 12th November 2018 Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies is warning that unless South Africa develops and “explicit digital industrial policy” there is no guarantee that the potential benefits of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will outweigh the disadvantages. South Africa has had an official... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies

Omnia shares fall as it warns of interim loss

By: Simone Liedtke 12th November 2018 Local chemicals company Omnia Holdings’ share price on the JSE fell by more than 16% on Monday after it announced that it expects to swing to a loss a share for the six months to September 30. It expects to report a loss a share of between 85c and 170c, compared with the earnings a share of 423c... →

Medical sector benefits from Free State additive manufacturing facility

By: Rebecca Campbell 12th November 2018 The only ISO13485-certified medical implants additive manufacturing (AM, also called 3D printing) facility in Africa is the Central University of Technology's (CUT's) Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing, or CRPM for short. (CUT is located in Bloemfontein.) "Naturally, our focus is on... →

South Africa leads other emerging economies in key areas of additive manufacturing

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th November 2018 South Africa is one of the leaders in additive manufacturing (AM) among emerging and developing countries, Dr Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva tells Engineering News Online. Lopes da Silva is an AM researcher at the Brazilian Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation's Renato Archer... →

Conditions not conducive for retrofits, but regulation can help

By: Schalk Burger 9th November 2018 Challenging economic conditions and the commensurate impact on investments reduce the impetus to deploy energy efficiency equipment and systems despite a squeeze in local electricity use and higher electricity tariffs, says industrial drives and motors specialist company SEW-Eurodrive South... →

NORMAN MALEKA The earlier a company includes energy efficiency as a goal, the less costly the deployment and the greater the savings

SA lags, but has much to gain from boosting energy efficiency

By: Schalk Burger 9th November 2018 The energy intensity of South Africa’s economy – defined as energy consumption as a function of gross domestic product – is about twice the international average and electrical energy consumption is about 40% higher than the international average, says the Academy of Science South Africa (ASSAf).... →

Valve companies upgraded to Level 1 BBBEE status

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 9th November 2018 Valve manufacturer Ainsworth Engineering and its sister company valve distributor United Valve Company (UVC) are under new ownership and have been upgraded to Level 1 broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) status. The initiative was funded by the Industrial Development Corporation and... →

Ainsworth Engineering and United Valves Company CEO Siyabonga Meyiwa and United Valves Company General Manager Ruben van Loggerenberg discuss the state of the valve industry and company developments. Camerawork and Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

September manufacturing output up 0.1%

By: Reuters 8th November 2018 South Africa's manufacturing output rose by 0.1% year-on-year in September, following a revised 1.5% expansion in August, the statistics agency said on Thursday. Statistics South Africa said factory production on a month-on-month basis fell 1% in September, and increased by 1.7% in the three... →

Allied Steelrode launches second stretcher leveller to meet growing demand

By: Simone Liedtke 8th November 2018 As a result of increasing demand for stretched and flattened steel, local steel supplier and processing company Allied Steelrode on Thursday launched a second stretcher leveller at its Midvaal-based facility for the production of Allied Steelrode Stretcher Material (ASSM). Having the stresses of... →

Allied Steelrode executive director Warne Rippon and group CE Arun Chadha speak to Engineering News Online about the company’s most recent purchase, a second stretcher leveler, as well as some of the company’s corporate social investments in the Midvaal area. Video & Editing: Nicholas Boyd

AVI, Standard Bank to list on A2X

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th November 2018 South African fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) group AVI and Standard Bank Group on Thursday announced their listings on the A2X. AVI will become the first FMCG company to list on the A2X. →

Worldwide, 3D printing is now accelerating rapidly

By: Rebecca Campbell 8th November 2018 The global take-off of additive manufacturing (AM, popularly called 3D printing), it is now apparent, took place some six years ago. "2012 was a turning point in AM, globally," consultancy Wohlers Associates president Terry Wohlers tells Engineering News Online. "The technology really gained... →

NTP awaits NNR’s signature of approval to restart production

By: Simone Liedtke 7th November 2018 State-owned South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) CEO Phumzile Tshelane remains hopeful that production at its subsidiary NTP Radioisotopes’ facility will resume within the next two weeks, pending approval from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR). Production at the facility was shut... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
(Left) Necsa CEO Phumzile Tshelane and (Right) Necsa board chairperson Kelvin Kemm

National composite cluster launched to stimulate advanced manufacturing

By: Schalk Burger 7th November 2018 The Composite Cluster, which was launched by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) space affairs chief director Nomfuneko Majaja during the inaugural Advanced Manufacturing and Composites Show, in Port Elizabeth, on Wednesday, aims to support the development and use of composites as part of... →

IDC invests R150m to reopen Glodina factory

By: Shirley le Guern 6th November 2018 The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has invested R150-million to reopen the Glodina towel manufacturing plant, in KwaZulu-Natal. MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Sihle Zikalala on Tuesday officially reopened the plant, which shut down nearly a year ago due... →

Private-sector activity shrinks at fastest rate in 4 years in Oct – PMI

By: Reuters 5th November 2018 South African private sector activity shrank at the fastest rate in over four years in October as sharp declines in output, new orders and export demand saw firms cut back purchasing amid a recession, a survey showed on Monday. The Standard Bank Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by IHS... →

Smart, self-managing lighting the future for municipalities

By: Irma Venter 2nd November 2018 The time of humans controlling light fixtures is fading rapidly, says BEKA Schréder product development manager Daniel Kasper. “The luminaire will control itself; it will react and adjust by itself to the conditions around it. Soon there will be no need for light switches.” →

Vacuum truck recovers raw materials

By: Halima Frost 2nd November 2018 Industrial services company Dickinson Group has successfully concluded a mineral recovery and clean-up contract at an international copper smelter, using the Koks Cyclovac - a heavy duty industrial vacuum truck. Since the clean-up started in May 2016, the facility attained an additional 8 400 t... →

SPICK AND SPAN The after effects of a good operational clean up are seen at the smelter

Companies on a drive to become more efficient

By: Kim Cloete 1st November 2018 Cape Town’s Groote Schuur hospital, a leading manufacturer of catalytic converters and a well-known car sales dealer have one essential thing in common. They have all managed to radically improve efficiency across their operations over the past few years. The three examples were showcased at the... →

Absa PMI fell for a third consecutive month in October

By: Reuters 1st November 2018 South Africa's seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell further in October due to declines in new orders, business activity and employment, a survey showed on Thursday. The index, which is compiled by the Bureau for Economic Research and gauges manufacturing activity in... →

AMSA reports rise in Q3 sales and output

By: Terence Creamer 1st November 2018 Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has reported increased production and sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2018. The JSE-listed company told shareholders on Thursday that liquid steel production increased by 4.8% to 59 000 t, mainly as a result of higher output from its... →

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Botswana Business Environment Financial Gold Health Measurement Sustainable System Container Manufacturing Service Technology Training African Utility Week Automation Components Electrical Export Industrial Industrial Equipment Installation PROJECT SECURITY Proximity Water Aluminium Defence Steel Constructional Engineering Association ... more

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