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Metals & Engineering News

Association hopeful despite challenging environment

By: Mamaili Mamaila 26th February 2021 The stainless steel sector, similar to the rest of the local economy, was under pressure before the onset of Covid-19, says the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda). →

New Swedish venture eyes fossil fuel-free steel production in 3 years

By: Reuters 24th February 2021 Swedish steel venture H2 Green Steel is planning to build a fossil fuel-free steel plant in the north of Sweden, including a sustainable hydrogen facility, with production starting in 2024, it said on Tuesday. The Lulea-based venture, which is in the process of closing 50 million euros ($60.7... →

SAIW seeks to alleviate key skills shortages

By: Simone Liedtke 22nd February 2021 The South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) is gearing up to present its internationally recognised nondestructive testing (NDT) Level 3 Workshop in March. The workshop builds on pre-existing Level 1 and 2 NDT qualifications to enable attendees to take on a more senior managerial role within an... →

AMSA confirms death of three employees after Vanderbijlpark Works stack collapse

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 18th February 2021 Steel company ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has confirmed that the bodies of three missing employees have been recovered, with all three having succumbed to injuries sustained in an incident at the company’s Vanderbijlpark Works on the morning of February 17. The incident entailed a portion... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Vanderbijlpark Works

Three employees missing after incident at AMSA's Vanderbijlpark Works

By: Marleny Arnoldi 17th February 2021 Primary steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) on February 17 reported that there had been an incident at its Vanderbijlpark Works facility, which resulted in three employees going missing. The company explained that a portion of a 90 m stack at one of the operation’s coke batteries... →

Biden faces South African push to extend trade concessions

By: Bloomberg 15th February 2021 South Africa is apprehensive about striking a new trade deal with the US and would rather maintain existing relations with the world’s largest economy, the nation’s top trade official said. South Africa is currently party to the so-called Generalised System of Preferences and the African Growth... →

Seifsa calls for finalisation, implementation of Steel Master Plan

By: Schalk Burger 12th February 2021 Industry body the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has called for the finalisation and speedy implementation of the Steel Master Plan, which it believes will benefit primary and downstream players in the local steel industry. It is also considered to be key... →

Macsteel commits to paying SME suppliers in 30 days

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th February 2021 Steel merchant Macsteel has committed to its paying small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suppliers within 30 days, in a bid to contribute to the growth of this critical sector of the South African economy. Macsteel is the latest company to join Business for South Africa’s (B4SA’s) #PayIn30... →

ArcelorMittal South Africa reports second-half profit as supply squeeze lifts prices

By: Terence Creamer 11th February 2021 Steelmaker ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) return to profit in the second half of its 2020 financial year on the back of steel-shortage-induced price rises that negatively affected many domestic downstream consumers and have led to growing calls for a lifting of import protection. The... →

SAISC urges stakeholders to raise steel shortage concerns amid Itac import rebate investigation

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th February 2021 The International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) has reportedly received a policy directive from Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel to investigate the creation of a rebate facility of customs and safeguard duties to cover imported flat steel products used by the... →

BHP pledges $15m to decarbonise the steel industry

By: Esmarie Iannucci 10th February 2021 Diversified miner BHP has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japanese steel producer JFE Steel to jointly study technologies and pathways capable of making material reductions to greenhouse-gas emissions from the integrated steelmaking process. BHP on Wednesday said that it was... →

Group continues to embrace instrumentation technology

5th February 2021 Utility management company Bosch Munitech continues to make a substantial investment in the latest instrumentation technology, offering geospatial services in line with stringent global standards. Munitech, a division of multidisciplinary consulting engineering group Bosch Holdings, continuously... →

GROUP POWER The new technology enables the company to accurately survey complex structures in just one site visit

Time switch series available locally

5th February 2021 Electric solutions provider Legrand’s AlphaRex and MicroRex series of time switches are now available in South Africa. Both switches, which ensure high-clock precision and energy efficiency in industrial, commercial and domestic environments, have been designed for easy programming. →

EASY TECH Legrands new series of time switches have been designed for easy programming

Glencore, Century Aluminum ink sale of 150 000 t of Natur-Al aluminium

By: Simone Liedtke 4th February 2021 Glencore and Century Aluminum Company have finalised the sale of 150 000 metric tons of Natur‐Al aluminium over five years to Austrian firm Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI). Natur‐Al products are made with energy from 100% renewable sources at Century’s Norðurál Grundartangi aluminum plant in... →

Global steel price rally to be short-lived – Fitch

By: Schalk Burger 4th February 2021 The recent global rally in steel prices will be short-lived, with prices starting to decline towards the end of the first quarter of 2021, as steelmaking production continues to be restarted. Vast steelmaking capacity idled during the heights of the pandemic could not be brought online quickly... →

Long road ahead for metals and engineering sector, warns Seifsa

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 1st February 2021 Industry organisation the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) says recent economic data shows that the meals and engineering (M&E) sector has a long and difficult road ahead to recovery, despite hope that interventions may provide some relief for industry... →

ArcelorMittal SA ramps up Vaal Meltshop to full production to ease steel shortages

By: Terence Creamer 28th January 2021 Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) reported on Thursday that it would increase output at its Vaal Meltshop electric arc furnace (EAF), in Vereeniging, to help address prevailing steel shortages, which have been negatively affecting downstream fabricators and manufacturers for... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Kobus Verster

Global coalition formed to drive net-zero shift in hard-to-decarbonise transport and industrial sectors

By: Terence Creamer 27th January 2021 A new global partnership has been formally launched in an effort to accelerate the decarbonisation of seven heavy industrial and transport sectors that together represent 30% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and where carbon-abatement pathways have yet to be defined. Known as the ‘Mission... →

Global crude steel output down 0.9% y/y in 2020

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 27th January 2021 Global crude steel production decreased by 0.9% year-on-year to 1.86-billion tonnes for2020, industry association the World Steel Association (worldsteel) reports. South Africa produced 3.9-million tonnes of crude steel, a significant decrease from the 6.2-million tonnes produced in 2019. →

Forrest paves the way for green steel

By: Esmarie Iannucci 22nd January 2021 Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has pledged iron-ore major Fortescue to a green energy future, unveiling plans for green steelmaking in the Pilbara. In the first ABC Boyer Lecture for 2021, which will be aired over the weekend, Forrest in a recorded message stated that Fortescue would build... →

Photo by Bloomberg
Fortescue founder and chairperson Andrew Forrest

Hulamin appoints new CFO

By: Simone Liedtke 21st January 2021 Aluminium supplier and exporter Hulamin has appointed Meganathan (Mark) Gounder CFO and executive director, with effect from April 1. Gounder is an experienced finance professional with over 25 years’ experience, and he has held various senior finance roles within the Illovo Sugar Group, which... →

Obituary: Eric Samson, a great loss for the steel industry and the country

21st January 2021 In this tribute, Macsteel Global chairperson Mick Davis reflects on the life and contribution of Eric Samson, who he describes as softly spoken, compassionate and generous. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the founder and majority shareholder of the Macsteel Group, Eric... →

Eric Samson

Chrome market could change with new export tax regime, dissuading Chinese offtake

By: Donna Slater 20th January 2021 A “delicate” balancing act between chrome ore mining and stainless steel production may be under threat as South Africa changes its export tax regime to boost the commodity’s “welfare benefits” and to favour local chrome buyers instead of foreign buyers, Simon le Roux, a student at Rhodes... →

Steel baron Eric Samson dies

By: News24Wire 20th January 2021 Steel magnate Eric Samson, best known for building Macsteel into one of South Africa's largest companies, has died aged 83. The octogenarian billionaire – who shied away from the spotlight throughout his life – died in Newport, California. He had a career spanning more than five decades in the... →

Neasa calls for steel duties to be dropped to meet burgeoning domestic demand

By: Donna Slater 18th January 2021 Unless import duties are reduced or made null for a period of time, steel shortages will continue to plague the domestic market, the National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) argues. Currently, the largest steel manufacturer – ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has repeatedly assured... →

SMS Group to buy Andritz Maerz's copper furnace business

By: Donna Slater 13th January 2021 Industrial furnace company Andritz Maerz and plant supplier SMS Group have entered into an agreement to transfer the global copper furnace business, including the related intellectual property and service activities, from Andritz Maerz to SMS. SMS states that the acquisition further strengthens... →

Steel inventories rise as coronavirus spike sees China's Hebei grind to a halt

By: Reuters 13th January 2021 Steel mills in northern China's Hebei province are having to find more space for inventories as transportation restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of a resurgent coronavirus prevent them from sending out products to clients. Hebei, which accounts for a quarter of China's steel capacity,... →

BHP invests in startup seeking to make emissions-free steel

By: Bloomberg 12th January 2021 BHP Group, the world’s biggest mining company, has invested in a startup company seeking to develop less-polluting ways of making steel. While many in the mining industry have outlined how they plan to curb their own direct pollution, those emissions are a fraction of ones produced by customers,... →

AMSA says steel shortage will be ‘quickly’ resolved after early restart of blast furnace

By: Terence Creamer 8th January 2021 Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) says the earlier-than-planned restart of its second blast furnace at the Vanderbijlpark Works will position the company to “quickly resolve” the current shortage of steel, which has been negatively affecting downstream fabricators and manufacturers... →

Photo by Creamer Media
The Vanderbijlpark Works

Steel supply squeeze continues for downstream firms

By: Terence Creamer 7th January 2021 South Africa’s downstream fabricators and manufacturers are continuing to experience difficulties in securing steel and are also confronting rising prices, which could be partly attributed to the throttling of supply over the past few months. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition... →

Mining and Metals Blockchain Initiative launches proof of concept platform to trace emissions

By: Creamer Media Reporter 15th December 2020 The World Economic Forum’s (WEF's) Mining and Metals Blockchain Initiative (MMBI) has released a proof of concept that uses distributed ledger technology to track embedded greenhouse-gas emissions. The successful completion of the proof of concept, named the Carbon Tracing (COT) Platform will be... →

Seifsa lauds AfCFTA as January commencement nears

By: Donna Slater 10th December 2020 In a move likely to boost inter-African trade, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has welcomed the December 9 confirmation that trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will commence from January 1, 2021. The AfCFTA journey... →

Seifsa calls for moratorium on power hikes as Eskom makes case for cost-reflectivity

By: Terence Creamer 7th December 2020 Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) used the platform created by ongoing National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) hearings to call for a moratorium on additional electricity tariff hikes, arguing that further increases would undermine the country’s... →

New forming line increases global supply capabilities

4th December 2020 Last month, automotive technology and engineering company Benteler International announced it would be investing in a new forming line for processing of airbag tubes at its Schloss Neuhaus plant, in Germany. The company has expanded its value-added depth in airbag and seat belt pretensioner tubes... →

PIPELINE A new forming line for processing of airbag tubes is being invested in by Benteler International

Metal prices expected to average higher in 2021 amid recovery from Covid-19 – Fitch Solutions

By: Donna Slater 1st December 2020 Financial risk management, solutions and insights company Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research (Fitch Solutions) expects miners and metal producers to experience a more favourable pricing environment in 2021 with nearly all mineral and metal prices forecast to average higher on a... →

Govt study into local lithium-ion battery value chain almost complete

By: Irma Venter 27th November 2020 A study into the possible development of a lithium-ion (li-ion) battery value-chain in South Africa will be completed by the end of the year. The study is being undertaken by Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), on behalf of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). It... →

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair

Pandemic negatively affects vessel testing

By: Cameron Mackay 27th November 2020 The negative impact of Covid-19 on the local economy has resulted in a significant decrease in the testing of air-pressure vessels, says air compression products and services provider Tru Compressor Solutions sales director Phillip Botha. The company has conducted 15 tests on air-pressure vessels... →

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