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Metals & Engineering News

Profound benefits for metals in store once US infrastructure plan passes

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th April 2021 When US President Joe Biden announced a $2-trillion bill on March 31, becoming known as his infrastructure plan, it made commodity research company Fastmarkets, for one, excited about the opportunities it may hold for metals. The bill has been dubbed the American Jobs Plan, despite a political... →

Hulamin sees sales volume recovery after lull in 2020

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th April 2021 Aluminium supplier Hulamin has reported a healthier order book and a return to operating profitability in the final quarter of its 2020 financial year, ended December 31, after having experienced strong headwinds from March 2020. The company explains in its latest results statement that local... →

Increase in tanks demand presents challenges

By: Darren Parker 9th April 2021 Despite a global increase in stainless steel tanks production over the past 12 months – particularly for the food and beverage sectors – some subsectors are facing challenges, says stainless steel supplier Columbus Stainless market development manager Lerato Mashigo. “The food and beverage sector... →

AGES LIKE A FINE WINE Over the recommended life span of a structure, stainless steel becomes more economical because of reduced maintenance and refurbishment required

New range of air driers introduced

By: Darren Parker 9th April 2021 Compressed-air treatment supplier Artic Driers International has launched a new range of locally manufactured air driers – the SA Series – for cleaning and drying compressed air in food and beverage applications. The SA Series range of heatless desiccant pressure swing driers embodies a simple,... →

THE SA SERIES The locally made range of heatless desiccant pressure swing driers embodies a simple and robust design

Cylinder market expected to grow

9th April 2021 The global liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder manufacturing market is projected to reach a market size of about $4.7-billion by 2026, with an average growth rate of about 3.6% during the forecast period, according to a report issued by market intelligence provider Transparency Market Research... →

EXPANDING GAS The growth in the global LPG cylinder manufacturing market is driven by increased disposable income, urbanisation and demand for convenience

Local content rules for PV modules posing a challenge for ‘emergency’ solar projects

By: Terence Creamer 8th April 2021 The stipulation that solar projects bid as part of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP) include photovoltaic (PV) modules that meet the local-content thresholds and conditionalities outlined in government’s designation for PV components is causing some... →

Alfeco Group acquires Hulamin’s Gauteng aluminium extrusions business

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 7th April 2021 Integrated South African metals company Alfeco Group has recently acquired the Hulamin Extrusions plant, in Olifantsfontein, Midrand. The extrusion assets, which are now part of Alfeco’s new aluminium division, with a design capacity of 20 000 t/y, have been renamed Veer Aluminium. →

Local company shines in furnace rebuilds

By: Darren Parker 2nd April 2021 Foundry and engineering company Thos Begbie is conducting several major furnace rebuilds locally and globally. Locally, the company is manufacturing and supplying the copper furnace components of platinum producer Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats’) Anglo Converter Plant (ACP) in Rustenburg, in... →

ALL-ROUND SOLUTION Thos Begbie uses advanced casting simulation and machining simulation programs to reproduce what has been designed on computer-aided design programs by design houses

Manufacturer expands abrasive products range

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 2nd April 2021 German-owned abrasive products manufacturer PFERD South Africa is continuing with product line extensions for its coated and bonded abrasive products to meet market needs. This follows the manufacturer’s having noticed a steady shift in the market towards hand-held power tools that can improve... →

SAFETY FIRST The higher stock removal rate and unique cut of the ALLROUND tungsten carbide burrs reduce the vibration and noise during operation, which, in turn, improves operator comfort and safety

Multi Alloys to merge with EMVAfrica

By: Schalk Burger 1st April 2021 Special alloys company Multi Alloys will merge with EMVAfrica to become a specialised division of the stainless steel products and valves company on May 1. The merged businesses will give EMVAfrica a widened and enhanced range of long products, from the ferritic and austenitic stainless,... →

Nigeria Minister pushes timeous project completion

26th March 2021 Nigeria Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi tasked the promoters of the Lekki Deep Sea Port project situated in Lekki, Nigeria, with timely completion to ensure commencement of commercial activity by 2022. Amaechi made this known during a monitoring visit to the Lekki Deep Sea Port site on... →

MINISTERIAL MOTIVATION The Minister of Transportation in Nigeria has pushed promoters for the on-time completion of the Lekki Deep Sea Port

New straddle carriers now available in Africa

26th March 2021 Earlier this year, South Africa-based equipment supplier BLT World announced the launch of its new Mobicon 2HL series mini straddle carriers in Africa. Mobicon container handlers – key machines in BLT World’s range of container handling equipment – are designed for lifting containers securely... →

UPLIFTING The mini straddle carriers are capable of lifting containers two high for efficient stacking

Marine repair company building on expertise

26th March 2021 Ship repair company Namdock has announced that it aims to build on its regional and international expertise and experience, illustrating its diverse capabilities, along with its solid track record of customer service excellence. Namdock, a wholly Namibian-owned entity with its shareholding held... →

KEEPING AFLOAT Namdock ship repair is a recognised leader in the ship repair and offshore oil and gas sector

Swedish JV will open first fossil-free steelmaking plant in 2026

By: Bloomberg 25th March 2021 A Swedish joint venture that aims to remove fossil fuels from steelmaking is planning on establishing its first demonstration plant in 2026. Hybrit, an initiative run by steelmaker SSAB, iron-ore producer LKAB and energy supplier Vattenfall, will locate the factory in the northern Swedish town of... →

Steel production up 4.1% y/y in February

By: Donna Slater 24th March 2021 Global crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) increased by 4.1% year-on-year to 150.2-million tonnes in February. Worldsteel reports that China produced about 83-million tonnes of steel in February, a 10.9% year-on-year increase. →

Hall Longmore launches fusion bonded epoxy pipe coatings for the local market

By: Donna Slater 19th March 2021 Steel pipe manufacturer Hall Longmore is looking to attract a key domestic market segment with its newly launched dual layer fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) coatings. MD Kennith van Rooyen tells Engineering News the company, which is based in Wadeville, Gauteng, recently commissioned a dual spray... →

Marginal gains critical in gaining competitive advantage

By: Simone Liedtke 19th March 2021 The compounding effect of not taking advantage of marginal gains has a significant impact on the way in which an organisation operates, says pump manufacturer Grundfos commercial building services sales manager Duncan Graham. Marginal gains refer to small incremental improvements in any process,... →

DUNCAN GRAHAM Marginal gains refer to small incremental improvements in any process, subsequently resulting in a significant improvement overall

Pandemic increases demand for pumps

By: Simone Liedtke 19th March 2021 With much of the world being tested to its limits by the Covid-19 pandemic, it resulted in an increased demand for pumps and related accessories, says specialist pump company Integrated Pump Technology sales manager Jordan Marsh. He explains that, with mines being considered as “hot spots” for... →

GRINDEX RANGE The company is the sub-Saharan Africa supplier for the Grindex range

Construction uptick a good sign for metals and engineering – Seifsa

By: Donna Slater 18th March 2021 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) report that an uptick in sales of construction and building materials, amid increased construction activity, is encouraging and bodes well for the metals and engineering sector. Seifsa chief economist Chifipa Mhango says... →

Aluminium industry aims to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050

By: Schalk Burger 16th March 2021 Global industry organisation the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has published three main pathways that the industry can take to reduce its emissions by 80% by 2050 and meet internationally agreed climate goals, supply demand for primary aluminium that will increase by up to 40% and more... →

Metallurgical laboratory to be built in KwaZulu-Natal

By: Donna Slater 15th March 2021 Diversified industrial corporation United Heavy Industries (UHI) plans to establish a metallurgical laboratory at its plant in Mandeni, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, as part of its efforts to take the study of properties of metal beyond theory.  This will also greatly assist in helping students of... →

Green hydrogen to be phased in to decarbonise steel production – Fitch Solutions

By: Donna Slater 11th March 2021 In the second part of its special coverage on the impact of hydrogen on the mining and metals sector, Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research (Fitch Solutions) reports that it believes green hydrogen will be adopted in the metals sector, in particular in the steel sector, in the longer... →

Zimbabwe says China's Tsingshan to build iron ore mine, steel plant from May

By: Reuters 10th March 2021 China's Tsingshan Holding Group is set to start developing an iron ore mine and a carbon steel plant in Zimbabwe from May, the African country's information minister said late on Tuesday, three years after the firm first announced the investment deal. Tsingshan signed a $1-billion outline... →

Taxpayer loses as multimillion-rand investment collapses amid allegations of fraud, mismanagement

By: News24Wire 8th March 2021 The KwaZulu-Natal Growth Fund (KGF), Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and private investors have burnt their fingers and lost more than R330-million in an ill-fated cookware-manufacturing plant which has now been liquidated. INSA, in which the KGF, IDC and private funders had invested... →

Company secures distributor deal

By: Halima Frost 5th March 2021 Engineering solutions provider BMG has been appointed as the exclusive distributor of Swagefast fastening systems in Africa, including South Africa. “This means that BMG will have the capacity to supply heavy industrial pin and collar fastening solutions directly to the rail industry,” says BMG... →

PIN AND COLLAR The Swagefast heavy industrial pin and collar range will now be supplied by BMG

Glencore Ferroalloys launches enterprise and supplier development hub

By: Donna Slater 4th March 2021 Glencore Ferroalloys is helping to redress South Africa’s historical socioeconomic inequalities by supporting local small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) through the recent launch of its first Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) Hub, in Rustenburg. Glencore opened the ESD hub,... →

Green revolution gets more expensive as copper price surges

By: Bloomberg 4th March 2021 Look just beneath the surface of many of the technologies powering the energy transition and there’s a red metallic glint. Copper is a vital part of green infrastructure from grids to wind turbines, and a recent price surge threatens to make decarbonization more costly. Copper has doubled from... →

Seifsa partners with Venncap to help metals, engineering companies secure funding

By: Schalk Burger 4th March 2021 Industry body the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has partnered with funding consulting firm VennCap Business Solutions to assist metals and engineering sector companies to secure funding for their businesses and enable them to chart a course to... →

Seifsa CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba

US Commerce sets anti-dumping duties on aluminum sheet from 18 countries

By: Reuters 3rd March 2021 The US Commerce Department on Tuesday issued final anti-dumping duties on common alloy aluminum sheet from 18 countries investigated, including up to 242.8% on imports from Germany and 4.83% on imports from Bahrain. The duties were announced just hours after Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo... →

Global crude steel production up 4.8% y/y in January

By: Schalk Burger 26th February 2021 Crude steel production for the 64 countries that provide data to the global industry body the World Steel Association (worldsteel) increased by 4.8% year-on-year to 162.9-million tonnes in January. Production in Africa, the US, Japan and the European Union (EU) had, however, decreased, worldsteel... →

M&E sector output to recover this year after 15% decrease recorded for 2020

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th February 2021 The Metals and Engineering (M&E) sector was no doubt under pressure in 2020 owing to lower steel production and general trading restrictions, Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) says in its latest 'State of the M&E Sector' report. Seifsa chief economist and... →

Global crude steel output decreases by 0.9% in 2020

26th February 2021 Global crude steel production reached 1 864-million tonnes (Mt) for the year 2020, which is down by 0.9% compared with 2019, steel industry association the World Steel Association stated in a press release last month. →

Photo by worldsteel.org
DECREASED STEEL OUTPUT Global crude steel production reached 1 864-million tonnes for the year 2020

Manufacturing recovery’s slow pace a concern, Seifsa

26th February 2021 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) is concerned about the slow pace of recovery in the manufacturing sector, as depicted by the manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) number of 50.9 last month – lower than the 2020 fourth quarter average. →

MULTIPLIER EFFECT The manufacturing sector remains key to the growth and development of South Africa owing to its multiplier effect on other sectors of the economy

Safe and reliable steel production even more crucial

26th February 2021 High temperatures, molten metals and heavy loads are some of the challenges faced during steel production, says industrial instrumentation and automation multinational Endress+Hauser. →

ZOOMING INTO SAFETY Over the years, the importance of safety has grown substantially, whereby laws and regulations governing the smelter and metals sector have become stricter

Companies committed to transformation honoured

26th February 2021 Entries are open for the seventh annual Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) Awards for Excellence and the federation is calling on all companies within the metals and engineering (M&E) industry to send in their submissions for the Most Transformed Company of... →

TRANSFORMATION GOALS The Most Transformed Company of the Year Award honours and celebrates companies that have been able to transform their workplaces meaningfully

Company adopts ‘three Rs’ approach to reduce environmental impact

By: Mamaili Mamaila 26th February 2021 Wear-resistant chromium carbide-clad liner plates manufacturer Rio-Carb has aligned itself with the ISO14001 environmental management system to benchmark its manufacturing processes by following the reduce, reuse and recycle approach. →

JABULILE MLAMBO Rio-Carb’s approach offered an environment-positive option to the mining, steel and cement industries

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). →

REPRIORITISATION The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association’s members had to reconsider aspects, such as staff deployment, the use of facilities and cost structures

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