The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) Columbus Stainless Awards is testament to the strength and durability of the South African stainless steel industry, says Sassda executive director John Tarboton.
With this year’s awards theme being ‘celebrating innovation’, he notes that, since the inception of the awards, the association’s motivation has always been to encourage world-class manufacturing, processing, projects and innovation.
The Sassda Columbus Stainless Awards, which takes place every two years, has received over 180 entries from 53 companies resulting in a stellar list of more than 60 finalists. “There has been an expansion to 17 different categories, with entries ranging from locally manufactured stainless steel corrugated pipes, world-class architectural masterpieces, feats of engineering and inspiring stories of transformation and growth among our members,” Tarboton explains.
Local Ingenuity
Tarboton states that judges felt that multinational corporation Metso ND Engineering, as the overall winner, is consistently impressive, with a variety of projects in a number of different categories.
“We were particularly impressed with the large number of duplex stainless steel projects and congratulate the company on establishing such a high benchmark for aspirational fabricators of stainless steel.”
The judges were pleased with the locally originated nature of the entries, which showcased South African innovation of the highest order and boded well for an upturn in the local stainless steel industry.