In South Africa an initiative has been launched to enhance domestic businesses’s share of stainless steel product supplies in major capital projects. Sasol has allocated more than 20 billion Rand for capital projects in the next few years, while new mining projects also generate opportunities for suppliers of stainless-steel equipment such as vessels, tanks and heat exchangers. Most of the stainless-steel equipment for large capital projects in SA is imported. The initiative, led by the new Fabricating Industry Development Centre, under the auspices of the Southern African Stainless Steel Development Association, aims to replace some imports with domestic supplies and expand the country’s stainless-steel fabricating base. The centre will help stainless steel companies become accredited suppliers of large capital spenders, says Jack Moody, chairman of the SA Stainless Steel Fabricating Association. It will guide smaller firms to upgrade processes and products. The centre will analyse the needs of new projects, and promote technology transfer as well as domestic and international joint ventures.
