The Stainless Steel Awards programme has been expanded with the addition of three new categories and the participation of new sponsors. Dave Slater, executive director of Sassda (Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association), which drives the awards programme, said the new categories had been introduced to create further opportunities for entrants to compete in a category best suited to their field of expertise. âWe also had greater demand from sponsors who wished to become part of the biennial stainless steel awards programme.â? The new Consumer or Industrial Product Prototype category will be sponsored by CSIRâs National Product Development Centre (NPDC) and is open to companies and individuals in the private and public sector and for the most innovative and viable consumer or industrial product prototype using predominantly stainless steel as a material of construction. Slater says that entries for this category must demonstrate a clear potential for commercial development of the prototype that should lead to significant benefits for South African industry. âThe winner of this category will receive professional engineering support from NPDC for the commercial development of the prototype, assistance with manufacturing advice and intellectual property counselling,â? said Slater. The second new category is Welded Tubing, which is sponsored by Fischer Stainless Steel. It is open to both companies and individuals for the most innovative use of welded stainless steel tubing. The third new category is for Kitchen Design and is open to kitchen and interior designers and kitchen manufacturers. This category, which is sponsored by Franke Kitchen Systems, will be awarded for the most attractive and functional residential kitchen installed during the last two years. The kitchen must be designed using stainless steel appliances, kitchen accessories as well as stainless steel wash-up equipment such as sinks and prep bowls.
The remaining categories are those which have proved popular over the last two awards programmes: Manufacturing Innovation and Manufacturing Productivity.
