The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) and the Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (Memsa) have joined together to host a combined 2022 Awards for Excellence Event. 

The awards aim to recognise excellence, with Memsa focusing on manufacturers of equipment for the mining industry and Seifsa recognising companies in the metals and engineering (M&E) sector that have displayed innovation, competitiveness, resilience and excellence. 

“Seifsa is calling on employers to have their achievements recognised by entering the Awards for Excellence Event, which provides a platform to celebrate the achievements of companies that have thrived despite the many challenges we face at present, including the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing constraints impacting on our sector,” Seifsa CEO Lucio Trentini said. 

The award categories are: 

The Most Digitally Innovative Company Award will recognise an enterprise that uses new technologies and demonstrates innovation in its approach to projects and/or its business. 

The Most Transformed Company Award will be awarded to the company that is most transformed in terms of ownership and the composition of its board of directors, executive management and managerial team, as well as skills development and enterprise development initiatives. 

The Best Customer Service Award will be for the company that receives the highest rating from its customers for its customer service. 

The Workplace Health and Safety Award will acknowledge a company's best-practice approaches and achievement in workplace health and safety. 

The Company Artisan Training Award will be for the company that has the highest activity in artisan training and development. 

The Corporate Social Responsibility Award will go to the company whose corporate social investment project has made the biggest impact on the lives of its beneficiaries. 

The Environment Stewardship Award will recognise a project in the M&E sector that exemplifies the practices of environmental stewardship. 

The Business Resilience Award will be given to the company that has shown resilience, agility and adaptability in 2020/21 – especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Young Entrepreneur Award will be for a business owned by a person 35 years old or younger that has demonstrated growth for over two years and contributed to job creation in the industry. 

The Businesswoman of the Year Award will recognise a woman who runs a successful business in the M&E sector and who has contributed significantly to the development of sector. 

“The Memsa Manufacturing Excellence Awards will showcase South African manufacturers achieving excellence in manufacturing processes and the delivery of customised, quality service to the mining industry, while building local supply chains,” Memsa CEO Lehlohonolo Molloyi said. 

The 2022 Memsa Manufacturing Excellence Awards categories will assess customer service, strategic use of technology, building employees and re-industrialising South Africa in four categories. These categories are Customised Customer Service, Localised Supply Chain, Manufacturing Solutions, and Memsa Member Manufacturer of the Year. 

The fourth category – Memsa Member of the Year – is open to only Memsa members and will be awarded to the company that has consistently and continuously improved its management, operations, health and safety, and environmental standards in supply to the mining sector during the year under review. 

Companies wishing to showcase and share their achievements are invited to enter online. Entries close on October 5 for Memsa entries and October 21 for Seifsa entries. The Awards Event will take place on November 17.