Entries are open for the seventh edition of the annual SEIFSA Awards for Excellence, which are aimed at celebrating excellence in the Metals and Engineering (M&E) industry.

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) is inviting manufacturers operating in the sector to submit their entries.

The awards recognise excellence and honour small and giant manufacturers which promote innovation, transformation, skills development, a safe working environment and good business ethics and excellence. They are open both to members and non-members of SEIFSA.
SEIFSA Chief Executive Officer Kaizer Nyatsumba said the 2021 Awards come at a time when the M&E industry’s existing challenges – such as weak growth, lack of demand, rising operating costs and expensive and erratic power supply – have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Despite these challenges, we have seen companies continue to strive and achieve excellence and come up with innovative ideas not only to ensure the sustainability of their businesses, but also to protect their employees’ jobs,” Mr Nyatsumba said. “It is companies such as these that deserve to be celebrated and encouraged to continue their efforts to revive our ailing industry. Their success stories will serve to encourage other companies to emulate them.”

Mr Nyatsumba said entrants will be assessed on their performance during the period 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2020 in seven different categories, namely:

• The Most Innovative Company of the Year, which will be awarded to a company that showed the best level of innovation in research and development or production;
• The Health and Safety Award of the Year will be offered to a company with the best legal compliance record in Health and Safety or the lowest Lost-Time Injury Frequency rate;
• The company rated the highest in customer service performance between July 2019 and December 2020 will receive the Customer Service Award of the Year;
• The Environmental Stewardship Award will go to a company that has successfully implemented greening initiatives in its day-to-day business operations;
• The Artisan Award will be made to the company that trained the highest number of artisans during that 18-month period;
• The Best CSI Award will be presented to a company whose corporate social investment programme/s between July 2019 and December 2020 had a major impact on the lives of its beneficiaries; and
• The Most Transformed Company of the Year Award category is split into two groups by company size: the first covers companies employing fewer than 100 people and the second one looks at companies employing more than 100 people. This ensures that companies are judged against their peers to encourage fairness.

The closing date for entries is 4 May 2021, with the winners of the 2020 SEIFSA Awards for Excellence to be honoured at a ceremony to be held on 20 May 2021 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Last year’s awards saw Centurion Systems walk away with the Most Innovative Company of the Year Award, while Pamodzi Unique Engineering won the Most Transformed Company of the Year Award and Babcock Ntuthuko Engineering won the Health and Safety Award of the Year. Other winners were Beka Schreder, which took home the Award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year and Kgabo Cars and Training & Services, which won the Artisan of the Year Award.