Battery manufacturer adds recycling to service offering

Manufacturer and distributor of lead acid batteries in South Africa, First National Battery, a subsidiary of JSE-listed Metair Investments, has committed to environmental sustainability and has... 

Global aspirations for homegrown gas-pressure regulator

Welding, cutting and gas products and services company African Oxygen (Afrox) launched a technologically advanced and engineered gas-pressure regulator, the Smoothflo regulator, in South Africa... 

Sasol inaugurates the country’s first gas-fired power plant

Sasol New Energy inaugurated South Africa’s first gas-engine power plant at its Sasolburg site, in the Free State, earlier this month. 

Mandela birth town’s first high school under construction

Former President Nelson Mandela’s birth town of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape, is having its first high school built. 

Cape Town’s tallest building awarded five-star rating

The R1.6-billion Portside development, in Cape Town’s central business district, has been awarded a 5 Star Green Star South Africa (SA) office design rating from the Green Building Council of South... 

DEA head office receives six-star rating from Green Building Council

The new Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) head office, in Pretoria, received a 6 Star Green Star South Africa (SA) Office Design certificate from the Green Building Council of South Africa... 

Stockbroking firm opens Africa for South African retail investors

Illovo-based Imara S.P. Reid Stockbrokers launched Africa-wide investment services to South African retail investors – previously the sole preserve of sophisticated international investors, fund... 

Sasol inaugurates R1.5bn gas-fired power plant

Sasol New Energy on Wednesday inaugurated South Africa’s first gas engine power plant at its Sasolburg site, in the Free State. The facility, which was built at a cost of R1.5-billion, represented... 

Energy management certification can help boost efficiency, reduce consumption

Energy management standards, such as the ISO 50001 Energy Management certification, are crucial to businesses moving forward amid a world energy crisis, said Certification Europe founder and... 

Steps taken to transform the Engineering Council of South Africa

The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) has embarked on a transformation process to ensure maximum efficiency in the delivery of its core mandate and, consequently, improve its service to... 

Plan to bolster farm-supporting infrastructure starting to take shape

South Africa’s agriculture sector faces a number of serious challenges and constraints. The spatial-zoning policies enforced before and during apartheid resulted in the extreme marginalisation of... 

Academy aims to increase number of qualified draughtspeople

Software company CAD Corporation in partnership with CAD Corporation Draughting Academy has opened the new academy to assist in filling the gap for skilled draughtspeople, designers and... 

Plan to bolster farm-supporting infrastructure starting to take shape

South Africa’s agriculture sector faces a number of serious challenges and constraints. The spatial-zoning policies enforced before and during apartheid resulted in the extreme marginalisation of... 

New scanner able to measure stockpiles

Power and automation technology developers ABB Group has developed a level and volume measurement laser scanner, the VM3D laser scanner, for process and utility applications. 

Pilot Crushtec CEO buys out minorities

Crushing and screening specialist Pilot Crushtec SA CEO Sandro Scherf has bought out his partners and increased his stake in the company, which is has also been renamed Pilot Crushtec... 

Contractor moves to accelerate delivery of water-treatment capacity

Construction company Liviero reports that it is fast-tracking the implementation of parts of a R231-million contract at Rand Water’s Panfontein water treatment residue disposal site, near... 

SA office furniture designs making domestic and global inroads

Local office furniture design and manufacturing company Angel Shack reports that it is experiencing rising domestic and international interest in its new product range, known as the GameChanger.... 

New stay-at-home system for low-risk offenders

Nongovernment organisation (NGO) the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro), which provides remedial services for adults and children who have been in... 

FLSmidth opens ‘super centre’ in Delmas

Equipment and services supplier to the cement, minerals and materials handling industries, FLSmidth, opened its fifth global Supercenter, in Delmas, Mpumalanga, this month. 

Construction injuries going unreported, legal expert warns

There are a significant number of unreported incidents of workplace injuries and deaths that occur in the construction industry, owing to an ineffective and stressed reporting system and the... 

Eastern Cape showing signs of recovery, says ECDC

Development financier the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) says the province is showing signs of economic recovery characterised by increased consumption levels, which were last recorded... 

SA urged to create a competitive electricity market

Solving South Africa’s power crisis will assist the country in achieving sustainable economic growth and help government deliver on its National Development Plan, Free Market Foundation director... 

Roadshow bringing light to rural communities

Royal Philips Electronics is continuing its programme of installing more than 100 Community Light Centres across Africa with six new ones in South Africa. 

Partnership aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality

The University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Gauteng Department of Health and electronics manufacturer Royal Philips Electronics launched a cooperative project this month, which focuses on the... 

Development financier backing niche tourism prospects

The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) tourism unit is developing and diversifying the South African local tourism offering for foreign and especially local tourists, in response to the... 

R300m air separation unit investment for Coega

Industrial and specialised gas producer Air Products South Africa broke ground at its latest capital investment in the Eastern Cape earlier this month. 

WTO website to improve trade monitoring for countries and companies

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) launched its new trade-monitoring database earlier this month. It provides detailed information on trade- policy measures implemented by WTO members and observers... 

Big renewables financing push a highlight of bank’s sustainability report

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has recently released its 2012 ‘Sustainability Report’ and says its sustainability programmes are mutually reinforcing and have served the company well. 

Mangaung pursuing Bram Fischer airport-city plan

The State-owned Airports Company South Africa is positioning itself to develop an aerocity around the Bram Fischer International Airport, near Bloemfontein, in the Mangaung metropolitan... 

Soweto features on anniversary airship’s global tour

Pharmaceutical manufacturer for healthcare, agriculture and high-tech materials, Bayer, has had an airship built to celebrate its 150th anniversary. The airship is being deployed to five continents... 

Mine mechanisation helping to tackle safety, cost and productivity issues

The recent focus on South Africa’s platinum and gold mines has intensified owing to labour problems and this has, in turn, brought into sharp focus the bloated mine work-forces, which surprises the... 

Industrial gas group invests R200m in Pretoria West air-separation unit

Gas products and services company Africa Oxygen (Afrox) launched its new 200 t/d, R200-million Pretoria West air-separation unit (ASU) this month. 

Book unpacks how good design improves quality, reduces cost

Winning by Design is a new book that provides an in-depth view of the Simpler Design System (SDS) and how it can be used to improve quality, reduce cost and expedite lead time during the new... 

Cape farm installs roof-mounted solar solution for produce cooling

Solar power systems manufacturer SolarWorld Africa and its distribution partner, African Technical Innovations (ATI), supplied and installed the agriculture sector’s first and largest roof-mounted... 

New Sandton development is SA’s thirtieth Green Star building

Building developer Abland received a four-star Green Star SA certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) for the design of its Alice Lane project, in Sandton. This is the... 

Mine mechanisation helping to tackle safety, cost and productivity issues

The recent focus on South Africa's platinum and gold mines, have intensified owing to labour problems. This in turn has shed some light on the massive labour sector, which surprised the... 

Electronics giant backs deployment of solar-powered health centre

Samsung Africa recently launched a mobile solar-powered health centre, in Cape Town, marking the start of a large-scale medical initiative on the continent. 

IBM launches data aggregation project to analyse SA’s water distribution system

Information technology (IT) giant International Business Machines (IBM) South Africa recently launched a crowd-sourcing project to capture, share and analyse information about the water... 

Northen Cape solar project going ahead, despite reported bankruptcy of Suntech’s China facility

Solar panel producer Suntech Power Holdings’ China facility was reported by Reuters to have filed for bankruptcy, but it is going ahead with two projects to supply two separate sites in the... 

Soul searching under way in bid to revitalise SA’s metal casting sector

It is widely accepted that South Africa has substantial remaining resources of unexploited industrial minerals. In fact the newly released Industrial Policy Action Plan 2013/14 concurs with...