Ceramic & Alloy Specialists was established in October 1998 representing both international and local manufacturers and supplying the foundry, aluminium smelter and steel manufacturing industries in South Africa.

25 years ago, Mike Retief left the comfort of corporate life and ventured out and started his own business Ceramic & Alloy Specialists, representing both international and local manufacturers and supplying the foundry, aluminium smelter and steel manufacturing industries in South Africa.

Initially, like a great number of one-man businesses, the operation ran from an office at home but as the business grew it necessitated a move to an office and warehouse. Reminiscent of many small businesses this is normally a conservative move. It was soon realised that bigger offices and warehousing was needed and Ceramic & Alloy Specialists made the move to Anderbolt, Boksburg in December 2003.

Mike has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the melting industries, having studied as a metallurgist and then worked for a number of years in the industry with companies such as Scaw Metals, Ferroform, Johnson Matthey and Metallurg. This knowledge stood him in good stead and gave him the confidence he needed when he ventured out on his own, an accomplishment he had wanted to do for a long time.

Sales Director Wouter Retief with his father Mike Retief, founder of Ceramic & Alloy Specialists. Ceramic & Alloy Specialists was established in October 1998 representing both international and local manufacturers and supplying the foundry, aluminium smelter and steel manufacturing industries in South Africa

To begin with he concentrated on the aluminium industry, supplying filtration technology and products from Selee Corporation and ceramic shapes from Dakot. Over the years the product range expanded and diversified and today it includes hollowware from ICP in the USA, alloys (the noble materials), grain refiners, hardeners, inoculants, nodularisers, insulation type materials, cored wires and other niche market products for the primary and secondary markets, including the foundries and steel manufacturers. Mike also now imports from China, India, Argentina and the UK.

2004 saw the formation of a joint venture agreement between British company Amalgamated Metal Corporation PLC and Ceramic & Alloy Specialists (Pty) Ltd. A new company Alloys, Metals & Ceramics Holdings (Pty) Ltd (AMC) was set up and was jointly owned by the two parties.

AMC acquired both Ceramic & Alloy Specialists (Pty) Ltd and British Metal Corporation (South Africa) in the agreement. The combined businesses had been trading in and act as the local agent, selling a range of both raw materials and consumables to the South African molten metal industry. The range included ferro alloys, cored wire, aluminium alloying additions, ceramic castings and filters, minor and special metals, minerals and foundry consumables.

AMC operated from the Ceramic & Alloy Specialists offices in Boksburg, Gauteng and Mike Retief was responsible for the overall operation, as well as that of Ceramic & Alloy Specialists. The new group continued to market all the existing products in South Africa and those of AMC, which included Philips, Selee Corporation, Hoesch Metallurgie, Elkem, CEDIE, Kennecott and Ferro Titanium Alloys.

Acquisition of Dakot Ceramics
The company then acquired a 50% shareholding in Mtunzini, Northern KwaZulu-Natal-based ceramic shape manufacturer Dakot Ceramics. The company subsequently purchased the remaining shares and changed its name to Ceralcast (Pty) Ltd. In 2017 the production facility was moved to Boksburg. Ceralcast’s main product line is pre-cast ceramic shapes that can operate at temperatures in the range between 700°C and 1 750°C, depending on the raw material/castable refractory selected.

“The growth from those first few years was unbelievable,” said Retief.

This increase in the product range and business also necessitated an increase in staff with wife Pearl joining to manage the accounts side and son Wouter on the sales side. An office was also opened in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Capital equipment
In 2010 Ceramic & Alloy Specialists expanded its product portfolio into capital equipment when the company entered into an agreement with Wright Technologies CC to take over the marketing and sales of all equipment, spares and consumables for a number of international manufacturers and developers of foundry related equipment, consumables and software that Wright Technologies CC (formerly Technimin) was representing in South Africa.

Today Ceramic & Alloy Specialists’ product portfolio is made up of Elkem foundry products, Mammut-Wetro crucibles, Hoesch Metallurgy GmbH grain refiners, modifiers, magnesium and fluxes, Becker insulation products, Selee Corporation filtration products, ICP ceramic gating components, Ceralcast industrial ceramic solutions, Remet investment casting products, Schafer Mettalurgie GmbH fluxes and de-gassing products for the non-ferrous industry, Ceranovis die casting coatings, Newform thermal foundry products, Orton cones and PCTR rings and Insertec induction furnace linings as well as tin, ferro molybdenum and ferro silicon

“We had already been trading in and selling a range of raw materials and consumables to the South African molten metal industry. The range included ferro alloys, cored wire, aluminium alloying additions, ceramic castings and filters, minor and special metals, minerals and foundry consumables and still does,” explained Retief.

“The range of European based manufacturers included StrikoWestofen GmbH, Foundry Automation S.r.l, Buhler Druckguss AG, Progelta S.r.l, Sogemi Engineering S.r.l, MAUS S.p.A, CM Surface Treatment S.p.A, Mammut-Wetro Schmelztiegelwerk, ProWire, Finite Solutions Inc and Schaefer Chemische Fabrik GmbH.”

“For various reasons we exited this aspect of representation and only retained an agreement with Schaefer, manufacturers of fluxes, and non-ferrous molten metal treatment products and Mammut-Wetro, a manufacturer of crucibles.”

GfE-MIR agreement
In 2013 Ceramic & Alloy Specialists entered into a sales and distribution agreement with GfE-MIR Alloys and Minerals SA to serve the South African ferrous foundry industry by supplying the industry with GfE-MIR’s range of bulk alloys, magnesium cored wires and other speciality products.

“We have subsequently added Becker insulation products, ICP ceramic gating components, Remet investment casting products, Ceranovis die casting coatings, Newform mica lining materials and electric and thermal insulation products, Orton cones and PCTR rings and Insertec induction furnace linings to our product portfolio that we represent.”

“Over the years we have strengthened our product portfolio, distribution and customer support for the foundries in South Africa, including all the art foundries. In addition, we have been able to learn more about our customers and to better understand their needs,” said Retief.

“We are excited about the future for the company. We now have access to products that will in effect virtually make us a one-stop shop as a foundry supplier. We now regard ourselves as a specialist supplier to the molten metal industry rather than a bulk supplier,” explained Retief.

Ceramic & Alloy Specialists are located on the corner of Dormehl and Main Roads, Anderbolt, Boksburg and you can contact them on TEL: 011 894 3039 or visit www.ceramic-alloy.co.za