“2025 has not been without its trials and tribulations for the family and employees of Ceramic and Alloy Specialists. By far the hardest was losing Mr. Mike Retief who has been the owner and driving force behind Ceramic and Alloy Specialists for over 25 years,” said Wouter Retief, Director of Ceramic and Alloy Specialists.
“Not just has it been a challenge to adapt to the current economic strains our industry has been going through but making sure there is growth has been quite a task on its own. One of the more unpleasant immediate actions required was the closure of our ceramic manufacturing facility. It was one of the hardest but necessary steps forward we had to go through.”
“Management and staff have all pulled together with resilience and discipline when we were coming to grips with the new norm of daily life without Mr. Mike Retief. Staying power and with 2025 coming to an end we are positive about the future.”
Ceramic and Alloy Specialists have secured an agency for electric arc furnace roof brick manufacturer, Magscie
New electric arc furnace roof brick agency
“Despite the year’s challenges, Ceramic and Alloy Specialists have secured an agency for electric arc furnace roof (EAF) bricks manufacturer Magscie. These are stocked by us and imported by Ceramic and Alloy Specialists directly from the manufacturer in China.”
“It has been proven that the quality is superior to anything else on the local market as well as the products being hugely competitive commercially. The relationship has grown quickly and Magscie now also supplies various insulation materials to Ceramic and Alloy Specialists.”
“Magscie was a supplier that interested me,” explained Retief.
“So, I did my research, and then had some drawings done and sent to China to have the patterns and dies made. This was a success and they have now been making high alumina bricks for us.”
“We are importing three different size EAF roof bricks. We have also started working locally in conjunction with Unique Refractory Services (URS) for installations and manufacturing. Although URS specialises in refractory installations, they also supply refractory castables and pre-casts shapes.”
Ceramic and Alloy Specialists supplied drawings to Magscie who then made the patterns and dies to make the high alumina bricks that Ceramic and Alloy Specialists import
“With the agency agreement with Magscie, Ceramic and Alloy Specialists has now been importing a variety of their insulation products that they make including blankets and other textiles, paper and glass rope, to name a few. In total it is about 20 different insulation products that we import.”
About Magscie
Magscie is a specialised manufacturer dedicated to providing refractories and related services to customers worldwide, mainly serving a variety of industries including the steel industry, non-ferrous metal furnaces, cement rotary kilns, glass furnaces, and others.
Magscie is headquartered in Tianjin Binhai Hi-Tech Industrial Park, which is only 60 kilometres away from Tianjin Port, and has three production bases including a Basic Refractories Production Base, specialising in the production of magnesia refractories. The base covers an area of 200 000m2, has 600 staff with 80 engineers in the team, including 15 senior engineers. The base includes three ultra-high temperature tunnel kilns, with an annual production of 90 000 tons of burnt bricks, 40 000 tons of unburnt bricks and 20 000 tons of unshaped products.
The Al-Si Series Refractories Production Base specialises in the production of Al-Si series refractories, has a R&D centre which is fully responsible for testing, research and product innovation with 13 senior engineers, 69 engineers and 29 assistant engineers. It is one of the leading refractory manufacturers for producing clay bricks, high alumina bricks, andalusite bricks, mullite bricks, bricks for CDQ furnaces, silica bricks, con-casting refractory products, and more.
Magscie also manufacture a variety of insulation products. These include blankets and other textiles, paper and glass rope, to name a few. In total, Ceramic and Alloy Specialists import about 20 different insulation products manufactured by Magscie
The Insulation Materials Production Base is committed to providing energy-saving products and services to society, focusing on the development of core products such as insulation fire bricks (IFB). With a dedicated R&D team, advanced technology, and modern equipment, the company has successfully passed the ISO 9001:2008 quality verification system. The production line for IFB manufacturing features a high-quality testing system for raw materials, an intelligent batching system, an automatic shaping system, an energy-efficient high-temperature tunnel kiln, and precise cutting and grinding devices. Currently, the company has achieved an annual production scale of 8 000 metric tons of IFB.
“We have been working hand in hand with the manufacturer and installer of various refractory and Ceramic pre-cast shapes, Unique Refractory Services,” continued Retief.
URS is an independent product and service provider to Ceramic and Alloy Specialists.
“The company specialises in the manufacturing of delta sections for EAF and the installation thereof.
Together URS and Ceramic and Alloy Specialists has proven that the workmanship and quality of the materials and bricks has been a hugely successful project that we look forward to building on from it.”
“We have also started looking into smaller pre-cast shapes for ferrous and non-ferrous applications and month by month we see growth with more potential and diversification into various areas of our industry,” concluded Retief.
Ceramic and 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 send an e-mail to wouter@ceramicalloy.com or visit www.ceramic-alloy.co.za
