December 2019
ABP Induction introduces MyABP
Foundry 4.0 and digitisation are buzzwords that, nowadays, play a role in every industry. And rightly so because the opportunities afforded by networking offer invaluable potential when it comes to raising productivity to an unprecedented level. ABP Induction has developed the MyABP portal for this very purpose – it supports their customers in raising this potential.
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ITAC proposes export duty on ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap
The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) has initiated a proposal to implement an export duty on ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap. The notice (568 of 2019) was published in the Government Gazette of 18 October 2019.
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More efficient furnaces drive significant energy, cost and time savings at PDC
“Like every business and manufacturing operation in South Africa we were experiencing frustrating times when confronted with Eskom’s power outages and planned load shedding that have been haunting us for several years now. But it is not just the inconvenience of trying to work in the dark that raises temperatures,” explains Mike Wolhuter.
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Allied Mineral Products opens precast shapes manufacturing facility
Allied Mineral Products has opened the doors to its newest precast shapes manufacturing facility in Gosforth Business Park in Germiston, Johannesburg. This marks Allied’s sixth precast shapes location worldwide. Allied’s engineering capabilities include designing and manufacturing complex shapes in virtually any size. Precast shapes can also be created from existing drawings or shapes.
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Metal Casting Technology Station accredited as an ISO/IEC 17025 testing and calibration laboratory
The Metal Casting Technology Station (MCTS) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has announced that they have been accredited as an ISO/IEC 17025 testing and calibration laboratory for metallurgical and mechanical testing with a specific emphasis in the foundry industry.
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Malleable Castings boosts productivity with new investments
“When I joined the company in 2011, I was given a challenging task to improve productivity, improve quality, reduce costs and scrap rates in a foundry that was operating in the 19th century. This was especially so as the foundry had not made any major capital equipment investments since the 1980s and there was a reluctance to provide funds for expenditure on modern foundry manufacturing equipment,” explained Divisional Managing Director Ben Dyson.
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Duvha Foundry installs new equipment to reduce scrap, Improve shot blasting and optimise sand usage
Duvha Foundry, based in the Chamdor industrial area of Krugersdorp, Gauteng has recently installed and commissioned a new Endeco Omega mixer in its sand department and a new shot blasting machine in its finishing department. “The existing equipment that we had was old and did not meet our quality requirements,” said Stanley Tshivhase, director and owner of Duvha Foundry.
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Insimbi – Resilience during tough economic conditions
Despite a very challenging local and global economic environment, exacerbated by the impact of the terrible floods and labour unrest that affected Transnet operations in Durban earlier in the financial year which created a backlog at Durban port that continues to hamper the Group’s export of recycled metals, Insimbi has achieved decent growth on the back of the acquisition of Group Wreck in November 2018.
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Closure of the Saldanha steel plant by ArcelorMittal SA will have ripple effects
ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), the domestic unit of the global steelmaker, has said that it was winding its Saldanha plant down and that it would be put on care and maintenance by the first quarter of 2020. The closure of ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Saldanha Steel plant will affect roughly 900 workers – 550 of whom are directly employed by the company, with the remainder sub-contracted.
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SAIF 2019 Annual Golf Day
The South African Institute of Foundrymens’ Annual Golf Day took place on Thursday 14th November 2019. The event was held at the Reading Country Club. The competition on the day was four ball alliance with two scores to count. First on the day with 88 points were Arthur Spires, Gabriel Sekgwele, Bettie Knoessen and Seun Potgieter. Second on 84 points were Divan Kapp, Danny Muller, Willie Groenewald and Johan Pullen.
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MCI Foundry concentrates on stainless steel castings
Although conceptualised in 2015 it is only now in 2019 that MCI Foundry has begun to melt metal and produce castings. “We registered the company four years ago with the idea of establishing a foundry that would be dedicated to manufacturing stainless steel castings only. We did not have a deadline to begin operating and we only began working on the implementation of the logistical requirements required to run a foundry in 2018,” said Gladys Tshivhase, a Director of MCI Foundry.
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Job losses in the metal and engineering industry to continue
Numerous reports have been published in recent years about the extent of job losses and high levels of unemployment in South Africa. Many of these point to the fact that a major cause of this is unsustainably high wage levels, particularly for unskilled positions. Legislated high entry level wages in some sectors also prevent many companies from taking on young inexperienced workers and offering them the opportunity of acquiring vital on-the-job skills and experience.
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October 2019
Silica Quartz mine now offers AFS specification foundry sand
The Silica Quartz mine, situated outside Delmas, on the border of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, has been supplying high-grade silica sand and grit to the glass, industrial, mining, filtration and leisure industries. Extensively used in water purification, filtration, separation and the glass industry, the product is dried and sized to meet the specific needs of customers.
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KPL Die Casting comes of age
The month of August marked a significant milestone in the history of KPL Die Casting, an aluminium and zinc high-pressure die-casting foundry located in Germiston South, Gauteng. “We have been in business for a full 21 years now so you could say we have come of age,” said owner Sally Marengo, who runs the company with her husband Guiseppe.
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Carrol Boyes: Artist and designer
We learned recently of the sad passing of Carol Boyes, a renowned South African artist and designer that skillfully combined the science of engineering with art to produce creative and highly-sought-after tableware. Products are made of aluminium, stainless steel and pewter and are either cast in the foundry or processed via stamping or pressing.
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Environmentally friendly Ecosafe Plus biologically degradable hydraulic fluid gaining momentum
Two years ago, Silca South Africa introduced Ecosafe Plus to the South African market with a mission to educate the local manufacturing industry about the benefits of the product and its environmentally friendly properties that had been accepted worldwide.
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What comes next for Allied Mineral Products South Africa: Manufacture of precast refractory shapes
The primary function of the South African operation is to design and manufacture monolithic refractories for the foundry, aluminium, steel, cement, power, minerals processing, boiler, heat treating, forging and industrial markets. Allied Mineral Products, Inc. has designed, manufactured and sold monolithic refractories for the foundry industry since 1961.
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Metso confirms closure of foundry – 200 jobs impacted
Mining OEM specialist Metso, which recently announced a merger with Outotec, will discontinue its Isithebe foundry by the end of September 2019 resulting in the loss of approximately 200 employees. The foundry is located in KwaZulu-Natal half-way between Durban and Richards Bay. It follows consultations in which it evaluated the closure or other alternatives.
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Can South Africa afford AMSA any longer?
Gerhard Papenfus has also called for the scrapping of steel import duties, which he says are negatively impacting on South Africa’s downstream steel sector. “According to ArcelorMittalSA (AMSA), consumption of its steel has slumped to a ten-year low – falling to 70% of the consumption level achieved in 2008,” says Gerhard Papenfus, the CE of The National Employers’ Association of South Africa (Neasa).
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Hulamin acquires remaining aluminium rolling slab business of Isizinda Aluminium
The Competition Commission has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the proposed transaction whereby Hulamin Systems intends to acquire the slab business of Isizinda Aluminium without conditions. The Commission found that the proposed transaction is unlikely to result in a substantial prevention or lessening of competition in any relevant markets.
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ZF starts production in East London, South Africa
ZF Lemförder SA (PTY) Ltd opened a new plant in East London in May 2019. Only nine months after the nomination, the new Plant commenced production of front and rear axles for its customer, Mercedes-Benz South Africa. “We are expanding our global footprint by opening our new plant in East London. Additionally we are strengthening the relationship with one of our strategic customers and with the region,” states Dr. Peter Holdmann.
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Important enabling factors for meaningful localisation in the automotive industry
“Manufacturing, and the automotive industry, is often seen as a gateway to inclusive economic growth. A well-developed manufacturing sector creates embedded jobs, deepens and broadens local value chains, advances technology, and supports local skills development,” says Dr. Martyn Davies, Africa Automotive Leader, Deloitte Africa.
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Sub-Saharan Africa Workshop at METEC 2019
African and German delegates discuss market potential in Africa. The METEC Sub-Saharan Africa Workshop took place for the first time on June 26th, 2019 during the METEC/GMTN trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany. Key players from Africa and Germany exchanged ideas on how to do business in Africa. The workshop focused on the challenges and opportunities of the African metallurgy market.
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August 2019
Spectro introduces Spectrolab S – A high-end OES analyser for process control and research metal analysis
Features proprietary CMOS+T technology; Delivers fastest measurements, lowest limits of detection, longest uptime in its class. Spectro Analytical Instruments has introduced the Spectrolab S high-performance arc/spark optical emission spectrometry (OES) analyser for the analysis of metal in process control and research applications.
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Important developments emerge from GIFA/GMTN 2019
Those that did not attend will have to catch up as the industry moves full throttle ahead towards Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics as well as a common language for machines to operate. Speaking to some foundry owners before GIFA/GMTN 2019 to find out whether they would be attending the exhibition it was astounding to hear them utter that they would not learn anything new by attending.
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Atlantis Foundries recognised at inaugural ‘Factory of the Year’ award
South Africa’s first ‘Factory of the Year’ award has been presented to Eberspächer South Africa based on an assessment of customer satisfaction, product quality, value creation, economics, agility and innovation. Judges said Eberspächer, which manufactures exhaust systems, was a highly efficient producer with a balanced score across all dimensions, falling within the top quintile of global benchmarks in terms of quality.
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Patel promises support programme for new plant and equipment for foundries and steel mini-mills
The new Trade and Industry and Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel has promised to launch a support programme for new plant and equipment, specifically mentioning the development of foundries and steel mills. The promise came during his first budget speech to the National Assembly as the new minister.
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Breaking the mould with robotic sand milling to generate patternless castings
Omega Sinto robotic milling cell creates waves at GIFA 2019. Mould making lead times drastically reduced by combining a robot with a sand milling solution. The technology used in modern parts manufacturing has come a long way during the past few decades.
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McWade Productions continues on its growth path and diversifies outside of just being a foundry
Recent acquisition of Babcock Ntuthuko Powerlines introduces forging into its service offerings. Nine years ago, McWade Productions decided to take stock of its foundry facility in Olifantsfontein, Gauteng and have hard look at its operational and manufacturing procedures and equipment with a view to improving productivity, yields and increasing capacity.
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Metso looks to close Isithebe foundry
Word has it that the parent company has had enough of the militant unproductive workforce and the power blackouts. In a recent press release that internationally recognised Metso released it stated: “As part of a global supply footprint development strategy in its Minerals Consumables business area, Metso is initiating consultations to evaluate the potential closure or other alternatives for its foundry operation in Isithebe, South Africa.”
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Insimbi moves further into scrap metal recycling with the acquisition of the Treppo Group for R109 million
JSE-listed Insimbi Industrial Holdings (ISB) has informed shareholders that in terms of Section 9 of the JSE Limited Listings Requirements, Insimbi has extended an offer to the shareholder of Treppo, being Texiflash Proprietary Limited (the Vendor), who has agreed to the key terms of the proposed transaction, which will see ISB acquiring control of Treppo.
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SAIF’s 56th Annual Awards Dinner
The South African Institute of Foundrymen’s 56th Annual Awards Dinner was held at the Emperors Palace (Boksburg), Gauteng on Friday 7 June 2019. This year’s event saw 225 foundrymen, guests, wives and award winners attend. The dinner was well supported by sponsors in the form of prizes for the award winners, ticket sponsors for the award winners and VIP guests invited by the Institute.
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June 2019
Hands on advice for successful sand reclamation
Sand reclamation has become a necessity in no-bake operations, particularly given the current challenges regarding the cost and availability of new sand. Foundries can no longer afford to operate with new sand alone and most are exploring how best to economically integrate sand reclamation systems into their processes.
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Maxion Wheels plant in South Africa recognised as among the best in the group
The Maxion Wheels aluminium wheel manufacturing plant in South Africa was recently recognised as being one of the most technically advanced in the international group when senior executives, including Marcos Oliveira, President and CEO of Iochpe Maxion, Pieter Klinkers, CEO Maxion Wheels and Juan Lorenzo, President, Europe, Africa, Asia, visited the plant in Alrode, Gauteng to see the recent developments at the plant and to hold executive meetings.
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Extension of the policy directive on the exportation of ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap metal
On 10 May 2013 the Minister of Economic Development (the Minister) issued a Trade Policy Directive to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) in terms of section 5 of the International Trade Administration Act 71 of 2002 (the ITA Act) on the exportation of ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap metal.
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RAPDASA 20th Annual International Conference
The Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa (RAPDASA) will hold its 20th Annual International Conference from 6 to 8 November 2019. The conference will be hosted by Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) and will be held at the Emoya Estate, Bloemfontein in the Free State province. Additive Manufacturing (AM), better known as “3D Printing”, has matured from a prototyping technology into a fully-fledged manufacturing technology.
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Insimbi’s voluntary performance update and trading statement looking positive
More acquisitions in the metal recycling industry being negotiated. The Insimbi Group’s results for the year ended 28 February 2019 will be published on or before 29 May 2019 (too late for this publication). However, management considers it appropriate to provide shareholders with a brief voluntary performance update on the business.
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DataProphet launches Artificial Intelligence computer vision system for quality control in manufacturing
DataProphet Inspect uses machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to significantly improve quality control for Industry 4.0. DataProphet, a global leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for manufacturing has announced the launch of DataProphet Inspect, a cutting-edge machine vision system to enhance the effectiveness of human quality control operators.
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Changes to board at SAIF
Following the South African Institute of Foundrymen’s 55th AGM held on Tuesday, 14th May 2019 at Reading Country Club no new directors were elected to serve on the board of the SAIF for the following year (2019/2020) as no proposals or nominations had been received. Continuing on as Chairperson will be Glen Dikgale and Janley Kotze as Deputy Chairperson. Other Directors include Enno Krueger, Nigel Pardoe and Didier Nyembwe.
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Maxion Wheels to reduce the cost of non-quality with DataProphet’s Artificial Intelligence solution
DataProphet, a global leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for manufacturing, and Maxion Wheels, a leading wheel manufacturer, are working together to significantly reduce the cost of non-quality in the production of aluminium wheels. DataProphet’s AI solution aims to achieve a substantial reduction in non-quality incurred at casting.
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GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST (GMTN 2019) to be held in Düsseldorf, Germany
From 25 June to 29 June 2019, the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Center will play host to the trade fair quartet comprising GIFA 2019, International Foundry Trade Fair with WFO Technical Forum, METEC 2019, 10th International Exhibition for Metallurgical Technology with Congress, THERMPROCESS 2019, 12th International Trade Fair and Symposium for Thermic Production Processes, and NEWCAST 2019, the 5th International Trade Fair for cast products.
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South African exhibitors at GIFA / GMTN 2019
Here you will find a list of companies involved in the metal casting industry in South Africa that will be exhibiting at GIFA / GMTN 2019. Listed are the personnel from the company that will be attending and the details of the companies that they represent, including hall and stand numbers for easy location.
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GIFA / GMTN 2019 South African participation
Here you will find a list of companies involved in the metal casting industry in South Africa that will have representation at the exhibition. Listed are the personnel from the company that will be attending and the details of the international companies that they represent, including hall and stand numbers for easy location.
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April 2019
Foseco to launch a host of new products at GIFA 2019
As a primary innovator in the foundry industry globally, Foseco regularly publishes information on new products and enhancements, process developments and new techniques, and state-of-the-art papers on new thinking in foundry practice. With the commencement of the international GIFA 2019 exhibition scheduled to begin in little over two months, Foseco have released a number of new products that will be on display for the first time.
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Pressure Die Castings faces up to the challenge of modernising and automating its die-casting operations
Austrian company Meltec chooses PDC to trial its brass vacuum dosing furnace on high pressure die-casting. This is one of the first of its kind trials in the world to be carried out. Continuing with its strategic decision to move further up the value chain, with an emphasis on product delivery and quality, Pressure Die Castings (PDC) has now invested in a further two new high pressure die-casting machines.
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Pfisterer fronting up to global energy requirements
Global energy requirements are growing at an ever-increasing speed. Revolutions are underway all over our planet, causing the demand for electrical energy to increase even further. Be it a growing number of megacities, the boost to the international transport industry, the development of information technology, or the closer relationship between societies and industry, the direct result is the same. The world needs future-ready power grids to guarantee a safe and efficient supply of energy.
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2019 Castings Industries Directory
Make sure your company is listed by sending in your details. The deadline for your free listing is 03 May 2019. The publishers of castings sa will be publishing The 2019 Castings Industries Directory in May 2019. This is the fifth edition of this popular specialised buying and contact guide of Southern African foundries and suppliers to the industry.
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Elmacast Engineering invests R134 million into upgrades in foundry
Elmacast Engineering, a foundry based in Springs, Gauteng, has recently completed phase one of its expansion project that entailed the installation of four new induction furnaces, an automated continuous caster and a fully integrated double line heat treatment plant. The cost of the project totalled R134 million, which increased the foundry’s capacity to produce in excess of 2 500 tons a month of grinding media comprising high chrome balls.
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Localisation of the South Africa automotive value chain
“The South African automotive manufacturing sector is the most dynamic manufacturing sector in the country and a major driver of economic development for the country,” says Renai Moothilal, the Executive Director of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers in an opinion piece. This is due in part to a supportive auto industrial policy framework that has been sustained over the last three decades.
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Olde World Foundry transforms into a ferrous jobbing foundry
Hammarsdale is an industrial estate some 45 kilometres west of Durban. The area is surrounded by the beautiful rolling hills and open countryside of Mpumalanga (place of the rising sun and not to be confused with the province of the same name) and geographically forms part of the well-known Valley of a Thousand Hills, KwaZulu-Natal.
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ASK Chemicals celebrates the 10th anniversary of its foundry pilot plant
Together with customers, partners and employees ASK Chemicals celebrated the 10th anniversary of its foundry pilot plant at the company headquarters in Hilden, Germany. The festivities were rounded off by a lecture colloquium held the following day, at which representatives from the academic world as well as customers, partners and employees of ASK Chemicals gave lectures that focused on the importance of networking for innovation and success.
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At GIFA 2019, HA will be showcasing the exciting possibilities of its Center of Competence
Many internal and external customers have already made use of the facility in Baddeckenstedt, Germany, located at approximately 50kms from Hannover. Looking ahead to GIFA 2019 HA will show that a comprehensive range of advanced chemical casting products is just one part of the success story.
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February 2019
Endeco Omega Sinto looks forward to busy year
35 years after being established initially as a design and details company before expanding into designing and manufacturing its own equipment for the foundry industry, Endeco Omega Sinto has notched up another significant milestone on its timeline. “We always outsourced our fabrication requirements but this changed in 1994 when we purchased our own premises in Alberton, Gauteng,” said Roy Dias, Managing Director of Endeco Omega Sinto.
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Carbon International (a Durrans Group company) is opening a calcination plant in Sasolburg
“The Durrans Group purchases green coke from Sasol Secunda refinery and currently calcines the product in China. The Group approached Sasol with the view to beneficiating the product in South Africa for the obvious reason of eliminating the extended logistics and process costs,” said Chris Durrans, Managing Director of Sheffield, UK-headquatered James Durrans & Sons Limited.
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Atvantz Patterns embraces modern technology
Additive manufacturing, 3D printing and simulation software may be amongst the fastest evolving areas of metalworking and casting technology. Even more impressive are the real changes that these technologies makes possible for foundries. Foundries and manufacturing operations are constantly re-evaluating their manufacturing processes, especially in this era where costs, accuracy, quality and on time delivery are more likely to be discussed before the actual manufacturing process.
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Smelters will not survive 15% Eskom tariff hike, industry warns
As hearings into Eskom’s proposed tariff increase kicked off, the ferroalloy industry has warned it will not survive a double-digit increase in electricity prices. Eskom has applied for a 15% annual hike in the power price for the next three years but the national energy regulator of South Africa will only take a decision after three weeks of public hearings that began in Cape Town in January, according to a Business Day report.
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Trade Fair Tours and Castings SA tour to GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST 2019
More hotel options added – now five to choose from. Trade Fair Tours, a specialist travel agency for trade fairs internationally and in particular Germany, in conjunction with the SA German Chamber of Trade and Industry and Castings SA have put together a very reasonable tour package to visit this exhibition.
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Who benefits from erecting bronze statues as symbols?
For centuries, statues have been used as symbols of appreciation for the life and work of the person they seek to honour. Stone, cement, wood, ceramics, marble, bronze and other types of metal such as stainless steel are all materials used to manufacture these statues. In the case of Madame Tussauds Attractions worldwide wax is the preferred material.
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Advanced Laboratory Solutions presents Struer’s The Professional Materialographer training course
The course covers the theory of metallographic sample preparation from cutting, hot mounting, grinding/polishing through to inspection and analysis. Through their experience in supplying materialographic preparation equipment Struers, one of the leaders in the field of materialographic sample preparation, have developed a training course known as The Professional Materialographer.
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Joerg Foundry now in the BMG stable
In the middle of 2018 the Bearing Man Group added Rustenburg Engineering and Joerg Foundry to its long list of acquisitions that it has made in recent years. This is the first time that the Bearing Man Group, which forms part of the Engineering Solutions Group (ESG) business segment of Invicta Holdings Limited – an investment holding and management company that is listed on the JSE, has ventured directly into the foundry industry.
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Neue Halberg Guss has new owners … again!
It has been widely reported in Germany that AVIR Guß Holding GmbH has acquired the business operations of Neue Halberg Guss GmbH together with all the major assets. The deal lifts the threat of job losses for the time being and was structured through AVIR’s affiliated companies Gußwerke Saarbrücken GmbH and Gußwerke Leipzig GmbH. The transaction is still subject to closing conditions, which should be fulfilled soon.
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What can you expect from GIFA 2019?
In an interview with the German Giesserei magazine, GIFA and NEWCAST President Heinz Nelissen is optimistic that foundries will face future challenges and solve the problems together with their customers and suppliers. The megatrend of the moment and the topic of the future in production technology is additive manufacturing. Also the digital transformation is an issue for foundries. 3D printing has been gaining in importance alongside traditional manufacturing techniques.
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