As with many industries across South Africa, the foundry industry is plagued by numerous factors that have forced the foundries to look at ways to minimise costs and maximise efficiencies in the workplace in order to survive.
The macro and micro environmental factors are limitless, escalating raw material costs, increasing energy and labour costs, amongst others. This prompted SI Group | HA to offer knowledge and experience to reduce mixed sand costs of chemically bonded sand systems. Foundries have tried to combat these pressures by investing in state-of-the-art equipment, tools and methods to improve yields, energy and new sand costs which has lessened but not evaded the concerns.
Some of the foundry delegates with staff of SI Group | HA
SI Group | HA conducted three workshops over three weeks providing the know-how to reduce chemical consumption focusing mainly on sand, and empowering foundrymen with the tools needed to do so.
The workshops were presented by Guy Dockray and JJ de Jager, who form part of the SI Group | HA technical support team. The workshops consisted of a site tour of the SI Group | HA plant, lectures and technical discussions.
During the site tour of the SI Group | HA plant the level of dedication to the environment, health and safety, 5S, quality and world-class attention to detail was evident to all of the attendees.
The workshops’ Q&A sessions before each break led to various foundry staff engaging in an intellectual manner and possibly leading to some future networking. This is an attribute that the foundry industry needs in order to collectively fight back at all of the factors that are raising the manufacturing costs across the board.
SI Group | HA hopes to present the industry with more such technical workshops in order to partner with foundries and create a problem-solving network of like-minded people.
SI Group has more news to share with the industry – ranked in the top seven per cent for Global Corporate Social Responsibility
“We have received our third silver rating for corporate social responsibility from EcoVadis, an international organisation that provides sustainability ratings for global supply chains. The SI Group was ranked among the top seven per cent of more than 45 000 worldwide companies assessed by EcoVadis. This is a significant improvement over prior years,” said a company spokesperson.
“In 2017 the SI Group ranked among the top 10 per cent of more than 30 000 companies and in 2016 the SI Group ranked among the top 13 per cent of more than 25 000 organisations. EcoVadis Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scorecards rate suppliers’ environmental, ethical and social practices across 180 commodities and 150 countries. The EcoVadis methodology covers 21 individual criteria across four themes, including environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. The methodology is built on international corporate social responsibility standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact, and the ISO 26000.”
“A corporate culture built on a foundation of strong values and an unwavering dedication to social responsibility is essential for the growth and survival of any enterprise, private or public,” said Frank Bozich, President and CEO of the SI Group.
“This rating, and our marked improvement in ranking, is a direct result of our global commitment to solving the world’s sustainability challenges through chemistry.”
In addition to the EcoVadis rating, the SI Group has been a member of the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care programme for over 25 years. Responsible Care is a world-class environmental, health, safety and security performance initiative aimed at improving the health and safety of employees, communities and the environment as a whole, moving the industry toward a safer and more sustainable future.
For further details contact SI Group | HA on TEL: 011 389 8200 or visit www.siigroup.com or www.huettenes-albertus.com