Against a backdrop of ongoing industrial decline, South Africa’s stainless steel industry is positioning itself for renewal through strategic collaboration, export focus, and an Africa-first growth vision. These were the key themes emerging from the Sassda State of the Stainless Steel Nation Breakfast, where industry leaders gathered to assess the sector’s current health and future prospects.

The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) has announced the launch of a new Stainless Steel Master Plan (SSMP), a national collaborative initiative that will chart the course for the local stainless steel sector’s growth, competitiveness, and sustainability to 2030.

The Southern African Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) has raised concern over new trade headwinds following the United States imposition of an average 30% tariff on South African stainless steel exports. The issue was the focal point of Sassda’s latest 60 Minutes with Stainless webinar, which featured renowned economist Dawie Roodt as the keynote speaker.

Based on a large number of enquiries and understandable concern from our members, Sassda Executive Director Michel Basson unpacks the impact of tariffs and trade barriers on South Africa’s stainless steel value chain.

The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) is calling for urgent action to protect and grow the country's stainless steel industry, which is facing severe challenges due to increasing imports of finished stainless steel goods and declining local manufacturing. 

The 2024 Sassda & Columbus Stainless Awards Gala Dinner was held on the 19 September 2024, marking a significant showcase of innovation, sustainability, and excellence within South Africa’s stainless steel sector. Attended by 200 industry professionals, including manufacturers, suppliers, fabricators and designers, the event heralded the return of these prestigious awards after a five year hiatus.

The use of local stainless steel is crucial to driving demand and the subsequent benefication of this highly prized metal, but work needs to be done to cement the correct specifications of South African stainless steel components in key strategic projects, states the Southern African Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda).

Creating increased demand for South African stainless steel within key sectors such as mining, automotive and food and beverage is a key area of focus for the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) in 2023. This was the view of Sassda Executive Director Michel Basson in a recent webinar on the ‘State of the Stainless Steel Nation’ where he provided a comprehensive local and global overview of the sector.

One of the key components of stainless steel is nickel, which has recently felt the severe knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine. This is because Russia is the world's third-largest producer of nickel - a key ingredient in stainless steel and a major component in lithium-ion batteries