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Stainless Steel Awards 2008
Achievement Award
Sakkie Nel
Sakkie Nel, the founder member of Stainless
Fabricators, is not just a snappy dresser and
total gentleman,
he is also a devoted member
of the stainless steel industry. This year the Stainless
Steel Awards celebrates
his commitment as an exemplary
achiever over the past quarter century.
“Nel was at the forefront of technological
development and improvement, he introduced a
unique fabrication
custom designed Estimating
Software, namely Vessel Builder as well as introducing
the Plasma-Tig Welding
Process, which was later
recognised and accepted by process plant equipment
users for welding of
pressure equipment,” says stainless
steel judge Peter Viljoen. Nel served the stainless
steel industry,
particularly the fabrication sector, for
28 years prior to his retirement. His unselfish passion
has been retained
in his continued role as Sassda fabrication
sector chairman; PVMA chairman; director
of Sassda; and as a
member of the newly formed
Nuclear Fabrication Industry Association, just to
mention a few.
Nel started his working career as an apprentice
Millwright at the age of 15 when his parents could
no longer afford to keep him in school. During this
4-year period, working 7am to 5.15pm every day,
Nel went to night school to further his technical education.
After qualifying, he entered sales and marketing
at Total SA, where he worked for 10 years climbing
the corporate ladder to head office. Nel was then
head hunted to join a small LPG gas company as a
partner. “I left after 1 year, having learned how not to
run a company or a partnership,” says Nel. His passion
for stainless steel started when he joined
Krugersdorp Engineering as QA manager. Here he
was thrown into the deep end, fortunately it was a
new field for most fabricators and so began a long
relationship with Sassda. At the end of 1980 Nel
started Stainless Fabricators with two partners. APS
Stainless and Optifab Computers were formed soon
after as well as purchasing a 50% share in Chamdor
213, a property company.
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