The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) is the undisputed voice of the metals and engineering sector in South Africa and the region. Its knowledge and understanding of the sector are unequalled.

Since its formation in 1943, SEIFSA has seen the metals and engineering sector go through great times and – especially in recent years – challenging times. Not only has it kept pace with developments in the sector, but often it has been a crucial – and sometimes indispensable – part of those developments and a reliable voice of the sector.

Long known for and strongly associated with collective bargaining, SEIFSA offers various products and services of great importance to companies in the metals and engineering sector, including those in other economic sectors with close links to this part of the economy. It boasts four Divisions led by respected experts in their respective fields – Economics and Commercial; Industrial Relations and Legal Services; Human Capital and Skills Development; as well as Safety, Health, Environment and Quality. These services range from consulting through to training, both public and in-house.

Our revered Economics and Commercial (EC) Division is a repository of much of the information on the sector’s economic performance over the years. For more than half a century, the EC Division has published the unique and indispensable SEIFSA Price and Index Pages (PIPS). Over the past two decades, the Division has also conducted training for those keen to benefit from our training in Contract Price Adjustments (CPA).

It is a privilege to present to you the State of the Metals and Engineering Sector 2020 to 2021, which has been compiled by Dr Michael Ade and Ms. Marique Kruger.

The metals and engineering sector has experienced considerable challenges in recent years. We consider it to be imperative that policy makers take relevant steps to protect it and its sub-industries, on a temporary basis, from more internationally-subsidised and efficient producers in order to boost local production capacity and ensure their competitiveness. To this end, designation and localization of production processes is vital, as is the ring-fencing of strategic imported inputs to explore the possibility of producing them locally.

This comprehensive State of the Metals and Engineering Sector Report provides key insights to such a stance by highlighting some of the most imported inputs.

I have not the least doubt that all who monitor closely he fortunes of the broad metals and engineering sector and its sub-sectors in Southern Africa, and those with even a passing interest in it and its related sectors, will find this Report invaluable. As usual, I commend this Report highly to all who are keen to understand a very important – and strategic – part of the broad manufacturing sector, and thank Dr Ade and Ms. Kruger for their labour of love.

Both Michael Ade and Marique Kruger are available for consultations with stakeholders interested in deepening their understanding of the metals and engineering sector and its sub-industries. They can be reached at Michael.ade@seifsa.co.za and marique@seifsa.co.za by those companies keen to invite them to help during their strategic planning sessions, for consultations on any aspect of the sector or to book CPA training.

We, at SEIFSA, values you, as an important stakeholder in the metals and engineering sector. We wish you everything of the very best in 2020.

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