JOHANNESBURG, 20 APRIL 2021 – The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa is calling on companies in the Metals and Engineering (M&E) industry to submit their entries for the seventh edition of the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence as the 4 May 2021 deadline is fast approaching.

The awards recognise excellence and honour small, medium and giant manufacturers that promote innovation, transformation, skills development, a safe working environment, good business ethics and excellence. These awards are open both to members and non-members of SEIFSA, with the winners serving as benchmarks in the industry – as role models to be emulated by other companies. 

SEIFSA CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba said the importance of the Awards could not be understated. For the winning companies, the Awards serve to reinforce their credibility and reputation among not only their customers, but also their competitors and other stakeholders such as the media and their communities.

“Recognition as a leader in innovation or transformation or any of the other category comes with a competitive advantage at a time when customers are more discerning than ever thanks to impact of technology,” he said, adding that SEIFSA is honoured to play a role in endorsing and celebrating companies that are committed to doing things better all the time.

The entrants will be assessed on their performance during the period 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2020 in seven different categories, namely:

  • The Most Innovative Company of the Year, which will be awarded to a company that showed the best level of innovation in research and development or production;
  • The Health and Safety Award of the Year will be awarded to a company with the best legal compliance record in Health and Safety or the lowest Lost-Time Injury Frequency rate;
  • The company rated the highest in customer service performance between July 2019 and December 2020 will receive the Customer Service Award of the Year;
  • The Environmental Stewardship Award will go to a company that has successfully implemented greening initiatives in its day-to-day business operations;
  • The Artisan Award will be made to the company that trained the highest number of artisans during the 18-month period under review;
  • The Best CSI Award will be presented to a company whose corporate social investment programme/s between July 2019 and December 2020 have had a major impact on the lives of its beneficiaries; and
  • The Most Transformed Company of the Year Award category is split into two groups by company size: the first covers companies employing fewer than 100 people and the second looks at companies employing more than 100 people. This is to ensure that companies are judged against their peers to encourage fairness.

The winners will be honoured at a Gala Ceremony to be held on 20 May 2021.

Last year’s awards saw Centurion Systems walk away with the Most Innovative Company of the Year Award, while Pamodzi Unique Engineering won the Most Transformed Company of the Year Award and Babcock Ntuthuko Engineering won the Health and Safety Award of the Year. Other winners were Beka Schreder, which took home the Award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year and Kgabo Cars and Training & Services, which won the Artisan of the Year Award.