Johannesburg, 26 February 2018 – South Africa’s metals and engineering (M&E) sector is one of the country’s least transformed sectors of the economy. Against this backdrop, among others, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) established the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence not only to encourage companies operating in this vital sector of the economy to transform, but also to celebrate those companies that have are trailblazers when it comes to transformation.
“Transformation in the M&E sector has taken place in a painfully slow pace. We, therefore, believe that it is critically important that companies that have taken transformation of the industry seriously should be encouraged and hailed,” SEIFSA Chief Executive Officer Kaizer Nyatsumba said.
He said the Most Transformed Company of the Year Award will be received by a company that showed the highest transformation level in the composition of its Board of Directors, Executive Management and Managerial Team in 2017. This award category pits companies employing fewer than 100 people against those of similar size, and companies employing more than 100 companies against others of similar size.
Other awards that form the seven categories of the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence are:
- 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 in 2017;
- The Health and Safety Award of the Year will be offered to a company with the best legal compliance record in Health and Safety or the lowest Lost-Time Injury Frequency rate in 2017;
- Entries are also invited from companies whose Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme/s in 2017 had a major impact on the lives of their beneficiaries;
- The company rated the highest in customer service performance in 2017 will receive the Customer Service Award of the Year;
- This is the Decade of the Artisan, and an award will be made to the company that trained the highest number of artisans in 2017;
- The Environment Stewardship Award will go to a company that has successfully implemented greening initiatives in its day-to-day business operations in 2017.
Mr Nyatsumba encouraged manufacturers operating in the metals and engineering sector to submit their entries for the seven categories before the deadline date of 29 March 2019. SEIFSA awards entrants will be assessed on their performance in the period January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. Participants can enter by visiting the SEIFSA awards website (www.seifsaawards.co.za).
The Awards are open to all companies in the metals and engineering sector, and not only those that are members of Associations affiliated to SEIFSA.
Awards winners will be honored at a ceremony that will take place at the IDC Conference Centre in Sandton on 24 May 2018.
Issued by:
Ollie Madlala
Communications Consultant
Tel: (011) 298 9411 / 082 602 1725
Email: ollie@seifsa.co.za
Web: www.seifsa.co.za