This year has turned out to be one of the toughest the industry has faced. Many of the contributors like the South African economy, policy certainty, capacity of large state-owned enterprises to spend and USA tariffs are out of our hands. Despite this, we continue to try and influence wherever possible to get things back on track. We should continue to persevere as there are many stakeholders in government, our industry and labour who are working hard to stabilize the industry
Despite the enormous difficulties out there our industry continues to produce outstanding work, demonstrating its capability and expertise.
This year we had 74 entries reflecting steel as the material of choice and a signal that we have an industry to be proud of. Steel structures of all types are on display due to the all-round efficiency and sustainability of the material, it’s no wonder steel is being used more and more. This made judging a challenging but uplifting experience which is something we all need. The broad range of projects from residential houses to commercial projects, warehouses, factories and refurbishment were most encouraging. A number of projects displayed characteristics of an exceptional industry. They showed innovation in every process with the integration of design, detailing, fabrication and erection using modern CNC equipment and software which our industry has invested in so heavily.
I would like to thank the entrants which have made this event possible, the judges and the SAISC support team.
One of the objectives of Steel Awards is to spread the news far and wide about the great work our industry produces. For the first time ever, thanks to the support of our Photo Competition sponsors CADEX Systems SA – we’ve taken the bold step of engaging with new markets through Instagram. Where previously the photo competition was judged by a panel of 5 – 8 people, Instagram allows for reaching a much wider audience.
This year, photo competition entries made their way into the social feeds of over 2000 people! All of this year’s Steel Awards nominated projects were shared via the @steelawards Instagram account and the most liked images received between 50 and 70 likes! The finalists and winning photos were determined by the number of likes received – which was a clear indication of the visual appeal of the image to a global audience.
The Steel Awards 2018 winning projects were:
Time Square Sun Arena – Overall Winner, ASTPM Tubular Category Winner and Commercial Category Winner
Discovery Head Office – Architectural Category Winner
Shoprite Checkers Cilmor Distribution Centre – Safintra Factory and Warehouse Category Winner, and Global Roofing Solutions metal Cladding Category
House Matthews – Residential Category Winner
Rissik Street Post Office – Safal Steel Innovation Category Winner
Gateway West, Mall of Africa – Light Steel Frame Building Category Winner
Our generous sponsors make this event possible, so we would like to extend a big thank you to:
Pro Roof Steel and Tube – Main Sponsor of Steel Awards Gauteng
- Aveng Trident Steel – Main Sponsor of Steel Awards Western Cape, and National Beverage Sponsor
- ArcelorMittal South Africa – Digital Trailblazer Sponsor
- Cadex Systems South Africa – Photo Competition Sponsor
- Global Roofing Solutions – Metal Cladding Category Sponsor
- Safintra South Africa – Factory and Warehouse Category Sponsor
- Safal Steel – Innovation Category Sponsor
- ASTPM – Tubular Category Sponsor
- NJR Steel – Partner Sponsor
- Stewarts and Lloyds – Partner Sponsor
- Macsteel – Partner Sponsor
- KRU Detailing – Gauteng Photo Booth Sponsor
Another new feature introduced in 2018 was the Steel Awards App. A first for Steel Awards, and for the SAISC! The Digital Trailblazer sponsorship enabled the development of mobile app that acts as the hub for all things Steel Awards including News, Project Profiles and Featured Content. A fantastic feature of the app is that it enables the public to view and rate projects thereby casting their vote to the “people’s choice award”. Congratulations to the Heineken Project Big team for scooping this award!
This year will be recorded as another one of enormous challenge for our industry but as always, we show that we are indeed men and women of steel. I would like to congratulate the winners and encourage our members to continue to participate and grow our industry into the future.
