|
Anodes
and ancillary equipment made in Johannesburg is exported around the world,
winning the manufacturer a leading award.
DISA
Anodes has been named the Gauteng Exporter of the Year for 2009 by the
Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and Nedbank.
Disa's director Bruno Tranchina and Steve Meintjies, the general manager of customised trade at Nedbank
Disa
is one of the few companies in the world that makes cost-effective
anti-corrosion protection. The awards were made on Friday, 13 November.
The
JCCI/Nedbank Gauteng Exporter of the Year competition acknowledges the
achievements of Gauteng businesses that are competing on a global platform for
international markets. The competition was launched in 2001 to highlight the
contribution made by exports to the province's gross domestic product (GDP) and
job creation.
The
event took place on at the Wanderers Club in Illovo, and was hosted by CNBC
news anchor Lerato Mbele. "It was hard for judges to make their decisions on
choosing the winners of each category. They had to study and observe their
businesses ... Everyone is a winner, even if they are not the overall winner,"
she commented.
Dimensionally
Stable Anodes (Disa Anodes), located in Jeppestown, in eastern Johannesburg, not
only took the main award, but also won the Medium Manufacturing Award. Disa is
the sole designer and manufacturer in South Africa, and one of few in the
world, of anodes and ancillary equipment.
"It
was very nice winning. It was a great surprise, I didn't expect it," said the
company's director, Bruno Tranchina. The anodes are used around the world to
provide extremely cost-effective anti-corrosion protection in harsh
environments for structures such as buried or submerged pipelines and storage
links.
"All
businesses have performed beyond expectation, and we need to reward them for
their efforts," said Steve Meintjies, the general manager of customised trade
at Nedbank. All of the nominees, including the winners, were given certificates
of merit. These certificates were handed out by Safcor Panalpina's marketing and sales director, Muzi Nkosi; Intertek's general manager, Petrus
Booysen; and the deputy director in the Department of Trade and Industry, Corne
du Plessis.
CNBC news anchor Lerato Mbele hosted the event
The
Large Manufacturing Award went to Rand York Minerals, which supplies
beneficiated foundry chromite sand to the highly technical and specialised
global foundry and refractory industry. China is the company's biggest market, growing
from a modest 400 tons in 2008 to over 326 000 tons this year, despite the
economic crisis.
The
Small Manufacturing Award was won by I-Slices SA for its innovative eye
treatment pads that combine the natural essence of nature with bio-innovation.
The product is successfully exported to the USA, Cyprus, Holland, Dubai,
Mexico, Canada, Norway and Belgium.
The
Export Services Award was presented to Metmar Limited, an established
commodities trader, financial and logistics facilitator of metals, minerals,
plastic raw materials, natural rubber and chemicals, with a global client base
in more than 30 countries.
The
Emerging Exporter category showcases new companies in exporting, as a means of
exposing them to new business opportunities. This year's Emerging Exporter Award
went to Agro Tractor House Import and Design. Agro Tractor focuses on
affordable machines for small-scale farmers, and has started exporting to
government departments and agricultural schemes in Malawi, Kenya, Angola and
Zambia.
Several
awards for excellence were presented to companies that have made a special
contribution in the fields of technology and innovation. Vicro Marketing
received the Award of Technological Excellence for its development of a robust
and simple-to-use sugar cane harvester that is being used in Brazil, Panama,
and Indonesia.
Awards
recognising excellence in innovation were presented to African Pegmatite for
its developments in the fields of ground water filtration and agricultural
fungicides, and to Becker Electronics for its groundbreaking developments in
underground communication in mines of every type. Hydraform earned an
Environmental Award for its eco-friendly building block machines, which make
interlocking bricks.
"There
is a decline in global growth, and a decline in income, and more job losses as
South Africa continues to import more than it exports," said Du Plessis. "We
need to develop South Africa's export capabilities, and recruit foreign direct
investment in the country."
The
Gauteng Exporter of the Year Awards were all about celebrating the province's
achievements in exporting and recognising that they play a vital role on a
continental scale. "I just love that we are celebrating Gauteng. It is quite a
feat that Africa's biggest exporters are Egypt and Gauteng - not South Africa,
but Gauteng," concluded Mbele.
Related stories:
|
