African Fusion July 2023

Welding and cutting

SAISC ‘brand for hire’ concept

A n innovative Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) initiative will give member companies and other industry professionals the opportunity to directly benefit from its substantial brand credibility, boosting their profiles across South Africa and the rest of Africa. SAISC is facilitating a dynamic and on going programme of events, networking platforms, digital training sessions and more as part of its new ‘brand for hire’ marketing and revenue-generation model. In terms of this new model, the Institute’s members – from across the entire steel value chain –are invited to co-sponsor initiatives, conference visits, and events. Sharing the brand space will allow these members to leverage the SAISC’s brand equity and credibility accordingly. The initiative will also unlock new sources of revenue for the Institute, which until now has relied largely on membership fees for its income. Commenting on the new initiative, the SAISC’s Chief Executive Officer Amanuel Gebremeskel says that the revenue de rived from this new marketing model will ensure sustainability, while helping the Institute to expand on its traditional role as a custodian of quality and the industry’s marketing arm. “This is vital to the continued well A custodian marketing the steel value chain

being of the entire steel value chain,” Gebremeskel says. “We would like to give a lot more oppor tunity to member companies to be associ ated with us in the eyes of the market. The advantage we have as the Institute is that we have an excellent brand. People look at us and they see technical excellence, knowledge, methodology regarding how to design and build in steel in the best man ner. They also know that the SAISC brand is one inherently associated with quality and safety – which we promote strongly,” he explains. Although the Steel Awards will remain the flagship in the SAISC’s marketing cal endar – the premier showpiece celebrating the industry – the Institute is also keenly and proactive exploring other avenues through which to assist members to access new markets. Members hoping to export to the rest of Africa as regional trade treaties – such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement – come into force, spurring infrastructure development, will improve their prospects greatly if they help to shape industry standards, which will be applied across the continent. Gebremeskel says that the SAISC – as the only Institute of its kind in Africa and indeed one of only 6 worldwide – is the Developing quality standards for Africa

only body in the region that can facilitate this standardisation process. As such, he would like to see member companies, or groups of companies, associating with and sponsoring the Institute’s efforts. “Our work will target specific markets and products and include foreign visits to help draft common specifications and codes – aimed at achieving steel construc tion standards harmonisation and to as sist with education and training at African universities,” he says. He points out that this is likely to be a boon for SAISC members’ businesses in the future, but the groundwork is not something individual members can achieve alone. Gebremeskel believes the South African steel industry has a lot to offer the continent, particularly when it comes to developing product and quality standards for the steel sector. “We have been working on and with product and quality standards for decades, SAISC’s Chief Executive Officer Amanuel Gebremeskel.

With Amanuel Gebremeskel at the Steel Awards 2022 is the overall winner, the development team of the general treatment plant for the Benguela Gem, the mast advanced diamond mining vessel in the world.

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July 2023

AFRICAN FUSION