MechChem Africa May-June 2025

⎪ Maintenance and asset management ⎪ Galvanizers association steels SOEs for the future Infrastructure spend is essential in assisting with the revitalisation of the steel supply chain, believes Robin Clarke, executive director of the Hot Dip Galvanizers Association of Southern Africa (HDGASA). In this context, the roles of the various state owned enterprises (SOEs) in the execution of infrastructure projects will be vital.

Left: Hot dip galvanizing is a first-choice corrosion protection solution for power distribution systems. Right: Galvanizing of steel road barriers is used to prevent corrosion, so maintaining the safety features of the steel while minimising maintenance costs.

T he Hot Dip Galvanizers Association has proactively engaged in long standing, positive relationships with many SOEs for decades. As such, the Association welcomes the fact that hot dip galvanizing – a corrosion control technology of choice – features widely in SOE standards and project specifications. Furthermore, the HDGASA partners with SOEs in training and continued professional development (CPD) initiatives for engineers, fabricators and quality control personnel. Of particular importance are the resulting oppor tunities for the HDGASA to advise SOEs upfront on desired specifications. Clarke cites many examples of hot dip gal vanizing technology and its application in key SOE infrastructure projects: “Structural steel in power stations is hot dip galvanized, and all the conveyors feeding coal into power stations are too. Transnet and SANRAL require structural steel work at stations, line gantries, line and pedestrian bridges and steel road barriers to be galvanized. The Department of Public Works has stipulated that fencing, lighting and other associated steel work around prisons, police stations and military bases is hot dip galvanized. The Department of Water and Sanitation requires structural steel works and piping for water treatment and purification plants, as well as bulk water storage facilities to be hot

dip galvanized.” South Africa has the capacity to produce 10-million tons of steel per annum, but the country is currently consuming just 4.0-million tons. The lack of demand has driven up steel production costs, which ultimately reflects in higher local steel prices, making it difficult for local companies to compete against imports, which are sometimes of questionable quality. According to Clarke, local steel consumption needs to be ramped up significantly through the execution of mooted infrastructure projects, by both the public and private sectors. “We believe that projects need to be re leased as a matter of urgency, which will stimu late demand. The key here is that the steel sector requires volume – and SOE spend can deliver that,” he maintains. During 2024, the government gazetted but did not deliver on projects worth more than R50-billion. In addition, approximately 14 000 km of electricity transmission lines and associated hardware – requiring at least 450 000 t of steel – is needed over the next 8-years to supply decentralised electrical gen eration capacity to the national grid. “These projects alone should revive steel fabrication and galvanizing capacity, allowing for improved plant utilisation and stimulat ing job creation and competitiveness,” Clarke points out, citing poor research and planning as

a source of investor uncertainty, which causes delays and cancellations, ultimately rendering some projects unviable. Clarke calls on government to take a more strategic and coordinated approach to infra structure development, with a focus on sup porting the domestic steel industry and creating a sustainable environment for its growth. This includes prioritising local steel production and utilisation. “As the HDGASA, it is imperative that we retain strong relationships with SOEs: not only to ensure that they remain well-equipped and technically knowledgeable to assess and specify appropriate standards for hot dip gal vanizing, but also to assist with organisational succession planning and continued professional development, by training young engineers who join SOEs. In this way, we at the HDGASA can play our role in supporting and empowering SOEs to play a pivotal role in the infrastructure revitalisation of our country,” Clarke concludes. The Hot Dip Galvanizers Association Southern Africa is a not-for-profit trade as sociation dedicated to serving the needs of the entire industry supply chain – from end-users, specifiers, architects and engineers to contrac tors, fabricators and hot dip galvanizing shops across Southern Africa. www.hdgasa.org.za

May-June 2025 • MechChem Africa ¦ 29