Johannesburg, South Africa — A decade after launching the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence, the Metals and Engineering sector gathered in Kempton Park to mark a milestone that has become a barometer for South Africa’s industrial pulse. What began as a simple recognition programme has evolved into a mirror reflecting how the sector is changing, who is driving that change, and why the stories behind the awards matter as much as the trophies themselves.
This year’s ceremony, held at the Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre, placed less emphasis on pageantry and more on the people who keep the country’s industrial backbone moving. SEIFSA CEO Lucio Trentini used the occasion to reflect on the resilience of manufacturers navigating a challenging economic landscape. He described the tenth edition as a moment that captures “the breadth of talent and the determination of companies that continue to show up despite headwinds”.
The night’s most emotional moment came with the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to veteran industrialist Henk Duys. His recognition served as a reminder of a generation of leaders who built factories, trained artisans, and held together complex supply chains long before “industry optimisation” became a buzzword. Trentini called Duys a leader who “never expected anything in return” but shaped both SEIFSA and the broader engineering community through decades of steady involvement.
Innovation, a theme that has increasingly shaped modern manufacturing, took the spotlight with the Additive Manufacturing BRICS+ Award. This year’s winner, Metal Heart, is a small but significant example of where the sector is heading: a South African company using advanced technology to design and produce patient-specific titanium implants. It’s a space where engineering meets medicine, signalling how the sector’s future might be written — in smaller, more specialised, and more agile operations.
But the Awards for Excellence have also become a place to discuss the sector’s human impact. The Humanitarian Award went to iButho Le Africa, an organisation working quietly in rural and peri-urban communities to empower young boys — a group often absent from mainstream social development conversations. The recognition underscored SEIFSA’s growing attention to the social footprint of engineering companies, not just their output.
Skills development remained a defining thread. ACTOM’s win in the Company Artisan Award category highlighted the urgent need to rebuild South Africa’s artisan pipeline as retirements outpace replacements. ArcelorMittal South Africa, another finalist, was acknowledged for making artisan training part of its national mission — a signal that major corporates recognise a looming skills deficit.
On the business front, Centurion Systems stood out in the customer service category for being able to maintain trust and responsiveness in a market where supply chain pressures have made reliability a competitive edge of its own.
The Corporate Social Responsibility Award went to Aberdare Cables for long-term community investment rather than short-lived donations, reflecting a shift in how industrial companies define impact — moving away from charity and closer to sustained development partnerships.
One of the more closely watched categories, Businesswoman of the Year, yielded two winners. Betterect CEO Nicolette Skjoldhammer and Invincible Valves CEO Pam du Plessis represent a new wave of leadership reshaping an industry historically dominated by men. Their wins reflect different leadership journeys: expansion into heavy engineering and major infrastructure projects for Skjoldhammer, and culture-driven transformation for du Plessis, who took the title for the second consecutive year.
The remaining awards showcased the sector’s breadth — from Defy Appliances’ recognition as the Most Innovative Company to Infinite Industries’ leadership in environmental stewardship, and young entrepreneurs and artisans making their mark inside a sector striving for renewal.
The 10th edition of the awards revealed a sector simultaneously rooted in legacy and forced to adapt to new realities. While economic pressures remain, the stories emerging from the event — of innovation, community service, skills development and leadership — suggest that the path forward will be defined by those who are willing to evolve.
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