March 2021
Message from the President
The new year is well underway and the festive season and annual shutdown is now a distant memory. Unfortunately, the festive season was also a period during 2020 with the second wave of COVID-19 that a lot of families lost members due to this pandemic. The reality was that COVID-19 deaths went from merely being numbers to becoming names of family members and friends very quickly. May those who have suffered a loss or were affected by COVID-19 find peace.
While we are doing our best with the new norms and new challenges that 2021 holds, may we all do our best to be healthy and follow all the necessary precautions and safety procedures, especially in our workplace. The economy of our country needs all of us to work together at overcoming this pandemic.
With the economy in mind, this year’s budget speech made me very hopeful for our industry. There was a lot of focus on economic transformation and job creation and the following deduced points gave me hope:
- The need for infrastructure repairs; these repairs present great business opportunities for our industry.
- Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement which commenced on 1 January 2021; this agreement presents unparalleled opportunities for us to make trading within the continent easier.
- The finalisation of the Public Procurement Bill; I hope the bill says “local is lekker”.
- R94.2 billion budgeted for employment creation; our unemployment rate has been on the rise (Stats SA). As an industry we have been experiencing job loses more than most industries.
I was happy to hear the following promises:
1. To lower barriers to entry
2. To raise productivity
3. To lower the cost of doing business
Looking at the above, we are presented with a lot of business opportunities. We are hopeful that this will be a great business year for all of us.
On behalf of the Board of SAIF, I would like to wish all a very blessed, productive and full order book 2021. Let us not despair, let’s all work together to make this a very successful year.
SAIF Notice to members to attend Special General Meeting
In accordance with the Memorandum of Incorporation of the South African Institute of Foundrymen, notification is hereby given of a Special General Meeting which will take place on:
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 at the Reading Country Club, 40 Fore Street, New Red Ruth, Alberton at 17:45 pm.
An official invitation has already been sent to all members of the institute and can be found on the homepage of the SAIF website.
In accordance to COVID 19 regulations, the SAIF Board of Directors will explore and investigate means by which members may attend the meeting using a virtual platform and will advise members accordingly closer to the time. All in-person attendees are required to adhere to all COVID-19 protocols at all times.
AGENDA
1. Welcome and Apologies
2. Minute of Silence in honour of members that have succumbed to COVID-19
3. Confirmation of the Minutes from the 55th AGM held on 14 May 2019
4. Review & Acceptance of the Annual Financial Statements for the 2019 period
5. Appointment of Auditors
6. Matters Arising from Previous Minutes
6.1 Feedback on outstanding tasks and projects derived from 2019 AGM
• Gauteng Foundry Training Centre Assets
• SAIF Engagement & Representation on National and International Platforms
• Marketing & Communication Service Provider for SAIF Website
• Revision of SAIF MOI
• Accreditation of SAIF Learning Material & Trade Tests for Foundry Industry
• SAEFA Merger / Collaboration with SAIF
7. New Matters
7.1 President’s Report (Overview of 2019 / 2020)
7.2 SAIF Activities for 2021
• SAIF Annual Awards Dinner
• SAIF Annual Golf Day
• SAIF Training
8. General
9. Closure
One of the fundamental priorities of the Institute is to be the voice of the South African foundry industry, and as a valued member; it is in your best interest to make every effort to attend, thus contributing positively to the future sustainability and growth of the body and the foundry industry as a whole.
Please Note: In accordance with the MOI, all SAIF membership fees must be paid in full in order to be permitted to vote.
For catering purposes, kindly confirm your attendance with Marina Biljon: Tel. No: 011 559-6455 / email: mbiljon@uj.ac.za
Other important dates
Annual General Meeting of SAIF Members
Tuesday, 18 May 2021
Reading Country Club, Fore Street Alberante, Alberton
Membership fees for 2021
Individual Members – R 785.00
Corporate
Small Company – 1 to 20 Employees: R 3,500.00
Medium Company – 21 to 75 Employees: R 5,300.00
Large Companies – 76 & Above Employees: R 7,000.00
Membership fees are due at the beginning of the year and invoices have been distributed. Members must ensure all outstanding fees are paid up to date to maintain active membership status. Members whose fees are in arrears must kindly contact the SAIF office as a matter of urgency. Failure to do so may result in further action against said individual or company.
We look forward to a productive 2021 and endeavour to provide members with the best possible support, benefits and service at all times.
Annual update of members’ details for SAIF database
Members are annually requested to please update their details for the SAIF database. When you update your details, you will receive a username and password to access the Members’ Only Section on the SAIF website. We urge you to please update your details regardless if the information has changed – to ensure that all your details are correct. Updated member details assist the institute in communicating timeously and accurately with members. To update your details, please complete the SAIF Membership Update Form on the website.
Benefits exclusive to SAIF members
- Monthly Technical Presentations
- Access to industry opportunities
- Exclusive Participation at the annual SAIF Golf Day
- Attendance at the SAIF Annual Awards Dinner
- Bi – Monthly newsletter
- Industry presentations
- Feedback on international events: GIFA, BRICS Foundry Forum, WFO
- Career opportunities as advertised by industry
- Preferential discount on fees for various SAIF activities such as exhibitions & conferences, seminars and workshops
- Preferential access to information relating to important developments within the foundry industry
- Preferential representation from SAIF to engage with government and other industry stakeholders on behalf of members
- Advertisement / Marketing opportunities through SAIF website platform
Members Section
The SAIF website has a members section, that allows members exclusive access to important information, opportunities, alerts and presentations relevant to industry. All paid-up members will be able to login and personalise the information they receive from SAIF.
Benefits for SAIF Company Members: Company Member Profile
The SAIF website also has a Company Members Profile section, that allows companies to list their products and services in a directory. This service is only available to paid-up members of SAIF and one of the biggest membership benefits that we encourage companies to take up. A listing on the website is a marketing opportunity for your company to create awareness of your services.
Company members will be categorised to assist casting buyers in finding the right supplier for their needs. Your company profile will include: Your company name, logo, contact details and a link to your website. Should you wish to be featured on the SAIF website, complete the SAIF Company Profile Application Form.
Education and Training. Realising the need for both operator/artisan and technical training for the industry, the institute is committed to ongoing development of operators’ courses and seminars in conjunction with both local and overseas institutes and a certificated course is run twice a year at the University of Johannesburg.
Trends and Technology. You or your company can benefit by being kept up to date and familiar with local and international technology and trends relating to foundry activities.
Training
The SAIF continues efforts to support Skills Development & Training to the foundry industry in 2021. The following modules have been scheduled for the first quarter of the year:
- Metallurgy & Metal Melting
- Cores & Core Making
- Moulding & Moulding Sands
The lectures are taking place at the Reading Country Club in Alberton under strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols observed by the facilitators and the students.
The SAIF is also trialing a blended teaching and learning method for the Sands and Moulding Sands course. The format of the course combines a few online lectures with a number of face-to-face presentations at the Reading Country Club. The online teaching makes use of the Google Meets App, which is a free App on Google Suite and is accessible by all students through their phones and computers. Online teaching also relies on WhatsApp and email communication.
If the above experiment is successful, it will allow SAIF to remotely present courses in other provinces without the need for face-to-face facilitation, which is currently an obstacle to extend the training programme nationwide and respond to the demand for training from foundries outside of the Johannesburg area.
Members of SAIF will be kept informed of the developments of this online teaching trial.
Training Facilitators
Members of industry who would like to join the panel of facilitators for the SAIF Foundry Technology Programme are invited to submit their CV’s to the SAIF office mbiljon@uj.ac.za
Facilitators should be paid up members of SAIF, be in possession of a relevant qualification to facilitate a module and have ample industry experience. Applications are open to members of all regions in South Africa, as we are aiming to extend the training of the programme beyond the borders of Gauteng with the proposed online training methods above.
Planned Training Schedule for SAIF foundry Technology Programme 2021 – Johannesburg Gauteng
| Session | Period | Subjects | Lecturer | Cost/Subject | ||
| 1 | Q1 | Melting and Metallurgy | Frank McGuiness | R2,600 excluding VAT | ||
| 06-Feb | Cores & Core Making | Nigel Pardoe | ||||
| 24-Apr | Moulding & Sands | Didier Nyembwe | ||||
| 2 | Q2 | Productivity | Nigel Brain | |||
| 22-May | Fettling | TBC | ||||
| 24-Jul | Quality Control | Nigel Pardoe | ||||
| 3 | Q3 | Supervisory | Nigel Pardoe | |||
| 21-Aug | Casting Design | Frank McGuiness | ||||
| 31-Oct | Moulding & Sands | Didier Nyembwe |