The National Foundry Technology Network (NFTN) recently completed a survey of all South African foundries to evaluate the industry status quo and level of environmental compliance in the sub sector.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Environmental Services unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), aims to provide an informed and up-to-date overview of the foundry industry in South Africa that will enable the NFTN and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) to better support the recovery of the industry and assist foundries to become sustainable.
The NTN plans to share the results of the survey and phase one of the study in a free online workshop in November.
Common challenges that came from the survey included issues of competitiveness and cheap imports, a shortage of skills and labour, environmental compliance … and a recurring set of challenges around energy supply and costs.