TRANSVAAL G A LVA N I S E R S
TRANSVAAL GALVANISERS
Zinc-Coating Your Steel For The Best Corrosion Protection
Since 1984 PRODUCTION: David Napier
Transvaal Galvanisers has completed the installation and commissioning of the largest zinc galvanising kettle in Africa. This new R250 million facility solidifies the company’s position at the top of the industry. CEO Francesco Indiveri tells Enterprise Africa more‌
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENGINEERING
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Repeat business is the key to success according to Transvaal Galvanisers CEO, Francesco Indiveri. He says that forging relationships with customers who respect his business has been vital to the company’s growth and success over the years. Founded in 1984 by Francesco’s father, Gennaro, Transvaal Galvanisers is South Africa’s leading galvanising business and now boasts Africa’s largest galvanising kettle. The new facility was completed in February and came online in April. Steel manufacturers from all over the country can now utilise the
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company’s offering with ease. “It’s a R250 million investment and it’s the biggest kettle in Africa at 15.5m long, 2m wide and 3.2m deep. We can galvanise very large items that not many others can. It has a big throughput capacity of 6000 tons per month and it’s a design based on European spec, incorporating world-class environmental standards,” says Indiveri. Understandably proud of the company’s achievement, the CEO says that the completion of the investment brings the Transvaal Galvanisers facilities to pole position in the industry. “There’s a complete enclosure
for the pre-treatment area where we undertake all the acid pickling, degreasing and fluxing,” explains Indiveri. “Everything is built into the room including wet scrubber extraction, effluent plant and we catch all harmful fumes. It’s completely sustainable from an environmental perspective. With the zinc kettle itself, we have a fume cabin to capture zinc fumes, and they are extracted into a filter to create by-products such as zinc sulphate monohydrate which is used for fertiliser in the agricultural industry. “We have the biggest crane capacity at 16 tons, we have eight
TRANSVAAL GALVANISERS
tandem cranes, we have 12 eight tonne hoists for pre-treatment and dipping and this facility covers 8500 m2.” The management team at Transvaal Galvanisers decided that upgrades and improvements were needed after reviewing existing capabilities and identifying potential improvements that could be made relating to the company’s carbon footprint. “We had five existing galvanising plants and we discontinued two lines, completely dismantling one plant and installing the new structure,” details Indiveri. “Environmental legislations are very strict and so the older plants, which
were older designs, would have been very expensive to upgrade and become compliant. So, we thought it would be best to completely remove and reinstall so that we would have a newer, more efficient facility. “The new facility is much bigger but has a much smaller carbon footprint. It utilises less input and gives off less waste so we’re very happy.” 33 YEARS AND GROWING The basic process of galvanising involves applying a zinc coating to steel or iron to prevent rusting and corroding. This process is highly popular among industrial, mining,
agricultural, construction and engineering customers. Transvaal Galvanisers has been loyally serving clients since its establishment 33 years ago, but it was initially founded to service Gennaro Indiveri’s other business, IMAB Engineering, a Nigel-based steelwork specialist. “We’re a family owned business with one shareholder, my father Gennaro Indiveri. He started a company called IMAB Engineering in 1974 which supplies the transmission and power distribution industries with lattice structure towers. In 1984, he realised that all of his structures needed galvanising and at that stage, there weren’t many galvanisers in the country.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: ENGINEERING
He opened his own galvanising plant and Transvaal Galvanisers was founded,”the CEO explains.“In the beginning, it mainly served our inhouse companies. As the galvanising business grew, we began galvanising for external customers and we had to adapt to meet their requirements. We saw the need for an open dipping line and that is when we started to really invest into the galvanising business. “We’ve ensured we created a business to be the market leader in South Africa. 40-50% of our throughput does come from inhouse work but we also have 50% external customers too. In the last five or six years, we’ve quadrupled our capacity. “Our big customers include top names from the mining, agriculture, water, construction and energy industries. We are receiving a lot of work right now from IMAB Solar Steel, a company under IMAB Engineering which we started around five years ago. We do the fabrication work for
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big IPP solar projects in South Africa and we undertake all of the galvanising work,” he adds. Today, metals galvanised by the Transvaal team are present in countries around the world including Canada, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Japan, Denmark, Kenya and Namibia, to name just a few. The company’s work is SANS 121 (ISO 1461) and ISO 9001 certified, and Transvaal Galvanisers is an active member of the Hot Dip Galvanizing Association of South Africa and the International Zinc Association. Using multiple methods including hot dip, dragline, spin and thermal spray, Transvaal Galvanisers provides the highest quality corrosion protection faster than anyone else. “Initially, it was only transmission lattice communication towers and structures but right now we do
galvanising for any industry that requires it. “Upon completion of the new galvanising plant, we picked up a big new solar contact in collaboration with a Spanish company. With the fabrication of that solar park, and all the galvanising, we had to take on an extra 200 people. “The other plants were refurbished prior to construction of the new plant so all of our plants are upgraded and at the forefront of the industry. Our next challenge will be to look at increasing our footprint in South Africa by building another facility in another location. We’re at the early stages with this but we are looking at either acquiring a company that is already in the industry or building a completely new plant,” enthuses Indiveri. WHAT ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN? Where many businesses are finding the current trading environment very tough, thanks to a bleak economic outlook in South Africa, those that have positioned themselves strongly are managing to thrive. The local steel industry was described at the end of 2016 by South Africa’s Mail & Guardian as being on the brink of collapse. In August, ArcelorMittal SA announced retrenchments as the company struggles to deal with cheaper Chinese steel imports and increasing costs. This all came after Trade and Industry Minister, Rob Davies, had announced ‘safeguards’ for the industry in May. But Indiveri is innovative and continuously on the hunt for improvements and, as such, he has not allowed Transvaal Galvanisers to become embroiled in any sort of slowdown. “We are so diverse in the products that we do that we haven’t seen the effects of the slow economy,” he says. “We are very efficient and we offer a very good price, service and product to the customer and that keeps us busy. Because of the tie-in with the manufacturing business, we are always looking at new projects to keep our galvanising plant busy. It’s all about ensuring we have the volumes.
TRANSVAAL GALVANISERS
“Yes, the economy isn’t great but galvanising is a need and any infrastructure project requires galvanising; it will always take preference over painting. Sometimes it’s best to invest during the quieter periods so when the tide turns, you’re ready for the boom. The economy has been in a lull but when we get out of it, we will be ready for further growth.” A focus on investment ensures that Transvaal Galvanisers isn’t allowed to loosen its grip on the industry’s leading position – something that so often happens with large cumbersome heavyindustry related organisations. “We are very excited about the future and we know as long as we work hard and keep our customers happy, we will thrive. It has taken us many years to get to where we are and we now understand the market and we continually invest – that is why we grow. We don’t just withdraw the dividends; we’re always innovating and
finding ways to make things better,” says Indiveri. “We are a family business. I’m part of the third generation. My grandfather came out from Italy and he encouraged my father to get involved. We want to keep the business with the family but we’re always looking for good people to come and help us succeed. As you grow, you need good people – we see every employee as a family member. We know that if we treat people right, they will treat us right and the business will succeed.” With much negativity in the market, it is refreshing to hear that a company can succeed without changing its daily operations drastically, rather by focussing on its core strengths and sticking to them. Both Transvaal Galvanisers and IMAB Engineering are enjoying a fruitful and productive period and, following wise investments and commitments to
sound business, it looks like the future is only bright for these South African industry specialists. “There is work out there so as long as you offer a fair price, a quality product and a fair service, you’re going to get repeat business. We are still working with the same customers today that we were 20 years ago; and we want to work with them in 20 years’ time. We are still growing and still striving for more,” concludes Indiveri.
TRANSVAAL GALVANISERS +27-11-814-1113/4 transgalv@transgalv.co.za www.transgalv.co.za
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