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Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, said: “Change is the only constant in life”, a sentiment that has recently rung true not only for me on a personal level but also for the Institute. Although I am not new to the SAIW, having been on the board for several years, I am new to its inner workings. I am therefore thankful to Jim Guild for steadying the ship through turbulent waters and especially grateful for Jim’s guidance, patience and willingness to help me in any and every way he could to ensure that the transition was as seamless as possible.
The SAIW is now poised for growth in 2020, but this growth will require change. We will be working more closely, particularly with our members but also our industry, to ensure that we continue to provide world-class training, qualification, certification and accreditation programmes, as well as enhance our standing as the regional resource for information transfer, and continue to provide technical support services to our industry. We intend to grow our membership, but as important, build member engagement and ensure that we are able to deliver exceptional value to our members.
These are exciting changes that will position the Institute to effectively serve our membership and our industry. Domestically, there is great potential for the SAIW, but also importantly, in the rest of Africa. As our fellow African countries grapple with the need to industrialise and grow their economies to reduce unemployment and poverty, the role of the welding industry is obvious. In line with this, there are a number of countries that we are working with and we hope to report on this in future issues of African Fusion.
As we all know, this has been an exceptionally difficult year for the metals fabrication industry, some say worse than during the global financial crisis. Although the metals fabrication industry is somewhat behind the retail, clothing, textile, footwear and leather industries with respect to their development of a ‘Masterplan’, the good news is that the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI): Steel Supply Chain Improvement Initiative committee is developing our own Steel Value Chain Master Plan. This is a key focus of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel’s plans to revive the steel sector. The SAIW is an active member of this SAISI committee and we look forward to the completion and adoption of the Master Plan early in the New Year.
#StrongerTogether was the hashtag the Springboks adopted for the recent Rugby World Cup and they emerged victorious. The majority of South African’s believe that this motto is also vital to waken our sleeping economy and enable us to reduce unemployment, poverty and inequality. In the same way, the Steel Master Plan aims to bring business, labour and government together to grow our industry for the common good. As Minister Patel recently said of the Steel Master Plan, “government has lit the braai, now it is up to you to bring the wors and chops.”
As our industry closes for the end of year break, it is time for all of us to spend time with our families and friends, recharge our batteries and be ready for 2020. Thank you for your ongoing support and interest in the SAIW and I look forward to working and growing with you.
John Tarboton
