Innovation took the spotlight at the KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE) 2025 as the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC) announced the winners of its New Product & Innovation Awards – on the show floor.
Dimeri.ai – one of the winning companies in the SACEEC New Product & Innovation Awards at KITE 2025.
Now in its second edition after its 2023 debut, the awards shifted from the traditional exhibitor function to a live, in-hall recognition format. Eric Bruggeman, CEO of SACEEC, and Terry Pearce, Managing Director of ABC Africa, visited the winning stands to honour companies that are pushing boundaries with their groundbreaking industrial solutions.
Bruggeman says, “Partnership with KITE and Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery is an absolute must. Our members benefit from being part of a platform like this – it’s where they can showcase their capabilities, highlight their designs, and demonstrate what South African manufacturers are achieving. For us as an export council, it’s important that our members have a place to present their innovations to the market, and KITE offers that. This is the second time we’ve hosted the New Product & Innovation Awards, and the calibre of entries this year is proof of the extraordinary talent in our local industry.”
“We are proud to partner with SACEEC in recognising exhibitors who are advancing industrial innovation. By celebrating these achievements directly, on the show floor, we elevate the winners and inspire others to think differently, adapt faster, and drive progress. The awards have become a valued part of KITE, helping visitors connect with forward-thinking suppliers who can impact their operations,” says Charlene Hefer, Portfolio Director at Specialised Exhibitions, a division of Montgomery Group.
“The KITE show floor is where conversations happen, where buyers meet suppliers and innovation meets opportunity. By recognising winners in the midst of the action, we reinforce the value that bold thinking and smart solutions bring to the local industrial market,” Hefer adds.
The awards shine a spotlight on innovations that show measurable benefit – through increased efficiency, sustainability, digitisation, improved safety or other advances – and celebrate companies that are shaping the future of South Africa’s capital equipment landscape.
A win for industry and innovation
The awards bring value to SACEEC and the KITE event. For SACEEC, KITE offers access to a concentrated audience of manufacturing, engineering, and industrial decision-makers in a region important to the country’s export and industrial economy.
For KITE, the New Product & Innovation Awards provides an additional layer of prestige and excitement, spotlighting exhibitors whose innovations stand out in a competitive and rapidly developing sector. “It’s one thing to tell the market about innovation, but quite another to show it in action. These awards help buyers identify which suppliers are serious about progress and potential partnership,” says Hefer.
The awards underscore the value of exhibitions like KITE, where face-to-face engagement drives business results and where innovation is experienced firsthand.
The award winners
- Noise-Ban – Innovation Award – International Health and Safety
- Interroll SA – New Product Award – International Material Handling
- Polar Monitoring – Innovation & New Product Award – Local IT
- LAPP – Innovation Award – International Engineering
- PFERD – New Product Award – International Industrial
- Ragon Industries – Innovation Award – Local Mining
- ai – New Product Award – Local IT
- Electrical Supplies Corp – New Product Award – International Electronics
- Pioneer Plastics – Innovation Award – Local Engineering
- Searchworks 360 – Innovation Award – Local IT
- Bossard – Innovation Award – International Logistics.
- A-Z Armaturen – Innovation Award – International Industrial.
For more information visit: www.kznindustrial.co.za
