Frequently Asked Questions
What is the steelmaking capacity of South Africa?
The capacity is about 10 million tonnes and includes integrated mills, scrap-based mills, mini mills, and foundries.
What type of steels are produced in South Africa?
Carbon Steels, Alloyed Steels and Stainless Steels are produced in South Africa.
Is the ISF privately or government owned?
The ISF is a private sector member-based Non-Profit-Company managed by a member-selected Management Board.
Is there a formal link between the ISF and the South African government?
Yes, the ISF (founded in 1991, registered in 1999 as a formal Export Council collaborating with the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) and receives support for its international marketing activities from the Department.
Does the ISF function as an agent for its members or as the contracting party on consortium-based projects?
No, the ISF ceased to operate as a contracting or agency body in 1999 and is pre-funded by its private sector members and the dtic.
Is the ISF only involved in projects and products outside the borders of South Africa?
No, although the main focus of the ISF is export promotion and development, a secondary focus is to also market the abilities of its members to non-South African stakeholders with projects in South Africa to ensure maximum local content where applicable.
Does the ISF only have South African based members?
No, the ISF encourages maximum co-opetition from a wide supplier base to ensure competitive offerings. (Cooperative competition (co-opetition) is a practice where competitors work with each other on a project-to-project, joint venture, or co-marketing basis (to improve their competitiveness). (Note: Co-opetition is not collusion, forming monopolies or price fixing, practises that are strictly forbidden in South Africa).
The ISF is a co-founder and subscribes to the Engineering and Technology Grouping of Export Councils (ETGEC) whose motto is: “Maximising African content in African Countries”!