Gauteng Steel Company Seeks to Increase Exports to USA

The Key Accounts Manager at Hall Longmore – a steel pipe manufacturing company based in Gauteng, Ms Mmatsheko Shai says she is optimistic that the company will export around 30 000 metric tons into the United States of America (USA) market by end of 2019, with the intention to grow the number in the next five years. The company is amongst the 20 companies that received financial support from the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) to participate in the during the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) that will take place in Houston, Texas in the US from 6-9 May 2019.

Shai says the steel pipe requirements in the local market do not fill their available capacity and the US market plays a capacity utilisation role by supplementing to their production and providing an opportunity to fill the capacity.

“Hall Longmore is currently doing business in the US exporting an average of 2 500 metric tons of steel piping into the US per month. This is a competitive market as steel pipe for the oil and gas market is manufactured and supplied from all over the world, it requires us to stay competitive,” says Shai.

According to her, Hall Longmore currently employs 333 people and expanding their client base in the US would translate into more productions and subsequently creation of more jobs.
The 20 SA firms that will showcase their products at the South African National Pavilion during the OTC conference are from the steel and fabrication, engineering and services, electro technical and services, and oil and gas sectors.

Speaking ahead of the conference, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies said the South African National Pavilion at the conference will assist the South African companies identify opportunities within the US’s up, mid and downstream value-chain integration. The US is one of South Africa’s key trading partners in the world today, and the bilateral trade relationship has maintained a consistent pattern of expansion since 1994.

Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe-Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: (012) 394 1650
Mobile: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Issued by: The Department of Trade and Industry
Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti

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