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This year marks thirty years since Cronimet, the international stainless steel recycling specialist and long-time member of Sassda, established its operations in South Africa. For Cronimet South Africa Managing Director Bernard Maguire , it is both a milestone and a moment of reflection on how far the business and the industry have come. With clarity and candour, Maguire discusses Cronimet’s beginnings, the shifting challenges of local manufacturing, and the growing urgency of sustainability in a resource-conscious world. Scrap Power progress: Cronimet’s Sustainable Stainless Steel Journey
Cronimet began in Germany in 1980, expanding across Europe before selecting South Africa as its first investment outside of Europe. The local arm officially launched in 1995, just as the country transitioned into democracy. “The emotional atmosphere was positive, and we were on a national honeymoon. But make no mistake, the decision was ultimately about business, it made financial sense,” says Maguire. His own career in stainless steel began ten years earlier. “That’s 40 years in this business. You don’t realise how much time has passed until you start putting the numbers together,” he reflects. The local stainless steel industry Maguire entered in the 1980s was thriving, supported by a vibrant automotive sector, tank container manufacturing, architectural applications, and a strong domestic market for products such as Cutlery, holloware and tubing. It was a diverse
and promising ecosystem, but the past decade has seen that picture change dramatically. “We’ve seen massive geopolitical and trade shifts. A decade ago, you wouldn’t hear ‘geopolitics’ in a business conversation. Now it’s front and centre,” says Maguire. The rise of China as a global industrial power and the emergence of nickel pig iron from Indonesia disrupted traditional stainless steel markets. The economics of scrap shifted, and materials that once had stable value faced new competition. Meanwhile, global environmental awareness surged, transforming scrap metal from a low-cost substitute into a key player in sustainable manufacturing. While global momentum around circular economies and climate goals accelerated, South Africa’s manufacturing landscape faltered. “In 1995, stainless steel manufacturing in South Africa was vibrant. We had automotive, tank
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Issue 2 – 2025
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