A steel pipe manufacturing company is looking forward to showing off its wares at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) that will take place in the USA next week.
Mmatsheko Shai, the Key Accounts Manager at Hall Longmore - a steel pipe manufacturing company based in Gauteng - is optimistic that the company will export around 30 000 metric tons into the United States of America market per month by the end of 2019. The company intends to grow this number in the next five years.
The company is amongst the 20 companies that received financial support from the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) to participate in the OTC that will take place in Houston, Texas, which gets underway on Monday.
The companies are supported by the dti through its Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme.
The objective of the scheme is to develop export markets for South African products and services and to recruit new foreign direct investment into the country. The scheme also seeks to facilitate market access for the exhibiting South African companies.
Shai said the steel pipe requirements in the local market do not take up their available capacity and the US market plays a capacity utilisation role by supplementing their production and providing an opportunity to fill 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.”
The 20 local firms that will showcase their products and services at the South African National Pavilion at the OTC 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 to 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.
The conference will conclude on 9 May 2019. - SAnews.gov.za
