Awards celebrate ingenuity and outstanding levels of innovation

Over 39,000 visitors attended the show which took place at the Expo Centre in Johannesburg from 2 to 6 September. Visitors were able to engage with 950 exhibitors and explore the thousands of new products, ground-breaking machinery, latest innovations, and world-class technologies on display at the show. 

One of the highlights of this year’s event was the New Products and Innovation Awards competition which is organised together with the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC). This saw numerous entries from local and international exhibitors. 

“We were thrilled to have so many entries this year and to know that this exceptional level of innovation was showcased at Electra Mining Africa,” says Charlene Hefer, portfolio director of Specialised Exhibitions, a division of Montgomery Group and organisers of the show. “The awards were definitely a celebration of ingenuity and outstanding levels of innovation.”

While the final adjudication took place at Electra Mining Africa when the judges visited the stands and viewed the new products and innovations, exhibitors submitted their entries in the weeks before the show. 

Eric Bruggeman, CEO of SACEEC and one of the adjudicators, says that 'the standard this year was very high', and he described the entries as 'innovation excellence'. He adds it 'was exciting to see so many outstanding products at the show'.

The winners and runners-up were announced at an exhibitors' event on Wednesday evening, where certificates and trophies were presented for each of the categories.

“It was an exciting evening and we’d like to say congratulations to the winners and runners-up of the competition, and we thank them for their participation,” says Hefer.

Winners: Local manufacturing

• ABC Ventilation | Category: Mining | Product/innovation: Mi Vent control and monitoring system
  

• Intuate | Category: ITC | Product/innovation: Smart Harness
  

• Aztec Components | Category: Electrical | Product/innovation: MiniStart
  

• RNE Pumps | Category: Industrial | Product/innovation: The Assaulter
  

• Advanced Fire Suppression Technologies | Category: Transport | Product/innovation: Gorilla Attack Trailor    
  

• Brelko Conveyer Products | Category: General | Product/innovation: NIP Guard Safety Device

Runners-up: Local manufacturing

• Phasecon Mining | Category: Mining | Product/innovation: Mobile Rotoray kiln for carbon regen or incineration
  

• Varispeed | Category: ITC | Product/innovation: Alpha Solar Drive
  

• Afromix | Category: Industrial | Product/innovation: AFX200 Peristaltic Pump
  

• Dynamic Fluid Control (DFC) | Category: General | Product/innovation: Vent-O-Mat RGXII

Winners: International manufacturing

• Kaltire Mining Tyres South Africa | Category: Mining | Product/innovation: WheelJaws
  

• Wam South Africa Bulk Handling | Category: Industrial | Product/innovation: PolyTUBE
  

• AZ-Armaturen South Africa | Category: General | Product/innovation: Soft seated plug valve, sealing type FSN-EF
  

• Tru-trac Rollers | Category: ITC | Product/innovation: RIP Prevent+ System
  

• Uvex Safety | Category: Health and Safety | Product/innovation: uvex aXess one (headphones)
  

• Demolition and Drilling Equipment | Category: Transport | Product/innovation: First Green Industries Skid Steer Loaders

Runners-up: International manufacturing

• Corrocoat | Category: General | Product/innovation: Plasmet ZF Aerosol
  

• Wilo Pumps | Category: ITC | Product/innovation: Wilo Atmos GIGA-NX
  

• Soteria Advanced Technologies | Category: Health and Safety | Product/innovation: Equiray Heavy Duty with Anti-Collision Sensor (EHD-ACS)
  

• Wanawake Industrial Supplies | Category: Industry | Product/innovation: InterBolt

Awards criteria

To be eligible to enter: 

• The new product or innovation could not be more than two years old and not been exhibited in South Africa before.

• It had to be the company’s own design.
• It could either be a major innovative improvement to an existing product, or a totally new product.
• It could either be a locally designed and manufactured innovation/product or an internationally designed and manufactured innovation/product.
• The product/innovation had to be already available to customers (not still in R&D).
• The product/innovation had to be on display at Electra Mining Africa 2024.

“This year’s awards have built further on the success of the competition at the 2022 show and we are already planning for the next Electra Mining Africa. We have some exciting new ideas that we will put in place for the Awards competition at the 2026 show,” concludes Hefer. 

For further information on Electra Mining Africa 2026, visit www.electramining.co.za.