Increased energy efficiency of a steel foundry plant by using a cleaner production quick-E-scan methodology

Rasmeni, Z.Z.; Pan, Xiaowei

doi:10.1063/1.4990235

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…During the qualitative phase, the participants generally agreed that the cost of energy (electricity and gas) was high, which made it challenging for foundry businesses to control their costs and provide competitive pricing to their consumers (Phiri 2022). Rasmeni and Pan (2014) point out that when compared to the global average, South African foundries consumed significantly more energy while the 'uncertainty regarding electricity pricing and supply is a disincentive to investment' and has a detrimental effect on South African industries' ability to compete. The increase in electricity costs and the unreliability of supply continue to dampen economic activities across different sectors with mining, manufacturing, agriculture and construction looking set to be worst affected in the long run (National Treasury 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A thorough review of the literature has revealed that the scant research on the foundry industry either examines entire quality management concerns (Boikanyo & Heyns 2019), the management of waste (Iloh, Fanourakis & Ogra 2019), energy consumption (Energy Intensive Users Group of Southern Africa 2017; Haraldsson & Johansson 2019;Rasmeni & Pan 2014 ), or foundry production efficiencies (Srivastava, Tiwari & Singh 2020). Research on the impact of macroeconomic factors on sustainable competitiveness is scarce (Phiri et al 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Macroeconomic drivers affecting the foundry industry in South Africa

Phiri,

Dirkse van Schalkwyk,

Tolmay

2024

South African Journal of Economic and management Sciences

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Background:The problem addressed in the study reported on in this article is the decline of South Africa's foundry industry. This industry is valuable in terms of job creation and a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) strategy is required to sustain the industry in South Africa.Aim: With the dearth of research on sustainability of the foundry industry, the research comprised three objectives; namely, to identify from literature the macroeconomic drivers, to empirically identify critical macroeconomic drivers, and to make recommendations on strategies for enhancing SCA for foundries in South Africa. Setting:The study was conducted during 2022 within the foundry industry in South Africa. Foundry representatives from foundries located in all nine provinces of South Africa were invited to participate in the study. Method:The study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods methodology, initially employing a quantitative approach, and subsequently applying a qualitative approach to ascertain the most influential macroeconomic drivers. Quantitative data analysis entailed descriptive methods, while the qualitative phase involved thematic analysis. Conclusion:The study contributes by identifying the macroeconomic drivers that can be used by industry leaders in the formulation of strategies for SCA within the African context. Contribution:The study contributes by identifying the macroeconomic drivers that can be used by industry leaders in the formulation of strategies for SCA.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%