Our History
Clotan Steel started off on a very small scale in 1983 by selling blanked galvanised sheets that were decoiled manually from mother coils and cut to specified lengths with a primitive guillotine.
The client base consisted exclusively of informal businesses that manufactured handmade galvanised items such as buckets etc. This low overhead business was conducted in order to maintain some sort of cash flow while, simultaneously, an IBR profile roof sheeting roll former was being manufactured on the premises from scratch. The IBR roll former went into operation after 21 months. With limited finances, hard work and endurance by the owners and four staff members, a new business was born.
One thing led to another and more roof sheeting roll formers were built so that by 1990 a total of two corrugated plants, the original IBR plant and an additional wide span plant were all in operation. Additional value was added to the profiled products when curving, bull nosing and cranking of sheets was introduced. A trading section for steel and roofing accessories also came into operation soon afterwards.
Continuous growth brought further capital investments in the form of a second IBR line, state-of-the-art slitting and open section roll forming line that were housed in a factory specially constructed for that purpose.
The turn of the millennium has coincided with a period of unprecedented growth for Clotan Steel. State-of-the-art roll forming lines, flashing benders, Concealed Fix Roofing Systems (Craft-Lock®), a Cut-to-length line and a mobile gutter manufacturing unit have all enhanced our capabilities.
A successful farming division in the Southern parts of the Free State province emphasizes the company’s entrepreneurial spirit, and furthermore proves that no horizon is unreachable.
Our Identity
Clotan Steel is known for its entrepreneurial spirit, youthful energy and ability to do things differently. The identity that has evolved since its inception in 1983 could be characterized by creativity, innovation and – despite almost unbelievable growth over the years- the stubborn unwillingness to submit to a “big company” syndrome.
The entrepreneurial traits, so vital to business as it rockets into the new millennium at an unprecedented pace with ever changing markets, new demands and technology, are still cultivated today with the same enthusiasm and care as on the first day that the company started to carve out its existence in our competitive marketplace.
Our Philosophy
Clotan Steel’s credo “Ora et Labora” (which is Latin for Pray and Work) indicates how we go about achieving success. The ethical culture in which we conduct business is guided by our Christian norms. This occurs in every aspect of our dealings, whether internally between colleagues or externally with clients. We also shoulder our environmental responsibility by being involved in renewable energy building projects as well as manufacturing products which are sustainable and environmentally friendly. We believe that business is about people and the human aspect of an organisation is at the forefront of our thinking.
In doing business with us, you will find that we are interested in your story–whether it be the origins of your organisation or the defining experiences which have shaped you as an individual. This forges a lasting relationship as we share our history with you …
Corporate Social Investment
Getting involved in the communities in which we do business
Clotan Steel has a keen interest in supporting the communities around us. We believe that charity begins at home and that a thriving and healthy community is very important.
We support many initiatives in our community and further afield. Below is a list of some of the initiatives which we are involved with:
- Children’s Homes
• Robin Good Initiative Heidelberg
• Catherine Robson Children’s Home Vereeniging
- School Nutrition Programmes
• Clotan Steel supports the nutrition programmes of a primary and secondary school in Vanderbijlpark.
• Sponsors the daily baking of bread by a bakery in Bophelong. This bread then gets distributed to 2 nursery schools for their nutrition programmes.
- Welfare
• Vanderbijlpark Community Chest
• NG Welsyn
• Lochvaal Emfuleni Welfare, Family Care, Shelter & Development Center.
• SAVF Welfare – Daycare Centre for Children
• Retirement home for people in need
• Lewenslig Centre for Mentally Disabled Adults
- Culture
• Boeremusiek Gulde
- Education
• Bursaries and Study assistance for previously disadvantaged students that excel at school level
• Study assistance for employees
- Bible distribution
• Over 26 000 Bibles distributed during the last 30 years
We Offer Only The Best
Clotan Steel is committed to cost-competitive, timely supply of high quality products to major role players in the building, construction and steel industry. We are proud to have built partnerships all over Africa, securing a vast network by supplying steel products for commercial and residential projects. We manufacture a complete range of roof sheets which includes Craft-Lock® and Reehfalz concealed fix roofing, C-Tile, IBR, corrugated and wide-span. We offer supporting products and services such as all types of flashings, various roofing accessories and the bull-nosing and curving of roof sheets. Full technical support such as assisting with the design of a roof, calculating quantities and taking measurements from building and construction plans is also available.
Clotan Steel operates state-of-the-art slitting and roll-forming equipment to manufacture slit-strip and cold-formed lipped channel and lipped angle to customers’exact requirements. We also specialize in the supply of high quality steel roofs to mass housing projects. These “roof kits” are available with the full support of technical services which include estimation, design and the initial training of emerging contractors, where applicable.
As steel merchants, we also stock all popular steel sections for construction purposes. We have become a major role player in the light-weight steel market, focussing on commercial as well as big residential. With our cut-to-length line, we supply flat sheets to other steel merchants as well as bigger manufacturers.
