About us - History

Trident Steel was established in 1972 when the company rented premises in Wadeville to conduct a simple steel Merchanting operation. It was not until two years later that Trident Steel moved to similarly humble premises in Roodekop, something very difficult to believe if you look at the extent of our Head Office operations which can be found there today.

The birth of our extremely modern cutting facilities coincided with the purchase of gas profilers and a cold saw in 1976.

1977 saw the beginning of a new era when Anglovaal Industries acquired a 51% interest in Trident Steel. It was this acquisition that eventually spurred on a number of events which culminated into the successful organisation that Trident Steel is today.

An indispensable division of the organisation, our Coil Processing Division was established in 1983 when three coil processing lines were imported.

A requirement to service the then Natal market, especially that of the automotive industry, led to the construction of a cut-to-length blanking line in Pinetown in 1990.

The amalgamation of Trident Sterling Tube in 1992, by purchasing assets from the Formrite group, led to the establishment of a thriving tube manufacturing plant in Alrode, south of Johannesburg.

Trident Steel became a part of the steel and allied cluster of the Aveng group, formerly Anglovaal Engineering, in 1998 and in July of 1999 the Aveng group was listed on the JSE.

In order to further enhance its value offering, as well as to increase its geographical coverage of the South African steel industry, Trident Steel acquired EA Steel Centre's Cape Town branch in 1999 and then incorporated Trident Midrand Steel in 2000. The remaining shares in special steel stockholder and processor, Namascor, were also purchased from Klockner, Germany. The Namascor special steel division was consequently incorporated into Trident Steel in 2001.

2001 also marked the affirmation of Trident Steel's extended activities in the automotive industry when three Baldwins automotive service centre branches, situated in Rosslyn, Struandale and Prospecton, were acquired from Dorbyl. A completely new branch and processing plant in Port Elizabeth was also established.

A stronger presence in the Western Cape was signified by the erection of a warehouse in Blackheath, Cape Town in 2003.

Trident Midrand Steel's name change to Trident Speciality Steel in 2004 was part of a drive to create a more homogenous business entity, an endeavour which continues today and can be witnessed in the effort the company makes towards strategic alignment and sustainable growth.