About Us What we do, how we do it, and the values behind it
We are a South African industrial pressings and manufacturing business, and our staff reflect the wide demographic of our Republic. Like many Americans and Canadians, a fair share of South Africans can trace their roots to all parts of the world, and we have great familiarity with England, Holland, France and the United States. Even so, we are very much South African in our manner and our outlook on the world.
Our History
Almost 40 years ago Aubrey and Leslie Friedman, who still work in the business daily, started an industrial pressings business with a single 30-ton Raskin eccentric press. The business now shares part of a 30,000 m2 factory complex, of which 18,000 m2 is under crane.
We have a loyal customer base, some of whom we have worked with for more than 30 years. Although most of our customers are in Southern Africa, we have many international customers, particularly in mining and large engineering, and we provide solutions for sectors as varied as agriculture and aerospace.
Like any business we have faced our fair share of challenges, some of our own making and some just a fact of life, but after 40 years we have great optimism for the future.
Core Competencies
We are a specialist manufacturer wherever spring steels and alloys are required, with a strong presence in the niche markets for DIN EN 16983 (DIN 2093) conical disc springs and DIN 6796 Belleville washers for bolted connections.
Spring steel & alloy applications
We start from carefully specified annealed material, chosen for its chemical composition (carbon, vanadium, silicon, manganese and so on), and then heat treat and cool it to develop the microstructure that gives the mechanical properties the application needs: formability, hardness, ductility and toughness.
Die & tool making
Our tool and die makers are specialist machinists who make the dies and tools used in our manufacturing processes, and they support our metal pressing service lines.
Metal pressing & stamping
Stamping (also called pressing) places flat sheet metal, as blanks or coil, in a press where a tool and die form the metal into a specific shape.
Hydraulic deep drawing
Deep drawing forms sheet steel by pressing it into the required shape, with the hydraulic press applying full tonnage over the entire stroke.
Project management
Organising and leading our people to keep every commitment we make to customers, and to meet both their expressed and unexpressed needs.
The Things We Make
These core capabilities let us deliver world-class manufactured products and components:
- Conical disc springs to DIN EN 16983 (DIN 2093): Groups 1, 2 and 3, Series A, B and C, and sizes outside the series, with an emphasis on Group 3
- Plain and slotted bearing preload disc springs
- A wide selection of disc springs for valves
- Single-turn and multi-turn wave springs
- Washers that secure highly loaded bolted connections: DIN 6796 heavy-duty Belleville washers
- Wedge lock washers
- Spring steel parts: rail wheel arrestors, retainer clips and conveyor belt hinges
- Non-standard specialty washers, known in the fastener trade as popular specials. Our die inventory has been built up over 40 years, and we supply non-standard washers in all materials to most of the fastener and engineering support businesses in South Africa.
- Deep-drawn components: high-pressure cylinder heads, wheel rims, exhaust baffles and more
Our gallery shows examples of the kinds of things we make.
Our Conduct
Our values show in our behaviour and attitudes, and shape how we deal with all our stakeholders: customers, suppliers, regulators and staff alike, even a child in the street. If we fail to live up to them, or to act with a Noble Purpose, please challenge us, speak your mind, and help us be better.
- We keep our word, and we can always be trusted to act with integrity and decency.
- You don’t have to ask us twice; we act with enthusiasm and energy.
- We are interested in and curious about our world and our customers’ businesses.
- We keep perspective by keeping sight of a Noble Purpose that gives meaning to our actions and helps us rise above destructive self-interest and pettiness.
- We are easy to deal with, we keep our balance, and we remember to laugh at ourselves and enjoy the smallest of life’s pleasures.
- We don’t shy away from difficult customer challenges, because solving them benefits our customers and deepens our own knowledge and skills.
Everything we do must be measured against the highest standards of ethical business conduct, and must keep reinforcing the trust our customers place in us. However important technical competence is, we believe our Code of Conduct is what gets us invited to work with customers on projects that matter. It forms part of every Reliable Pressings employment contract.
Where Are We Going?
Our horizons have expanded to serving customers beyond Africa. More by good fortune than by plan, globally recognised firms have come to us under real pressure to deliver work for projects elsewhere in the world. We delivered where nobody else could, and the feedback on the quality of our work was so positive that we decided to reach out further. We now have representation in the United States and Europe.
Have a project that matters?
Tell us what you need. We’ll design, verify and manufacture it.