Exhibitors from metalworking engineering industry positive about Electra Mining Africa 2026

Electra Mining Africa 2026 took place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) from 7–11 September 2026, drawing 41 390 visitors and over 1 000 exhibitors. The exhibition is one of Southern Africa’s leading platforms for mining, manufacturing, automation, power and transport innovation.

The record scale of the exhibition was reflected not only in the increased exhibition space and exhibitor numbers, but also in the level of engagement across the show floor. Exhibitors reported strong visitor interest, valuable business conversations and opportunities to connect with both existing and prospective customers.

While not a dedicated exhibition for the metalworking engineering industry some suppliers did exhibit and expressed a positive attitude about the experience.

Hein Nel Sandvik Coromant
“While this was certainly not our first participation at Electra Mining Africa, it is not an exhibition where Sandvik Coromant traditionally showcases its products. The event caters to a broad spectrum of industries and visitors relevant to the mining sector, extending far beyond machining alone.”

“However, as part of the larger Sandvik Group, and specifically Sandvik Machining Solutions (SMS), we saw considerable value in showcasing the strength and breadth of the Group alongside other Sandvik companies, including our Mining division and Mastercam. This provided visitors with a comprehensive view of how Sandvik supports the entire value chain, from mining and materials extraction through to advanced manufacturing and machining solutions.”

“From a South African manufacturing perspective, the decision was particularly relevant. A significant portion of the country’s machining industry serves the mining sector, either directly or indirectly. Electra Mining Africa 2026 therefore offered an ideal platform to engage with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders, while demonstrating how Sandvik’s combined capabilities contribute to productivity, innovation, and sustainability across these interconnected industries.”

“While Sandvik Coromant is widely recognised for producing some of the world’s leading cutting tool solutions and holding a position as one of the global market leaders, our approach extends far beyond the tool itself. Rather than focusing solely on product displays, we prefer to engage customers at a deeper level by helping them achieve their manufacturing objectives and business goals.”

“At exhibitions such as Electra Mining Africa, our emphasis is therefore on demonstrating complete manufacturing solutions. This includes showcasing finished machined components, sharing machining strategies, productivity concepts, digital solutions, software, tooling systems, and advanced work holding, CNC machine tools and clamping technologies. Our objective is to help customers understand how all these elements work together to create an efficient and optimised manufacturing process.”

“We believe that true machining excellence is achieved through a holistic approach. When every aspect of the manufacturing process is aligned, from planning and programming to tooling, machine utilisation, and process stability, organisations can achieve what we at Sandvik Coromant refer to as Manufacturing Wellness. This philosophy helps our customers improve productivity, increase competitiveness, and achieve sustainable long-term success.”

“We had excellent engagement with visitors from a diverse range of industries, including pump and valve manufacturing, mining equipment production, heavy vehicle and original equipment manufacturing (OEM), the energy sector, and representatives from the tertiary education and skills development sectors from all over the world. The exhibition provided a valuable platform to connect with both existing and prospective customers, exchange industry insights, and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing these industries. It also highlighted the important role that advanced manufacturing and machining solutions play in improving productivity, efficiency, and innovation across South Africa’s industrial landscape, reinforcing Sandvik Coromant’s commitment to supporting growth throughout the value chain.”

“It was particularly enlightening to engage with manufacturers that support the mining industry and to better understand where Sandvik Coromant fits within the broader value chain. These interactions reinforced the value we bring to our customers, not only through world-class tooling solutions, but through our ability to improve productivity, process security, component quality, and overall manufacturing efficiency.”

“By working closely with our customers and understanding their operational challenges, we can deliver solutions that help them reduce costs, maximise machine utilisation, shorten lead times, and achieve their production targets. Seeing first-hand how our expertise contributes to the success of manufacturers serving the mining sector highlighted the important role Sandvik Coromant plays in creating sustainable customer value across the entire manufacturing ecosystem.”

“We greatly enjoyed reconnecting with many of our valued customers, while also meeting a number of new potential customers who serve the mining industry and related sectors. The exhibition provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships, exchange ideas, and showcase how Sandvik Coromant can support the evolving needs of South Africa’s manufacturing and mining value chain.”

“The event was made even more special by the participation of colleagues from Morocco and the Middle East, whose presence highlighted the collaborative and global nature of the Sandvik organisation. We look forward to building on the connections made at this year’s event and are already excited to participate in the next Electra Mining Africa exhibition.”

Sandvik Coromant representatives Hamza Jaudar (Morocco), Gabriele Gadioli (Italy) and Dewald Swanepoel (South Africa)

Thys de Villiers TRM Supplies
“While it was not our first time to exhibit at Electra Mining Africa it allowed us the opportunity to increase brand awareness, showcase our latest manufacturing technology, engage with existing customers, and generate new sales leads.”

“Because we only had a small stand, we could only exhibit one laser welder, some plasma machines and other smaller equipment. We also showcased the latest developments in our tube/beam and large format laser cutting, laser welding and metal fabrication equipment ranges, including solutions aimed at improving productivity and reducing operating costs, both on our laser machine range as well as Hypertherm plasma hand held and small robot cutting capabilities. The laser welding machine drew quite a bit of attention.”

“We engaged with decision-makers who had genuine purchasing projects and investment plans rather than casual visitors, with the majority of them from South Africa, although there were a number from the rest of Africa.”

“One of the highlights was the number of serious enquiries received from companies looking to expand their manufacturing capabilities through automation, laser cutting, welding and tube processing technology and more so on our Hypertherm plasma range of machines and consumables. Several of these opportunities are already progressing into active sales discussions.”

“A noticeable trend was the increasing interest in automation, productivity improvement, energy efficiency, and technologies that help manufacturers remain competitive in challenging economic conditions. There was also strong interest in local service support and operator training, indicating that customers are placing greater value on long-term partnerships and reliability.”

“We already booked the same stand and the one next to us for 2028. We view Electra Mining Africa as a valuable platform for engaging with the manufacturing, engineering, mining, and fabrication sectors.”

Thys de Villiers of TRM Supplies with bothers Marco and Flavio Strappazzon

Warrick Lowther – Somta Tools
“Having exhibited once before, where the number of visitors was disappointing, we missed the exhibition in 2024. However, we decided to exhibit again this year after seeing a revival of the visitors.”

“This year the exhibition lived up to its standards in terms of the number of visitors and we were able to connect with new and existing customers and showcase Somta’s capabilities. The visitor quality was reasonably good, with several key decision-makers available for meaningful discussions. We engaged with visitors who had purchasing influence and decision-making responsibility within their businesses but they were very limited.”

“Unfortunately, the location of our stand in Hall 1 was not our preferred choice. We would have liked a position in Hall 5, where we felt Somta would have been better placed alongside relevant industry exhibitors. We would consider exhibiting again, although stand location and the audience would be important factors. In my view, combining MTA (Machine Tools Africa exhibition) with Electra Mining Africa could create a particularly strong exhibition, attracting a broader range of industry sectors.”