Sappi Stanger mill wins safety award

Recognised as the safest mill to work at, Sappi’s Stanger Mill excelled at the recent 2021 Sappi Southern Africa safety excellence awards.

With the awards ceremony held at the Stanger mill, general manager Philani Gumede commended employees for their consistent and uncompromising commitment to a zero-injury approach to safety.

Sappi Southern Africa CEO, Alex Thiel, congratulated Gumede, saying the awards were among the most prized accolades in the company.

“It is with deep respect that we present the awards to these individuals and teams in honour of the rigour shown in remaining vigilant, keeping an eye out for others, identifying hazards and having the courage to challenge any unsafe acts or conditions. They are prime examples for all of us to follow.”

Stanger Mill’s Vincent Govender was also recognised as Health and Safety Representative of the Year.

Sappi’s Stanger operations are unique in that it uses bagasse as its basic raw material in the manufacturing of office paper and tissue wadding.

The mill’s paper machine has a production capacity of 80 000 tons, while the tissue machine produces around 30 000 tons per annum.

It also produces 60 000 tons of bleached bagasse pulp for its own consumption per annum.