South Africa’s manufacturing sector, a key economic pillar contributing 13% to GDP, is currently navigating significant headwinds, including a 1.5% year-on-year decline. It is in this challenging environment that engineer Hamilton Stephenson has built a globally competitive firm from the ground up.
When he took over the business in 2016, essentially buying back the patents he had worked on and sold a decade earlier, Technogrid had just three employees. Today, the company is a trusted international supplier of specialised industrial safety solutions to companies including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Ford. Its specialised energy-absorbing equipment is installed as safety buffers in mineshafts and factories in South Africa, Australia, Canada and even Mongolia. With exports forming a significant share of turnover, the company demonstrates that South African manufacturing can compete on the world stage.
Stephenson says the company could be run from anywhere in the world, but he took a conscious decision to base it in South Africa.
His leadership extends beyond business performance. He successfully led the bid for South Africa to host the 2027 Hoist & Haul International Conference and is sponsoring 50 young engineers to attend, building pathways for the next generation of industrial talent.
Stephenson’s journey of rebuilding Technogrid earned him the Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year® title at the 37th annual Business Partners Limited Entrepreneur of the Year® awards.
David Morobe, Executive General Manager for Impact Investing at Business Partners Limited, says,
“Hamilton’s story is a powerful counter-narrative to the challenges facing the manufacturing sector. He has not only achieved global growth but is actively investing in the industry’s future. It’s this blend of commercial acumen and forward-thinking leadership that this award recognises.”