Honel Company Info

The Name Change

From 1 April 2001 the structural products division of Federal Mogul Large Bearings (Pty) Ltd formally trading as Glacier Bearings SA (Pty) Ltd, will trade under the name “Honel Structural products (Pty) Ltd.” As stated in previous correspondence the “Glacier” brand name will no longer be used.

This has come about due to a management buy out of the structural division together with its staff and technology. This includes the various licenses for the technology, designs and patents as well as the extensive history and track record of Glacier Metal Company, a company, which was originally established in the UK in 1899. Under our new banner our dedication to customer satisfaction will be enhanced. We, at Honel, are totally committed to our local and export markets, as well as to providing engineering excellence and a range of cost-effective products manufactured in our South African facility.

The Products & Testing A full range of catalogues is available in electronic form our web site or in hard copy form. As can be seen we are manufacturers of a number of products, which include expansion joints and bridge bearings. Bridge bearings are designed and manufactured under license to Federal Mogul. Design standards used are to BS5400 or AASHTO. Iron & Steel Corporation (ISCOR) produce materials used in the manufacture of bearings and expansion joints in South Africa. These are manufactured to BS4360 Grades, 43A & 55C, which meet the requirements of BS5400. These materials have been purchased from this supplier since our involvement in bearings and expansion joints with great success. However, we still find it necessary to import a great deal of steel from Germany to satisfy our high design specifications. Management Structure A Company organogram is available on request although the fundamental change in the management structure is that the structural products section will now function autonomously although still under the license of Federal-Mogul/Glacier Designs. This will facilitate better focus on the structural products. The key management and supervisory staff of the structural products company remain unchanged. Quality Assurance The company has been assessed in accordance with ISO 9001 requirements. A copy of the certificate is available on request. Experience The factory in South Africa has been producing expansion joints since 1973, and bridge bearings since 1967. A customer job reference has been enclosed. Bridge bearing supply has been restricted to South Africa since 1967 to 1998; this was due to past license agreements. This no longer is the case. The Factory The Federal Mogul name is presently being changed to the new Honel name. The main factory is situated in Pinetown; this is approximately 25 kilometers from Durban. All expansion joints and bearings are designed and manufactured in these premises. The Workforce The workforce for the Honel structural product section boasts an average length of service of the core of workforce - 5 to 30 years. Independent Authority A copy of a report from an independent company outlining our capabilities is available on request.