South African company, VR Steel, was hailed as the 2010 winner of the prestigious international Swedish Steel Prize last Thursday in Stockholm, described by Swedish newspapers as  the “Nobel Prize” for innovative design engineering. VR Steel was one of more than 50 nominations from around the world.

This is the first time a South African company has won the prize since its inception 12 years ago.  Over 500 people attended the glittering  Awards Dinner, which was beamed live to 40 countries. VR Steel’s Technical Manager, Bertus Haasbroek, accepted the award and said “Just to be nominated was a great honour, but to be declared the final winner is certainly the highlight of my 25 years in engineering, and the most important technical achievement VR Steel has accomplished.  This prize shows that our team of design engineers in South Africa can hold their own with the best in the world.”

The company was awarded the prize for the development of a lighter, more durable off-highway dump truck body for the mining industry.  VR Steel uses high strength and abrasion resistant steel in the innovative truck body which reduces the vehicle weight, lowers operating and maintenance costs, and has less impact on the environment due to the truck’s reduced diesel consumption.

The Swedish Steel Prize is an international prize, sponsored by SSAB, the leading international manufacturer of Hardox and Weldox steel, for the development of a product that applies advanced design techniques using high strength and abrasive resistant steel. It is also the first time that the jury, comprising prominent Swedish academics, was unanimous in it’s verdict