EXOWELD: Grounded in Quality, Wired for Growth

Founded in a garage in 1984 by a pair of South African innovators with a sharp eye for opportunity, Exoweld has grown organically from an industry fix into a globally recognised force in earthing and lightning protection equipment. From its headquarters in Johannesburg, this specialist manufacturer has not only endured but excelled in a complex industry, building a trusted name with an enviable export footprint and a uniquely engineered product offering.

“My father started the business with my uncle in their garage in 1984. The only people who made these products at the time were American firms who made earth rods and powders for exothermic welding,” Director Lisa Tranchina tells Enterprise Africa. “There was an agency in South Africa bringing in exothermic welding powders and my father used them on jobs in the earthing of substations for the power utility. My uncle was a chemical engineer and, together, they thought that they could reverse engineer the product to manufacture here.”

A key turning point came when the original American supplier exited the South African market, freeing up machinery that Exoweld acquired at auction. This gave the fledgling business the means to take its first big leap.

“That worked in South Africa at the time,” Tranchina explains. “They were doing a lot of government projects and electrifying a lot of areas, but that dried up, so they began sending out samples to European distributors generate new business.”

Those samples eventually found the right eyes. “He sent samples to as many contacts as he could find and eventually, he came across a UK company that was looking to update their supply chain as the US industry leader was no longer willing to brand pack for anyone and was only looking to sell their brand,” she explains.

This fortuitous connection helped Exoweld build quality to global standards. Today, exports account for around 90% of the company’s business, with the UK, the Middle East, and the USA forming strong core markets.

INNOVATION FIRST

“With the unreliable electricity here, combined with a host of other issues, the cost of electroplating became too high and so my father and a minor partner developed a machine to manufacture these copper coated earth rods mechanically, and we are currently the only company in the world to do that. That means we now make money from the rods, which most companies use solely as a loss leader,” says Tranchina.

While the challenges have been plentiful, Exoweld’s ethos of continuous innovation has allowed the company to navigate with agility. In recent years, shifts in the energy landscape have revived local demand for earthing systems, particularly through the rise of solar installations.

“With solar projects and a lot of private enterprise coming to energy, the local market has grown again. We advertise locally and I think we gain most of the business that is available,” she says.

This growth has come with a significant focus on sustainability. “Changing from electroplating to mechanical bonding methods has been important. The chemicals and the energy consumption with electroplating is huge. That has been a big saving for us. We have solar on our factory but it doesn’t supply all of our needs, and we are looking at batteries to support that system.”

GLOBAL STANDARDS

Even with a relatively small core team of around 80 people, Exoweld maintains rigorous quality standards, proudly bearing UL and SABS product certifications. It’s this emphasis on quality that has helped the company to thrive in export markets and weather volatility across different operating environments.

That quality focus extends to every part of the operation. When graphite costs began to bite, Exoweld moved quickly to take control. “The graphite used to manufacture exothermic moulds is very expensive so we purchased another graphite business that had closed down in South Africa, taking the majority of the assets at auction. This allowed us to supply graphite products to the mines,” Tranchina reveals.

“We now import graphite by the container and make our moulds from the offcuts which has allowed us to bring the cost down. We have three fully programmed CNCs to manufacture meaning we can make moulds faster than anywhere else.”

Every product, whether a graphite mould or an exothermic welding accessory, is held to the same standard. “Exothermic welding allows you to weld on site without an external power source. It is a very convenient method of connection cable to cable or cable to bar or cable to plate or whatever is required. We make the moulds, and that is a difficult part as there are so many configurations.”

CHALLENGES AND CHANGE

The metals manufacturing industry in South Africa is not without its trials, and Exoweld is no exception to the strains posed by logistics, energy, and policy.

“We only have one steel producer that gives us an export rebate and that is ArcelorMittal which always has questions around it. That gives us a headache because our earth rod plant would become unusable if we have to buy steel from other mills where we cannot get the rebate,” says Tranchina.

There are supply chain woes too. “Our ports and rail are also unreliable and so we have to hold significant stock. The labour costs are high in the metals industry. We have doubled turnover in the last five years but halved our labour size because we have been forced to automate.”

As many in industry have experienced, power reliability also continues to strain margins. “That’s a major challenge. Running this place on diesel is extremely costly. Our location is also a challenge because our steel is trucked all the way from Durban before going all the way back to Durban to be loaded to a ship. A large portion of our raw materials come in from Germany or the Middle East, again coming through Durban.”

Some obstacles are deeply technical and trade-specific. “The copper mill-scale, which we use in the manufacture of our weld metal powder, is a challenge for us. The millscale is produced as a byproduct of the Southwire copper rod production processes. It is considered a waste material and so countries cannot export it to Africa because of dumping rules. In Europe and the Americas, that product is disposed of but we pay a large price to get this product from non-OECD wire producing countries. We have been trying to get a license to import it so it can be reused and recycled.”

And then there are the geopolitics. “We have been watching the US tariffs closely. We have a big customer in North America that we do not want to lose and so we do keep an eye on the situation as it evolves as big tariffs would make us uncompetitive.”

GROWTH AHEAD

Despite the array of hurdles, Exoweld has its sights set on new geographies, products, and sectors. With global energy markets rapidly shifting and the African continent looking to unlock value in critical minerals, the demand for bespoke engineered products is rising.

“The solar industry as a whole is good as it has given us work as it all needs to be grounded,” says Tranchina, confirming the company’s interest in expanding across green energy infrastructure.

That kind of niche service is where Exoweld thrives. “We make all of the accessories that go with the graphite and earthing products that we sell.”

As South Africa and the world increasingly focus on self-sufficiency, grid resilience, and critical mineral development, companies like Exoweld are more important than ever. Innovation, adaptability, and a relentless commitment to quality remain its cornerstone principles.

“We are busy. We have a global customer base,” Tranchina concludes. “They know about the quality we deliver.”

With that reputation in hand, and decades of experience behind it, Exoweld is now poised to take the next step—leading not just in lightning protection, but in the future of precision-engineered connectivity on a global stage.