Scaw - Rail Castings

Scaw Metals Group (Scaw) is an international group that manufactures a diverse range of steel products. Its principal operations are located in South Africa, South America, Canada and Australia. Smaller operations are in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The main product lines manufactured by the group are rolled steel (much of which is supplied to Scaw's downstream operations), steel and alloy iron castings, cast alloy iron and forged steel grinding media, chain, steel wire rope, strand and wire products. These are supplied to the global railway, construction, power generation, mining, cement, marine, engineering and agricultural markets.

Railway castings

Scaw has the capability to supply a wide range of railway castings. Under license from Amsted Rail US, it manufactures 34in and 36in diameter cast-steel monobloc railway wheels that are approved by the Association of American Railroads. Its fully automated Germiston Works wheel-manufacturing plant has a capacity of 55,000 units per annum.

Side-frame and bolster rail castings

Scaw manufactures side-frame and bolster castings to suit gauges of 1,000mm, 1,067mm and 1,435mm in both conventional three-piece and self-steering options. They suit axle loads from 15,000kg to 23,000kg.

Barber S2-HD castings

We can provide Barber S2-HD castings for use in North America to AAR requirements for 100t and 110t applications.

Bogie castings

We supply bogie castings for track gauge of 1,000mm, 1,067mm and 1,435mm. They suit axle loads from 15,000kg to 36,000kg, and are suitable for Bo-Bo, Bo-Bo-Bo, and Co-Co bogie configurations for bogies with motive power of up to 6,000hp (4,500kW).

Traction motor end-shields and suspension tubes

Scaw supplies traction motor end-shields and suspension tubes in cast steel, manufactured to customers' requirements.

Fully machined bogie frames, bolsters and locomotive castings

We can manufacture fully machined bogie frames and bolsters and related locomotive castings ready for assembly, including fitting of bushes and wear plates as well as related castings such as brake beams and draw gear components.

All our products have a variety of features, including mounting for electric parking brakes and brake hangers. Bolster and bolster-less designs are manufactured to customers' requirements.

Scaw Metals is a major supplier to some of the largest American locomotive builders

We provide worldwide delivery of our bogie frame castings.

Railway and industry casting foundries

Cast Products is one of the oldest and most important manufacturing operations in the Scaw Group. The Scaw foundries employ approximately 2,500 people across its six foundry plants. Each plant specializes in specific products in terms of process control and plant optimization, resulting in the best quality at the lowest cost of manufacture. Three large on-site machine shops, with extensive machining capabilities, allow Scaw to supply finished products which are ready to install.

Scaw's Germiston Foundry in South Africa is one of the largest foundries in the southern hemisphere and produces castings in finished weights up to 30t. It is a leading supplier of single-piece, thin-walled locomotive and passenger frames, freight car components and high integrity cast steel railway wheels. The foundry holds the American Association of Railroads' approval for the manufacture of freight-car side frames, bolsters and cast-steel wheels.

Other products include large gear segments, high-carbon, high-chromium, abrasion resisting coal grinding elements for coal-fired power stations, high-chromium iron mill liners and impact crushing parts, stainless-steel coiler drums, and a range of slag ladles for the metal processing industry. Arc furnace melting units and a 25t capacity ladle vacuum degassing unit serve the foundry where steels can be produced with lower sulphur, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen contents, particularly necessary for the manufacture of high strength, low-alloy steels.

Scaw's other foundry operations (Standard Foundry, Boksburg Foundry, Dimbaza Foundry, Eclipse East Foundry and Eclipse West Foundry) produce a vast range of cast wear parts from a variety of materials that can be custom designed according to individual customer specifications. The product range includes mill liners, cone and gyratory crusher wear parts, jaw crusher wear parts, impact crusher wear parts, dragline and shovel parts, shredder wear parts, railway parts and mining spares.

International standards

Scaw is an ISO 9000-series accredited organization manufacturing products to meet the requirements of the appropriate international certification authorities. Scaw's safety, health and environmental management systems are aligned with the international ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 standards.