Steel fabrication in Gauteng: questions buyers ask

What does Austek Engineering do?

Austek Engineering CC is a steel fabrication and welding firm based in Brakpan, Gauteng, founded in 1995. The work covers stainless steel fabrication, coded and general welding, boilermaking, pipefitting, structural steel, and plant maintenance and shutdown support. Stainless fabrication for hygienic and process environments is the specialisation.

Which areas do you work in?

Austek works across the whole of Gauteng, from its base at 15 Milner Avenue, Brakpan. Most work is carried out on the client's site, plant-side, rather than requiring equipment to be brought to a workshop. Brakpan sits on the East Rand, so Ekurhuleni, the East Rand industrial belt and Johannesburg are all within normal working distance.

What is a coded welder, and do I need one?

A coded welder has passed a practical test to a recognised welding standard on a named process, material, thickness and position, and holds a certificate recording that range. Whether you need one is usually decided by your plant, your insurer or the equipment being worked on, not by the fabricator. Plenty of good general fabrication does not require coded work at all, and it is worth being clear which category your job falls into before it starts.

The longer version, including what the certificate actually covers and what to ask for, is in what is a coded welder?

Do you work on site, or only in a workshop?

Both. Fabrication is often done off site and then installed, which is usually the faster route where a plant is running or a shutdown window is tight. Breakdown repairs, installation and maintenance work are carried out plant-side.

Do you work with stainless steel and carbon steel?

Yes, both. Stainless fabrication for beverage, food and process plant is the specialisation, where the finish matters as much as the joint. Carbon steel work covers structural steelwork, platforms, walkways and supports, along with tanks, hoppers, chutes and ducting. Welding processes used include MIG, TIG and manual arc.

On grade selection, see 304 vs 316 stainless: how to choose for plant work.

Can you work during a plant shutdown?

Yes. Shutdown and planned maintenance work is a regular part of what Austek does, including breakdown repairs and work inside hygiene-critical production environments. Shutdown work depends heavily on what is prepared before the window opens, so the earlier the scope and dates are known, the more can be measured, ordered and pre-fabricated off site.

See how to prepare for a plant shutdown for what to close out in advance.

What do you need from me to quote?

A drawing, a breakdown, or simply a description of the work. The more detail the better, but a marked-up photograph and a phone call is a perfectly good starting point. What moves a quote closest to the real cost is knowing:

• Materials and grades, and whether certificates are required
• Where the work is, and what is involved in getting access
• Timing, particularly if it has to fit a shutdown window
• Any code or specification the work has to meet
• Who signs the work off, and against what

Where it is practical, a site visit to measure beats working from assumptions, especially on older plant, where the as-built rarely matches the drawing.

How do I get a quote?

Call 084 532 6885 or 083 745 5505, or email ykhunoo@yahoo.com with the scope. Phone and email are the most reliable routes. There is also a quote form on the homepage.

Do you only work on industrial plants?

No. Most of the work is industrial, but Austek takes on fabrication, maintenance and shutdown work across the industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential sectors.

Can you supply welder certificates and material certificates?

Which certificates apply depends on the job and the code your plant works to. Ask for the ones relevant to your scope when you request a quote and they can be provided with it.

Material certificates are worth asking for whenever a specification names a particular steel grade. Stainless grades are not visually distinguishable once fabricated, so a certificate is the only practical check that what was specified is what was installed.

When is Austek not the right contractor for the job?

Austek is a fabrication and welding firm rather than a full mechanical or electrical contractor, and works across Gauteng rather than nationally. Where a job needs a discipline outside fabrication, welding, boilermaking, pipefitting and structural steel, it is better placed with someone who does that work every day.

The same applies to scope inside a shutdown: if a job does not genuinely need the plant stopped, it is usually cheaper done outside the window. Saying so early costs a lot less than finding out halfway through.