WORCESTER-based GRW Engineering, winners of the 2008 SAIW Gold Medal Award and South Africa’s leading tanker manufacturer, has been awarded ISO 3834 certification by SAIW Certification.

“We are very conscious of the power of the SAIW Fabricator Certification Scheme and of ISO 3834 in general and we know that this certification will further enhance GRW’s reputation both locally and abroad. ISO 3834 makes us that much stronger and I look forward to increased business as a result,” says GRW CEO Gerhard van der Merwe.

GRW has its roots in the road tanker transport business which van der Merwe joined in 1989. Three years later he acquired full control of the business and was joined by his sons Gerhard and Wentzel.

“From the inception our mission was to build world-class road tankers comparable with the highest international manufacturing quality standards,” says Gerhard van der Merwe. GRW’s export business has grown to now represent 40% of its turnover. A UK office was opened in 2006 to cope with the increasing exports into Europe and, to date, GRW has supplied more than 300 tankers to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in the UK.

“To deal with military work you have to have proper quality systems in place and our ISO 3834 certification will go a long way in not only helping us keep business like this but getting new business.”

There are currently more than 20 companies that have been ISO 3834 certified by SAIW.