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South African Business 2018 edition

  • Text
  • Aerotropolis
  • Industry
  • Urban
  • Densification
  • Water
  • Sustainable
  • Development
  • Regional
  • Interview
  • Africa
  • Investment
  • Business
  • African
  • Economic
  • Sector
  • Province
  • Projects
  • Manufacturing
  • Infrastructure
  • Coastal
Welcome to the sixth edition of the South African Business journal. First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za. Regular pages cover all the main economic sectors of the South African economy and give a snapshot of each of the country’s provincial economies. Feature articles on topical issues such as sustainability and African trade provide unique insights, together with an interview with the newly elected chairman of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr Thomas Schaefer. Another special feature focusses on an exciting project to transform South Africa’s small harbours and coastal properties. South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. The e-book editions can be viewed online at www.globalafricanetwork.com. First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za Regular pages cover all the main economic sectors of the South African economy and give a snapshot of each of the country’s provincial economies. Feature articles on topical issues such as sustainability and African trade provide unique insights, together with an interview with the newly elected chairman of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr Thomas Schaefer. Another special feature focusses on an exciting project to transform South Africa’s small harbours and coastal properties. South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. Visit www.globalafricanetwork.com for more business and investment news, opportunities and events.

OVERVIEW most important

OVERVIEW most important manufacturing sectors (automotive, food and beverages, and pharmaceuticals and chemicals) are dealt with in separate sections of this book. The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) is the state’s lead promoter of the sector, as seen in the MCEP example above. The main vehicle for the dti is the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), the seventh version of which was launched in 2016. The Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII), run by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) on behalf of the dti, promotes technology development. New technology has been embraced by some innovative manufacturers. Desert Wolf’s Skunk Riot Control Chopper is an unmanned light aerial vehicles (UAV) that has proved popular in the world market. Denel makes a drone product that can be adapted for use by conservationists. Another IDC initiative has allocated R23-billion over three years to support the Black Industrialist Programme to help existing entrepreneurs grow. Part of the drive to improve South Africa’s rail infrastructure involves getting local companies to manufacture rolling stock. The Passenger Rail ONLINE RESOURCES Aluminium Federation of South Africa: www.afsa.org.za Centre for Advanced Manufacturing: www.cfam.co.za Manufacturing Circle: www.manufacturingcircle.co.za National Department of Trade and Industry: www.thedti.gov.za South African Textile Federation: www.texfed.co.za Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa: www.seifsa.co.za Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has signed local consortium Gibela to deliver 600 passenger trains. Transnet Freight Rail has contracted four suppliers to build 1 064 new diesel and electric locomotives. There has been a recovery in the textiles sector, greatly helped by an injection of R7-billion from the state in various forms since 2009. There are about 90 000 workers employed in the sector, which means numbers are increasing after a big dip when the sector suffered from cheap imports. KwaZulu-Natal is home to 219 clothing companies (Coface). Ninian & Lester is one of the larger employers in the textile sector, with 1 500 people making clothing (including the Jockey brand), textiles and polypropylene. The footwear sector is also showing a good recovery. Two international safety footwear firms operate out of Pinetown: Bata Industrial and Beier. The latter company joined forces with three other South African safety footwear manufacturers in 2014 to form the BBF Safety Group, making them more competitive. K-Way is a very successful outdoor clothing manufacturer with a factory in Cape Town which supplies Cape Union Mart. The furniture sector is not growing but there are about 2 200 companies in the country, employing more than 26 400 workers (1% of manufacturing GDP and 1.1% of manufacturing employment). SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2018 96

INTERVIEW Marley Pipe Systems Managing Director Brett Kimber explains how quality is at the heart of this expanding company. Brett Kimber Has the decision to create two divisions paid dividends? It has created the understanding that mining and industrial is really focused on projects. Our PVC plumbing business in Nigel is mainly focused on replenishment of stocks at retail outlets. Do you have partnerships with multiple retailers? We have relationships with all the major retailers but also with smaller hardware stores, so we supply across the board. BIOGRAPHY Brett Kimber studied at the universities of KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town and Johannesburg for degrees in Chemistry, Geology and Mineral Economics. He worked as a senior geologist for Anglo American before working for Afrox (South Africa) and parent group Linde in the US and the Far East. He was CEO and Managing Director of Afrox and has been nonexecutive Chairman of renewable energy resources company Renergen since 2015. In May 2016, Kimber was appointed Managing Director of Marley Pipe Systems. Please tell us about being part of Aliaxis. They are focussing on the professional market. The focus is on key major megatrends such as high-rise developments and irrigation for farming and food production. We also cater for both markets. What does Marley stand for? There has been a deterioration in standards in the country, with SABS struggling to meet its mandates and shortcuts being taken. Importantly, what Marley stands for is quality and has done so for fifty years. What is your key offering? We have a full range of products and we have more than enough capacity to meet customer demands. We have a large footprint throughout the SADC countries. We have the quality, the range, the capacity and the service levels so that’s the key commitment that Marley offers our customers. Are there any popular new products? Marley Pipe Systems has recently relaunched their revolutionary hot and cold water supply solution called Pro-fit. Not only is Pro-fit made from the highest PE-RT (Polyethylene with Raised Temperature Resistance), which reduces loss through punctures and tears but it also reduces installation costs by up to 50% and is resistant to corrosion and impact. 97 SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2018

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