The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) has launched a ‘Distressed Companies Helpdesk’ for the Gauteng automotive industry, by means of a newly established call centre.

The government agency said in a statement released on Thursday that automotive companies experiencing distress “in any form whatsoever” were invited to call 0800-workhelp (0800 9675 4357).

A consultant would then contact the company which had logged the call within one working day, in order to provide support and assistance where ever possible.

The AIDC said all calls were confidential.

Organisations which called the AIDC could expect to be informed about preferential assistance programmes, including nonfinancial support, such as marketing and soft skills development, as well as financial support, including the facilitation of loans for business expansion, the acquisition of capital equipment, and so forth.

“The key function of the helpdesk is to facilitate interactions between the company in distress and assisting organisations, as well as to monitor progress . . . the end result of which should be to support companies in distress and ensure survival during these tough economic times.”

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