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Tuesday, January 27, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

On Monday, Pretoria Portland Cement chairperson Bheki Sibiya said that regional demand for cement would remain reasonably resilient, despite the economic slowdown. He added that the company's new production capacity and established footprint would allow it to take advantage of any tight supply situations.

Sibiya stated that this was in line with some economists' expectations that gross fixed capital formation would increase during the year.

South Africa's fixed capital formation had reached the 23% mark last year, up from a low of 14,7% in the early 1990s. The country is targeting a ratio of 25% by 2014.

Renault South Africa will launch its first locally produced vehicle in more than three decades in February.

The Sandero hatchback is the result of a R1-billion investment by the Renault-Nissan alliance, with the new vehicle being built on a refurbished assembly line at the organisation's Rosslyn plant, in Tshwane.

Renault has started the Sandero's pricing at below the R100 000 mark, and says it expects the arrival of the "robust, attractive Sandero to revolutionise the local entry-level market".

Also making headlines:

Petrochemicals company Sasol seeks a manufacturing permit for the Mafutha coal to liquids plant.
Mobile phone operator Vodacom's revenues up are 13,7% on subscriber growth.
The International Monetary Fund says that African policymakers must prepare for tough times.
And, Merseta accelerates its artisan training programme.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit engineeringnews.co.za.