The Eastern Cape automotive manufacturing hub, which includes operations in Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch, has reduced its overall energy consumption by 56.86 GWh over the last three years. This is the equivalent of power supply to 4 307 households a year, said the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC) in a statement released on the weekend.

The AIDC EC, a subsidiary of the Eastern Cape provincial government, spearheaded a number of cleaner production programmes in the region.

These programme had identified, through free energy 2013 audits of tier 1, 2 and 3 component suppliers, a further potential saving of 1 GWh. 

These projects were yet to be implemented, noted the AIDC EC.

“Moreover, the sector in that region, since 2010, has enjoyed a cumulative saving of R26-million.”

“The energy crisis and higher rates have forced companies to completely relook and sometimes re-invent energy plans,” commented AIDC EC supplier development manager Lance Schultz.

“Now these reformed and more carefully monitored ways of doing business are not only mitigating the high power costs, but increasingly levels of production efficiency. With the government having set a target of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 42% by 2025, automotive suppliers will be under constant pressure to align [to these targets], but much has already been achieved in a relatively short time.”

Schultz said the AIDC EC was involved in a new partnership with the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC) to develop and implement the ISO 50001 energy management standard in various companies across the automotive sector in the Eastern Cape.

“With the implementation of ISO 50001, companies will have to monitor their energy very effectively in order to keep certification and it is just a matter of time before ISO 50001 becomes a requirement for all manufacturing businesses.”