The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM) held their 40th annual general meeting on 4 December at the BMW SA Training Academy in Rosslyn. 

The event was attended by NAACAM members from across the country and kicked-off with a Black supplier exhibition, followed by a tour of the world class BMW SA Training Academy. 

The Black supplier exhibition saw 18 Black-owned manufacturing businesses identified by NAACAM, from the automotive and allied sectors, showcase their manufacturing capabilities to OEM purchasing executives and prospective Tier 1 customers. 

Several Black suppliers with sophisticated industrial capabilities were selected from allied industries, such as aviation and rail, in a bid to broaden the pool of Black suppliers for the automotive industry at large. 

Paul Livett, BMW SA Head of Purchasing and Supplier Network, presented BMW SA’s Procurement Strategy in the global environment and Jabulani Selumane, Project Lead Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF), reported on the progress of the AITF.

At the annual dinner, the guest speaker was Springbok World Cup 2019 winning team member Schalk Brits. He spoke on the theme of “Cultivating a Winning Mentality”. He gave insights into how the Springboks worked together as a team with the key objective of each player doing their best and giving 100%.”

“The message from management was that it was ok to make a mistake, but we needed to learn from our mistakes. As long as we were putting in 100% they were happy.”

Masimo Magerman, MD, Mergence Group, an asset management company that sponsored the dinner, said that the requirement of the SA Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) to increase local content from about 39% currently to 60% will require support in all areas.

“Localisation is an incredibly difficult process due to limited access to finance, technology and in some cases the materials required to manufacture the components. It is not an impossible task but it requires different and innovative thinking.”

Mergence Industrial Holdings, an Associate Member of NAACAM, which has R34 billion under management, has successfully invested R100 million into the component supplier BFG, a company involved in various manufacturing processes. Mergence also has an investment in Lasercraft, a sheet metal and plate processing business.

Renai Moothilal, Executive Director of NAACAM, said that NAACAM is driving innovation across its interventions in the upcoming year. “We are excited about prospects for the sector in 2020. The changing policy environment presents a unique opportunity for us to make real strides in localisation and deliver meaningful transformation outcomes in the sector.”