https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Auto manufacturers start to feel Numsa strike impact

14th July 2014

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

Font size: - +

As the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa-led metal and engineering sector strike continues, vehicle manufacturers have started halting production at some plants as car component supply is interrupted.

Toyota, which maintained full production for the first 14 days of the strike, owing to contingency build-up, was set to shut down two production lines on Tuesday.

The production of Corolla and IMV (Hilux and Fortuner) vehicles would be suspended, while the output of Quantum and truck (Hino/Dyna) production continued.

“We will implement some maintenance and training during the shutdown period,” Toyota South Africa senior manager for corporate communications Mary Willemse told Engineering News Online in an emailed response to questions.

Ford's Pretoria plant was also affected.

“Production at our Silverton assembly plant has been impacted as of today. This is due to industrial action by certain suppliers. We are monitoring the situation and hope the parties will reach an amicable agreement quickly so that production can resume as soon as possible,” Ford corporate communications manager Alisea Chetty said.

Newswire Reuters quoted Mercedes Benz head of the local unit Arno van der Merwe as saying that while production at its plant continued, supplies were "critical".

Meanwhile, General Motors South Africa (GMSA) had lost eight days of production at its main South African assembly plant, in Port Elizabeth, after the strike interrupted the supply of components.

“In anticipation of the strike we built up sufficient inventory of vehicles to ensure ongoing supply of vehicles to customers in the short to the medium term,” said GMSA corporate communications manager Gishma Johnson.

GMSA said its parts and accessories operations, as well as the Isuzu truck plant, in Kempston road, Port Elizabeth, continued to operate as normal.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Flameblock
Flameblock

FlameBlock is a proudly South African company that engineers, manufactures and supplies fire intumescent and retardant products to the fire...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Willard
Willard

Rooted in the hearts of South Africans, combining technology and a quest for perfection to bring you a battery of peerless standing. Willard...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.2 0.261s - 137pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now