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Manufacturing News

Local PMI hits 3-year high – Kagiso

By: Creamer Media Reporter 1st March 2010 The Kagiso Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) reached a three-year high in February, while the employment index remained above the neutral 50-point level for a second consecutive month for the first time since the end of 2007 and early 2008. The local PMI, which increased by 6,8 points to 60,4... →

Steel fabricator opens upgraded Vanderbijlpark facility

By: Eleanor Seggie 26th February 2010 Structural steel fabricator DSE has launched its upgraded structural steel workshop in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng. →

Institute reports  industry growth  over next ten years

26th February 2010 There will be substantial development in the local steel construction industry over the next ten years, says Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) executive director Dr Hennie de Clercq. →

Steel factory  refurbishment complete

By: Eleanor Seggie 26th February 2010 The upgrading project on structural engineers and contractors DSE’s Vanderbijlpark facility has been completed and launched at the end of January. The original 28 000-m2 facility, has been extended by 6 000 m,2 with total production output of the factory at 4000 t/m of steel. The facility offers... →

Restructured operations enhance service

By: Eleanor Seggie 26th February 2010 Steel tube and pipe manufacturer Robor has restructured its Elandsfontein operations to expand its service offering and deliver a more comprehensive, simplified approach to projects. This initiative groups all value-added services under one division with one management structure for improved... →

New machine increases production

By: Eleanor Seggie 26th February 2010 Steel construction company B&T Steel is confident that the steel demand in the county will increase and, in preparation for this, has bought an in-line computer numerical-controlled drilling and cutting machine from Germany. →

Lightweight steel solution for shopping centre

26th February 2010 A unique lightweight steel walling solution has been provided by steel solutions company Vela Steel Building Systems to construction and engineering group Grinaker-LTA for the new foodcourt and restaurant area, at the Eastgate shopping centre, in Bedfordview. Grinaker-LTA’s Building Inland... →

Recession-hit metals sector urged to keep foot on artisan accelerator

By: Terence Creamer 15th February 2010 South African steel and engineering companies shed a material 75 000 jobs between March and December last year, after employment reached a ten-year peak of 399 088 in February, 2009, Steel and Engineering Federation of South Africa (Seifsa) CEO David Carson revealed on Monday. Following a period... →

Refurbishment of plant aims to increase rubber production

By: Petronel Smit 12th February 2010 Specialist provider of slurry processing equipment Weir Minerals completed the on-going refurbishment of its rubber manufacturing plant at the end of 2009 as part of a strategy to increase rubber production. →

Manufacturing output expands 3,2% in December

By: Chanel de Bruyn 11th February 2010 South Africa’s manufacturing output expanded for the first time in 15 months in December, growing by 3,2% year-on-year, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) revealed on Thursday. Efficient Group economist Freddie Mitchell said this was “a really good figure”, adding that it was much higher than... →

Fears that GDP could decline further, says development corporation

By: Carla Thomaz 5th February 2010 With the automotive industry supplying 30% of manufacturing employment and contributing 32% of gross value-added manufacturing in the Eastern Cape, the province’s economy has been negatively influenced by the global economic recession, says the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC). →

Power-price shock would hamper already frail factory recovery

By: Chanel de Bruyn 2nd February 2010 South Africa’s already struggling manufacturing sector did not need any other economic shocks, such as the large electricity tariff increases proposed by Eskom, Nedcor chief economist Dennis Dykes asserted on Tuesday. The country’s economy remained under pressure and conditions in many sectors... →

Infrasors transfers listing to JSE main board

By: Chanel de Bruyn 1st February 2010 By moving its listing from the AltX to the JSE, infrastructure materials group Infrasors has taken the next step in its growth path to becoming a mature mining company, CEO Trevor Robinson said on Monday. The company, which listed on the AltX in July 2007, on Monday transferred its listing to... →

SA's PMI up for sixth consecutive month

By: Chanel de Bruyn 1st February 2010 The Kagiso Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) has continued its rebound, increasing for a sixth consecutive month to 53,6 points in January, while also pointing towards an improved outlook for manufacturing job creation, Kagiso Securities head of fixed income Andre Coetzee said on Monday. The... →

Hudaco posts 25% drop in FY profit, sees better 2010

By: Chanel de Bruyn 29th January 2010 JSE-listed industrial product distributor Hudaco expects to report an increase in earnings for the 2010 financial year, after having posted a 25% decline in net profit to R248-million for the 2009 financial year, ended November 30. The distributor, which saw its profits drop from the... →

Most Barloworld units experience tough first quarter

By: Terence Creamer 28th January 2010 The 2010 financial year was proving to be "another challenging" one for Barloworld, despite the stabilisation of the global economy and an uptick in commodity prices chairperson Dumisa Ntsebeza told shareholders attending the JSE-listed group's annual general meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday.... →

SA manufacturing recovery 'well under way' – Kagiso

By: Mariaan Webb 18th January 2010 South Africa's manufacturing industry is catching up with the improved global conditions, Kagiso head of fixed income Andre Coetzee said on Monday, after the purchasing managers index (PMI) increased for the fifth consecutive month. The Kagiso PMI increased to 52,5 index points in December from... →

Manufacturer battles Chinese competitors

By: Eleanor Seggie 15th January 2010 Cathodic protection manufacturer Disa Anodes says that the company faces massive competition from China and other Asian countries and is receiving very little support from government and the local industry. The company, which is only a corrosion protection anodes and ancillary equipment... →

Contraction in SA manufacturing output slowed in Nov

By: Chanel de Bruyn 12th January 2010 Local manufacturing output contracted by 4,7% year-on-year in November, the least negative growth rate recorded, to date, in 2009, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Tuesday. Efficient Group economist Freddie Mitchell noted that this was “all in all a good figure” with a definite... →

Bell Equipment chair Buttery will retire in May

By: Creamer Media Reporter 18th December 2009 The chairperson of JSE-listed Bell Equipment, Howard Buttery, will retire both as chairperson and as a director of the company at the mining-equipment manufacturer's next general meeting, on May 6, 2010. “Buttery has stated that his decision is based on his desire to scale down his executive... →

Manufacturing contracted at a slower pace in October

By: Chanel de Bruyn 9th December 2009 South Africa’s manufacturing output was down 9,3% year-on-year in October, the lowest decline recorded this year, indicating a slowing in the contractive trend experienced during 2009. Efficient Group economist Freddie Mitchell noted that the large contraction in manufacturing output has been... →

Zuma warns SA economy may shed more jobs

By: Christy van der Merwe 3rd December 2009 President Jacob Zuma and the presidential joint working group on Thursday reported back on the status of the framework response to the economic crisis, and noted that R11-billion has been set aside into activities designed to address the impact of the recession. Despite the initiatives under the... →

William Tell secures DTI grant for Chamdor facility

By: Chanel de Bruyn 1st December 2009 Wood-based panel (WBP) manufacturer William Tell has been granted a R30-million grant from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in respect of its second particle-board production facility, at Chamdor, in Krugersdorp, it announced on Tuesday. It noted in a statement to shareholders that the... →

SA manufacturing back in expansionary territory, PMI shows

By: Chanel de Bruyn 1st December 2009 The Kagiso Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), which is a key measure of manufacturing activity, has finally risen back above the neutral 50-index point level in November, but the rebound in South Africa’s manufacturing sector could be muted compared with historic experience, especially given the... →

Midrand PC assembly plant obtains new ISO certification

By: Jacqueline Holman 27th November 2009 Information technology infrastructure distributor Axiz has obtained ISO 9001:2008 certification, which focuses on quality management systems, in its personal computer (PC) assembly plant, in Midrand. →

South African business confidence improves

By: Creamer Media Reporter 25th November 2009 The Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) Bureau of Economic Research (BER) business confidence index rose to 28 points during the fourth quarter of this year, its first increase since “sharp and persistent” declines saw the index drop from 85 points in the third quarter of 2006 to a low of 23 points in the... →

Toolmaker training programme to be launched in January

By: Creamer Media Reporter 23rd November 2009 The first tool, die and mould (TDM) pre-apprentice orientation programme, which formed part of measures to deal with the “drastic” skills shortage in the TDM sector – a key support sector for South Africa’s manufacturing industry – would be launched at seven pilot sites across the country in... →

Manufacturers could use tough times to lever efficiencies

By: Jacqueline Holman 20th November 2009 The global recession has had both positive and negative effects on the manufacturing industry, says 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software company Autodesk manufacturing business development manager Pavel Bruk, who visited South Africa from Russia. →

Namibia seeks investment in manufacturing, infrastructure

By: Chanel de Bruyn 19th November 2009 Developing value-added services and sectors in addition to its existing primary sectors is key for Namibia’s growth, Namibian High Commission in South Africa commercial counsellor Bonaventura Hinda emphasised during an intra-Africa business investment event on Thursday. The Southern African... →

Cash-flush Reunert sniffs targets outside its traditional business areas

By: Terence Creamer 18th November 2009 Electrical engineering, electronics and services group Reunert had set a deadline of December 2010 for nailing down new acquisition opportunities for what could, at that stage, be a R3-billion cash pile - failing which it would pursue a share buy back or a pay a special dividend. CEO Gerrit... →

Barloworld expects ‘another challenging year' in 2010

By: Terence Creamer 16th November 2009 Diversified industrial group Barloworld, which reported a 25% drop in operating profit to R1,9-billion for the year to September 30, 2009, said on Monday that it expected 2010 to be "another challenging year". Group revenue declined by 10% to R42,2-billion from over R46-billion in 2008, despite... →

2010 mini warehousing project under way

By: Mary-Anne O’Donnell 13th November 2009 Logistics and courier service provider  Dawn Wing, a subsidiary of diversified logistics company The Laser Group, has developed a mini warehousing project in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.   →

Doidge says 500 000 jobs target will be met, but critics unsure of target’s value

13th November 2009 In mid-2009, just as it was becoming increasingly apparent that South Africa would not escape the fallout from the global economic crisis, newly elected President Jacob Zuma caused a stir when, in his State of the Nation address, he promised that government would create at least 500 000 job... →

Influx of surplus inventory affecting bearings market pricing

By: Lindsey Berry 6th November 2009 Fluctuating prices in the market and an increase in counterfeit products are some of the challenges currently facing the South African bearings industry, says bearings manufacturer Timken South Africa MD Danie Coetser. →

Self-lubricating range  experiences growth in  renewable energy

By: Lindsey Berry 6th November 2009 Self-lubricated polymer bearings and bushes material manufacturer Vesco Plastics is experiencing increased interest in its self-lubricating Vesconite Hilube range from the international renewable energy generation market. →

Bearings supplied for oil  rig drilling platforms

6th November 2009 Integrated technology solutions provider SKF has supplied bearings for gearboxes designed by Korean diversified solutions company Hyosung Corporation for oil rig drilling platforms. →

Foundry casts largest bearing  to date

6th November 2009 Casting specialist KEW Foundries has won the contract to manufacture bearing swivels and a main trunnion bearing housing for project management firm New Concept Projects - Osborn. →

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