Company Announcement - The dti Minister, Dr Rob Davies, will address the upcoming Western Cape Manufacturing Indaba on Friday 6th November in Cape Town. In what will be a not-to-be-missed opportunity, manufacturing role players and interest groups can also look forward to hearing from the MEC of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde and Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, the province’s trade and investment promotion agency.
Taking place on Friday the 6th November 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the Western Cape Manufacturing Indaba will bring together the province’s manufacturers to workshop and network with government’s policy makers and the province’s leadership to unlock the growth opportunities of the sector, in line with the National Development Plan, which sees the country’s manufacturing industries as key job creators.
The Manufacturing Indaba will be hosting a programme focused towards issue impacting manufacturers in the Province. The conference will create a platform to raise awareness and for players in the automotive, chemical, tooling and general manufacturing sectors to address issues to enhance sustainability in manufacturing industries.
The conference programme will include plenary sessions as well as debate sessions to unpack and encourage active participation at the event.
Topics to be discussed include: Advanced manufacturing design and innovation, investment promotion and export opportunities in manufacturing, energy solutions and alternative power for manufacturing, localisation for supply chain development and local production, spatial development opportunities, access to finance, manufacturing opportunities in Africa, Manufacturing is the second biggest sector in the Western Cape after the financial services sector and contributed 15% to the South African manufacturing sector output of R300 billion in 2012. The manufacturing sector in the Western Cape attracts large amounts of inward investment, and enjoys substantial state assistance as an employment-creating industry. Manufactured products include heavy-duty industrial equipment, vehicle parts and electrical equipment. Exporters in this sector have experience in supplying large quantities to buyers from developed and developing countries.
Minister Rob Davies will deliver the keynote address. Dr Rob Davies is serving his second term as Minister of Trade and Industry. During his first term (2009-2014) he oversaw the implementation of the annual three year rolling Industrial Policy Action Plans as well as steering South Africa’s participation in trade relations, including the Tripartite SADC-COMESA-EAC Free Trade Area, BRICS, Economic Partnership Agreement with EU, the US Africa Growth and the Opportunity Act. An ANC MP since 1994, Rob Davies served as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committees of Finance and Trade and Industry and the Constitutional Assembly Sub-Committee responsible for drafting Charter 13 (Finance). An anti-apartheid activist for many years, Dr Davies holds an Honours degree in Economics from Rhodes University, a Masters in International Relations from the University of Southampton in the UK and a Doctorate in Political Studies from the University of Sussex.
Brought to you by the Manufacturing Indaba in conjunction with the Department of Trade & Industry (dti) and the Manufacturing Circle, the programme has input from collaborators such as Wesgro, NCPC-SA, the Western Cape Tooling Initiative and Green Cape, and will address the challenges that are particular to manufacturing businesses based in the Western Cape. The manufacturing sector in the Western Cape attracts large amounts of inward investment, and enjoys substantial state assistance as an employment-creating industry. Manufactured products include heavy-duty industrial equipment, vehicle parts and electrical equipment. Exporters in this sector have experience in supplying large quantities to buyers from developed and developing countries. www.manufacturingindaba.co.za