Having tool design and manufacturing expertise within a country is essential to enable manufacturing and industrial activities to compete effectively and sustainably over time globally, with more than 60% of the effective cost of any manufactured product being directly related to the correct selection of the tooling used for the manufacturing process.

All manufacturing operations require tooling and African countries must develop these capabilities to seize greater proportions of value chains, global industry organisation International Special Tooling and Machining Association (ISTMA) president Bob Williamson tells Engineering News.

These are some of the topics that will be discussed during the sixteenth ISTMA global conference, to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from November 6 to 10.

This year, the conference themes for the ISTMA Sixteenth World Conference are sustainable development, technical advances in tooling manufacturing and skills development.

"Tooling occupies a key position in the industrial supply chain, linking product development and production. Its proper implementation determines the reliable and cost-effective manufacturing of products, which is a key growth factor for a manufacturing economy," he explains.

However, sustainability of manufacturing does not refer exclusively to green processes and products, but rather the viability and competitiveness of manufacturing, which is underpinned by the selection of tooling.

"China, 40 years ago, did not have a strong manufacturing base nor tooling industry. However, it recognised that it needed a tooling sector to build its manufacturing economy. Its development of this foundational sector enabled it to become a manufacturing-led economy.

"The ISTMA argues that, if an industrial manufacturing sector in a country does not have tooling support, then the country cannot be industrialised," Williamson says.

Tooling is not a standard commodity, but rather a highly subjective bespoke requirement carefully selected to optimise manufacturing efficiency. Tool, die and mould-making companies occupy a position of trust. Effective tooling design and manufacture require the full disclosure of the design and associated intellectual property of the product to be produced.

Once produced, the tooling supplier has full knowledge of the manufacturing efficiency levels of the products produced from the tools supplied. Hence, the central importance of having effective tooling support is a requirement for sustainable and competitive manufacturing.

"The ongoing maintenance and development of a tool, die and mould-making industry sector has a positive exponential development impact on manufacturing economy of a country. The designing and manufacturing of these tools directly affects the production quality of the manufacturing industry.

"Conversely, the neglect or decline of a tool, die and mould-making industry sector has an exponentially negative impact on a manufacturing economy and can lead to de-industrialisation," emphasises Williamson.

The upcoming ISTMA conference will host expert speakers from around the world who will discuss a range of topics important for manufacturing, including the importance of benchmarking in industries.

"Benchmarking yourself against international peers allows a gap analysis to be performed. Similarly, if industries are not investing in cutting-edge technologies, then they cannot be competitive.

"Computer numerical control machine tools company DMG MORI aerospace and die and mould excellence centre director Michael Kirbach will speak about high-technology machining, and competitive die and mould manufacture,” Williamson points out

South Africa's tool, die and mould-making industry has, over the past 25 years, lost about 80% of tooling capacity to support its own manufacturing sector. Local companies currently satisfy less than 15% of the local tool, die and mould-making demand and less than 1% of global demand, as they have failed to adopt the technology and production efficiencies of their developed country counterparts.

However, while the press tools and mould-making industry has been decimated, the country retains some of the best assembly system designers and design companies worldwide, he notes.

"One of the messages we will focus on during the conference, and in conjunction with the expo, is that we want to encourage our colleagues in other African countries to develop their own tool-making industries and not to depend on imported tooling, as there will be no growth on this route.

"We have to develop the skills to develop, and Africa has an advantage if it recognises that the tooling industry has a pivotal role to play in expanding the manufacturing sector.

"Africa does not have massive investments in old production systems and does not have to battle to change mindsets to use new technologies. Further, because we have an expanding, youthful population, we can train our people to think in terms of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

"We must not lose this opportunity by allowing external companies to make inroads to steal the market from Africa," Williamson says.

Further, as the backbone of the manufacturing industry, the tooling industry was valued at more than $200-billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to over $400-billion by 2030.