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Oxygen supply hampered by logistical issues, but there are adequate reserves, say suppliers

By: Simone Liedtke Updated 6 hours ago Industrial gases company Afrox has confirmed that it has adequate reserves of liquid oxygen in storage across South Africa and that it has supplied oxygen as required by public and private hospitals in all provinces at substantially higher than normal demand levels. In response to questions from... →

Distell branches out into cannabis products

By: Reuters 20th January 2021 South African wine, cider and spirits company Distell will soon be able to offer cannabidiol-infused drinks after taking a 20% stake in cannabis wellness business RETHINK, it said on Wednesday. Distell's investment gives it access to RETHINK's brand and product range, which includes oils,... →

After baptism of fire, empowered valves manufacturer on road to recovery

By: Terence Creamer 19th January 2021 After fulfilling, in November 2019, all the conditions precedent to finally consummate the R165-million acquisition of valve manufacturer Dynamic Fluid Control (DFC) from Aveng the new black owners faced a true baptism of fire. CEO and co-shareholder Tumi Tsehlo, who previously headed the South... →

Tumi Tsehlo

Mavuso bemoans govt exacerbating uncertainty

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th January 2021 Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso has expressed her view on government spending an increasing amount of time in court defending its regulations to control the spread of Covid-19. She refers to the South African Breweries (SAB) having gone to court to challenge the alcohol ban,... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso

Backlog indicates high demand for solar

By: Darren Parker 15th January 2021 Energy storage manufacturer Solar MD has a backlog of 14 MWh in terms of battery orders, and a backlog of 1 200 orders for the Logger V2, the company’s monitoring and control system. “This demand speaks volumes to the critical renewable-energy gap in South Africa, particularly with regard to... →

HIGH TECH Solar MD’s research and development teams are working constantly to improve the performance of the company’s products

Underserved Lesotho communities to benefit from solar delivery

By: Darren Parker 15th January 2021 Containerised off-grid solar systems manufacturer SustainSolar was contracted by minigrid developer OnePower Lesotho to deliver the first batch of seven modular, turnkey and rapid-deployment Sustain Compact solar power solutions to Lesotho early this year. “The Sustain Compact solar power... →

EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY The delivery of seven containerised solar solutions to Lesotho will provide electricity for healthcare facilities in underserved communities

Hesper Engineering acquires majority stake in Swift Engineering

By: Irma Venter 13th January 2021 Novatech, trading as Hesper Engineering, a ship repair and general engineering company based in Cape Town, has purchased a 51% shareholding in Swift Engineering. Swift Engineering, now trading as SwiftNova Engineering, is a specialised fabrication company servicing the marine, energy and oil and... →

Seifsa laments manufacturing production decline

By: Simone Liedtke 12th January 2021 November 2020’s decline in the manufacturing production growth rate showed that the South African economy was in for a rough ride to recovery, especially under the current adjusted level 3 Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa)... →

Solidarity publishes return-to-work Covid-19 safety plan

By: Donna Slater 12th January 2021 Trade union Solidarity has compiled and distributed a ten-point plan outlining its strategy for the return-to-work of hundreds of employees following the festive season. Solidarity says the premise of the plan is that employers should be “fearless against the [Covid-19] virus”, as well as... →

Oxygen shortage owing to Covid set to impact industrial users

By: Simone Liedtke 11th January 2021 Industrial and specialty gases supplier Air Liquide has confirmed that medical oxygen consumption from hospital customers is “increasing very significantly” and that the necessary reallocation of oxygen supply to serve hospitals had resulted in a force majeure notice being issued to industrial... →

Absa PMI slumps to 50.3 in December

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th January 2021 The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined to 50.3 index points in December, from 52.6 points in November. The reading just above 50 index points suggests that growth is levelling off in the manufacturing sector after solid month-on-month gains were recorded in the... →

AMSA says steel shortage will be ‘quickly’ resolved after early restart of blast furnace

By: Terence Creamer 8th January 2021 Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) says the earlier-than-planned restart of its second blast furnace at the Vanderbijlpark Works will position the company to “quickly resolve” the current shortage of steel, which has been negatively affecting downstream fabricators and manufacturers... →

Photo by Creamer Media
The Vanderbijlpark Works

Business confidence falls as fears over stricter lockdown regulations rise

By: Donna Slater 6th January 2021 Business confidence took a beating in December as companies became increasingly concerned that an increase in Covid-19 cases could result in more strict lockdown regulations being implemented, says information and insight provider IHS Markit economist David Owen. Commenting on the company's... →

Mondi to acquire Turkish corrugated packaging company

By: Simone Liedtke 5th January 2021 Paper and packaging company Mondi will acquire a 90.38% interest in Turkish corrugated packaging company Olmuksan International Paper from International Paper for €66-million. The implied enterprise value on a 100% basis would amount to about €88-million, Mondi said in a statement on January 5. →

BMG Mozambique continues growth story despite Covid-19 setback

By: Natasha Odendaal 14th December 2020 While the aftermath of the global Covid-19 pandemic has temporarily halted BMG Mozambique’s double-digit growth trend, the company, which is a subsidiary of BMG South Africa, still expects a single-digit rise for 2020 and will get back on track in 2021 as it continues its expansion plans as part... →

BMG Mozambique MD Mark Lubbe

Tongaat narrows interim headline loss to R6m

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th December 2020 JSE-listed Tongaat Hulett’s business turnaround strategy has started paying off, with the company posting a smaller headline loss of R6-million for the six months ended September 30, against the prior interim period loss of R517-million. The sugar manufacturer grew its operating profit by 95%... →

South Africa’s renewables plan presents ‘remarkable’ industrialisation opportunity

By: Terence Creamer 11th December 2020 The roll-out of renewable energy at the scale envisaged in South Africa’s official electricity plan to 2030 presents a “remarkable” industrialisation opportunity, the leader of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) project team, Francis Jackson, argues. Jackson, who is also a... →

Completed tower sections manufactured by DCD Wind Towers, which subsequently closed down as a result of a protracted Eskom-induced procurement hiatus

South Africa’s biggest power shift in over a generation holds big promise, and some risk

By: Terence Creamer 11th December 2020 Next year, 2021, is poised to be a pivotal one for South Africa’s renewable-energy sector – for real this time! The industry will have an opportunity, finally, to participate in the fifth bid window of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the bid... →

Ikhaya vaccine temperature monitoring solution receives WHO accreditation

By: Schalk Burger 10th December 2020 Pietermaritzburg-based remote temperature monitoring specialist Ikhaya Automation Systems has received accreditation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its VM1000 vaccine temperature monitoring device, says Ikhaya MD Praba Moonsamy. “The Ikhaya VM1000 recently qualified under the WHO... →

Manufacturing output down 3.4% y/y, but 2.6% higher m/m

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th December 2020 Manufacturing output decreased by 3.4% year-on-year in October, predominantly owing to exporting industries shaving a combined 3.4 percentage points from the headline figure. Statistics South Africa reports that the largest contractions for October were recorded in the petroleum, chemical... →

Eco-industrial parks among the gateways for picking up industrial activity

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th December 2020 To help alleviate the economic hardship being experienced in South Africa, one initiative government has started driving is transitioning industrial parks into eco-industrial parks, National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa project manager Henry Nuwarinda has said. Eco-industrial parks... →

Indaba panel unpacks challenges to Africa’s industrialisation agenda

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th December 2020 The African export basket continues to lack manufactured products and is overly-reliant on raw materials and in cases, a single commodity; as a result, African countries continue to be affected by commodity volatility and to experience high inequality. Speaking during the Manufacturing Indaba on... →

SAEEC, WEF discuss industrialisation challenges in Africa

Seifsa encouraged by rise in third-quarter economic activity

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th December 2020 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has welcomed the annualised 66.1% rise in real gross domestic production (GDP) in the third quarter of the year, albeit from a low base, given the second quarter’s decline of 51.7%. Statistics South Africa attributed... →

Construction of jewellery manufacturing hub nears completion

By: Donna Slater 8th December 2020 Raubex Building is nearing completion of a high-security block in the Jewellery Manufacturing Precinct (JMP) close to OR Tambo International Airport, east of Johannesburg. The Covid-19 national lockdown brought the project to a halt for most of April, in line with regulations. Raubex Building,... →

The north west corner of the superblock where one of the logistics companies' security yard is located

WEF yearly summit to be held in Singapore in May

By: Donna Slater 8th December 2020 The World Economic Forum (WEF) will convene its 2021 Special Annual Meeting in Singapore from May 13 to 16; and return to Davos-Klosters, in Switzerland, for the 2022 edition. The change in location reflects the forum’s priority of safeguarding the health and safety of participants and the host... →

Economy rebounds in Q3 led by mining, manufacturing

By: Reuters 8th December 2020 South Africa's economy rebounded strongly in the third quarter as coronavirus restrictions were eased, with mining and manufacturing leading an expansion across all sectors. Statistics South Africa said on Tuesday that gross domestic product expanded by 66.1% in seasonally adjusted, annualised... →

EIUG urges members to apply for relief under negotiated pricing agreement framework

By: Terence Creamer 8th December 2020 The Energy Intensive Users Group of Southern Africa (EIUG) has welcomed the ‘Short-Term and Interim Long-Term Negotiated Pricing Agreement (NPA) frameworks’ approved by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and is encouraging its members to apply for these opportunities where... →

New forming line increases global supply capabilities

4th December 2020 Last month, automotive technology and engineering company Benteler International announced it would be investing in a new forming line for processing of airbag tubes at its Schloss Neuhaus plant, in Germany. The company has expanded its value-added depth in airbag and seat belt pretensioner tubes... →

PIPELINE A new forming line for processing of airbag tubes is being invested in by Benteler International

Genset range equipped with built-in automatic transfer switch panel

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 4th December 2020 In response to market requirements for a stationary quality genset (generator set), power solutions provider HIMOINSA launched the new HS stationary genset range in October. HIMOINSA Southern Africa business development director Matthew Bell explains that the design of the range resulted in the... →

NOTHING BUT QUALITY The range was designed to produce a competitively priced, versatile and modular genset that is fast and easy to install

Generators still in high demand

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 4th December 2020 With unreliable electricity and peaking electricity prices still posing major challenges in South Africa, generators continue to be in demand, says power generation provider Aggreko area GM Riaan du Toit. “Sectors such as mining, food and beverage and manufacturing already depend on good... →

KEY FACTORS Although cost and environmental factors do play key roles in the decision-making process, reliability and power supply consistency will always be central

Parts aftermarket increases despite pandemic

4th December 2020 According to market research company Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis ‘Digital Business Models Mitigating Covid-19 Implications on Global Aftermarket Performance in 2020’, released in September, aftermarket revenue expanded by 4.1% in 2019. This was largely driven by a 3.2% growth in vehicles... →

PART AND PARCEL The automotive components sector has contracted more than initially forecast owing to the Covid-19 pandemic

Localisation supermarket to showcase products

By: Halima Frost 4th December 2020 Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC) business development manager Hoosain Mahomed says the AIDC EC is embarking on Phase 2 of its localisation supermarket. The localisation supermarket is a physical showcase and online catalogue of automotive components that are imported,... →

LAID OUT The products on offer thought the Locatisation Supermarket are available to view on an online portal available at the AIDC EC's website

New real-time monitoring system enhances safety

4th December 2020 Automotive and truck parts manufacturer Bridgestone in collaboration with technology company Microsoft has developed a unique and innovative monitoring system to detect tyre damage issues in real-time. Bridgestone Europe, Russia, Middle East, India and Africa (EMIA) CEO and president Laurent... →

DAMAGE CONTROL The Tyre Damage Monitoring System uses algorithms to detect and predict failures before they become catastrophic

PPC expects lower interim earnings of around 18c apiece

By: Marleny Arnoldi 2nd December 2020 JSE-listed cement manufacturer PPC expects to report basic earnings per share (EPS) of between 18c and 21c apiece for the six months ended September 30, which is between 35% and 45% lower than the restated EPS of 32c apiece reported for the six months ended September 30, 2019. The company’s... →

Metal prices expected to average higher in 2021 amid recovery from Covid-19 – Fitch Solutions

By: Donna Slater 1st December 2020 Financial risk management, solutions and insights company Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research (Fitch Solutions) expects miners and metal producers to experience a more favourable pricing environment in 2021 with nearly all mineral and metal prices forecast to average higher on a... →

IT, OT cybersecurity gaps must be closed as industrial digital transformation advances

By: Schalk Burger 30th November 2020 Companies are optimising their development, production and logistics processes based on operational and status data. As a result, industrial control systems lose their previously insular position once production machines are networked. The increased adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and big... →

Govt study into local lithium-ion battery value chain almost complete

By: Irma Venter 27th November 2020 A study into the possible development of a lithium-ion (li-ion) battery value-chain in South Africa will be completed by the end of the year. The study is being undertaken by Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), on behalf of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). It... →

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair

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