Manufacturing

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Manufacturing News

CEOs express optimism for resilience in 2022, survey shows

By: Donna Slater 17th January 2022 Respondents to professional services firm PwC’s twenty-fifth yearly Global CEO Survey point to optimism about continued economic resilience this year, albeit with the International Monetary Fund projecting global gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by only 4.9%. Although this forecasted GPD is... →

Thirsty South Africans suffer bottle shortages as supply falters

By: Bloomberg 14th January 2022 South Africans denied legal alcohol sales during bans to contain the Covid-19 pandemic now risk shortages due to supply-chain disruptions affecting glass makers. Consol Holdings, the largest glass manufacturer in Africa, is battling reduced stock and a limited ability to ramp-up manufacturing... →

Opinion: The ocean economy is integral to the revival of the Eastern Cape's habitability

12th January 2022 With its immense resource wealth and potential to boost economic growth, employment and innovation, the ocean in the Eastern Cape could become the new economic frontier, writes Nelson Mandela University Infrastructure Development & Engagement Unit associate Bongani Mankewu. →

November manufacturing output down 0.7% y/y – FNB

By: Donna Slater 12th January 2022 Total manufacturing output (not seasonally adjusted) declined by 0.7% year-on-year in November, after declining by 8.5% year-on-year in October, reports financial services provider FNB. Senior economist Thanda Sithole explains that the slip partly reflects the unfavourable base effects of the... →

Seifsa to focus on being voice of the industry, advancing collective bargaining

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th January 2022 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) CEO Lucio Trentini expects this year to be as challenging as the last two years, particularly as the steel industry is in a crisis, but it is focused on formulating deliverables in terms of the Steel Master Plan. He... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Seifsa CEO Lucio Trentini

Absa PMI decreased by 3.1 points in Dec, remained in expansionary territory at 54.1

By: Schalk Burger 7th January 2022 The Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined by 3.1 points to 54.1 in December, but remained in expansionary territory. All the major subcomponents of the PMI, excluding inventories, were lower in December, and the key 50-point level for the employment index in November proved short lived,... →

Chip execs say there’s no short-term fix for supply shortage

By: Bloomberg 6th January 2022 For chip buyers ranging from computer gamers to automakers, there’s no near-term fix on the way for shortages that have caused higher prices and production delays, semiconductor executives said. Nvidia Corp., which makes chips that are the basis of graphics cards selling for thousands of dollars... →

UK group completes buyout of Bergen Engines from Rolls-Royce

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th January 2022 UK family-owned multidisciplinary engineering and industrial manufacturing company Langley Holdings has completed its acquisition of the Norway-based Bergen Engines group from Rolls-Royce. The deal, announced on August 3 last year, was finally concluded on Tuesday (January 4). The deal cost... →

Photo by Langley Holdings
The Bergen Engines plant in Bergen, Norway

Schneider Electric appoints Devan Pillay as Anglophone Africa cluster president

By: Schalk Burger 15th December 2021 Energy management and automation multinational Schneider Electric has appointed Devan Pillay as its Anglophone Africa cluster president. He succeeds Albert Fuchet. →

REIPPPP Bid Window 5 to provide important link in local value chain

By: Donna Slater 15th December 2021 Wind turbine original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) Nordex Energy South Africa sees Bid Window 5 (BW5) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) as an important link in driving the local value chain, saying it will directly stimulate the domestic job... →

Nordex Energy South Africa's Prieska-based concrete wind turbine tower manufacturing facility

Ellies reports first-half loss in earnings despite load-shedding boom

By: Donna Slater 15th December 2021 JSE-listed diversified electronic and alternative energy products manufacturer and distributor Ellies, impacted by global and local supply chain challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the July civil unrest and weak trading conditions, has reported a loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and... →

Chevron committed to growing Caltex brand in South Africa, Botswana

By: Simone Liedtke 14th December 2021 Chevron Africa-Pakistan and Chevron Brands International have a committed strategy to maintain and grow the Caltex-branded service station network across South Africa and Botswana, beyond the expiration of the current licence agreement in 2024. This development is aligned with its licensing... →

A newly branded Caltex service station

Salba urges government to use ‘science and logic’ to handle Omicron

By: Donna Slater 14th December 2021 The South African Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba) has written to the National Coronavirus Command Council expressing concern about the rise in Covid-19 infections and calling on the government to apply a science-based approach and not rush to a “knee-jerk” response as it has in the past.... →

Anglo looks to green steel development as one measure to reduce Scope 3 emissions

By: Donna Slater 13th December 2021 Efforts in the steel industry to increase the metal’s environment friendliness – a process known as “green steel” – will assist diversified miner Anglo American in reducing its Scope 3 emissions, outgoing Anglo American CE Mark Cutifani has said. Speaking during an investor day on December 10,... →

Outgoing Anglo American CE Mark Cutifani

Transnet reiterates commitment to localisation

By: Schalk Burger 10th December 2021 State-owned Transnet has made significant strides to deliver on localisation, as part of the country’s industrialisation policy, and the logistics sector can support manufacturing demand within South Africa for key components and equipment essential for its operations, it said in a release on... →

R2.5-billion spent on TASEZ development

By: Nadine Ramdass 10th December 2021 The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has so far contributed R2.5-billion towards the development of the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ). The money has helped to unlock a R16-billion investment by automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Company and a further... →

Assembly plant makes significant progress at TASEZ

By: Nadine Ramdass 10th December 2021 In the lead-up to the 2022 launch of the Next-Generation Ford Ranger, last month, automotive manufacturer Ford South Africa hosted a high-level delegation for an oversight visit at its Silverton Assembly Plant and the adjacent Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ). This followed the... →

An image of the inside of Ford's Silverton Assembly Plant at the Tshwane Automotive SEZ

INSIDE THE SILVERTON ASSEMBLY PLANT The plant has been modernizes to meet the quality and volume demands globally

TASEZ on road to completion

By: Nadine Ramdass 10th December 2021 Consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Zutari has expanded and updated the traffic impact assessment for the larger Tshwane area affected by the development of the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ). The assessment indicated that eight major road intersections must... →

An ariel view of the TASEZ Phase 1 project

ARIEL VIEW OF TASEZ PHASE 1 Zutari has provided engineering service for the project

Decreased manufacturing output shows South Africa is lagging behind in its industrialization efforts

By: Simone Liedtke 9th December 2021 Manufacturing production decreased by 8.9% year-on-year in October, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on December 9. The largest negative contributions were made by petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products (-17.5% and contributing -4.1 percentage points); basic iron and... →

Sappi’s Cloquet mill receives external environmental management verification

By: Simone Liedtke 9th December 2021 Dissolving pulp producer Sappi’s Cloquet mill, in the US, is one of the first dissolving pulp facilities to complete an external environmental management verification process. The mill achieved a final score of greater than 80% on the Higg Facility Environmental Management (FEM) verification... →

Sappi’s Cloquet mill, in the US

Manufacturing business confidence declines marginally on Covid-19, load-shedding

By: Donna Slater 9th December 2021 Facing a second consecutive quarterly decline, Absa’s manufacturing survey finds that, overall, business confidence dipped by three points to 38 during the fourth quarter, thereby effectively resulting in the manufacturing sector facing a “stop-start” recovery. The bank notes that risks related... →

RMB takes equity stake in South African alcohol-free drinks company

By: Simone Liedtke 7th December 2021 Financial services provider Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) has partnered with AB InBev’s corporate venture capital arm ZX Ventures to take an equity stake in alcohol-free South African drinks company The Duchess – creator of the world’s first alcohol-free gin and tonic. Launched in 2016, The Duchess... →

Tiger Brands celebrates centenary

By: Simone Liedtke 6th December 2021 Independent fast-moving consumer goods producer Tiger Brands is celebrating its centenary this year and joins few of the country’s oldest ongoing businesses, with brands in its repertoire such as Jungle Oats, All Gold, KOO, Fatti’s and Moni’s and Black Cat. “We are humbled that, through our... →

Tongaat reports interim loss, despite progress in turnaround strategy

By: Simone Liedtke 6th December 2021 Agriculture and agroprocessing business Tongaat Hulett has continued to make steady progress in the implementation of its turnaround strategy and in restoring the group on a sustainable growth path. During the six months ended September 30, the group experienced strong local demand across all... →

More growth expected for diesel generators

By: Darren Parker 3rd December 2021 South Africa’s diesel generator market is expected to grow at a compound yearly growth rate of more than 2% from 2020 to 2025, according to a report released this year by research organisation Mordor Intelligence. Factors such as an increase in throughput of peaking plants and demand for... →

Photo by Adobe
DIESEL GENERATOR Diesel generators in South Africa are not generally used as a primary source of energy, but rather as a backup during power cuts or blackouts from the utility grid.

Sugar master plan to help ailing industry

By: Nadine Ramdass 3rd December 2021 With the South African sugar industry having experienced various challenges in the past few years, the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan 2030 aims to address some challenges and assist with the industry’s growth. Over the past 20 years, local yearly sugar production has declined by nearly 25%,... →

An image of SASA executive director Trix Trikam

TRIX TRIKAM Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan 2030 to set to address industry challenges

Heat transfer tech offers more bang for buck

By: Nadine Ramdass 3rd December 2021 Thermal engineering solutions company Industrial Water Cooling (IWC) has partnered with Canada-based developer, designer and manufacturer Solex Thermal Science to distribute Solex’s technology to Southern Africa to cool, heat or condition bulk solid products, for example sugar. Using fluid bed... →

COOLING DOWN IWC has partnered with Solex to distribute heat transfer technology

July riots temporarily halt sugar production

By: Nadine Ramdass 3rd December 2021 KwaZulu-Natal is a primary location for South Africa’s sugar production and the riots in July resulted in sugar production coming to a halt. Although sugar producer Tongaat Hulett Sugar South Africa was one of many businesses affected by the riots, Tongaat Hulett Sugar South Africa MD Dave... →

An image of a Storage unit at Tongaat Hulett

TEAM WORK Tongaat Hulett employees came together to protect Tongaat Hulett operations during the riots

Sugar factory expansion earns excellence award

By: Nadine Ramdass 3rd December 2021 Consulting engineering and project management company Bosch Projects was named a joint winner in the 2021 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards, for the UCL 175 TCH Factory Expansion Project, in the category of projects valued between R50-million and R250-million. “This annual awards programme,... →

An image of Strike Recievers installed in the project

EXPANDING CAPACITY The expansion project was necessary for UCL to meet its season requirements

Auto import substitution a growing reality

3rd December 2021 Replacing imported automotive products with locally manufactured finished goods and components is a growing reality, states local supplier KLT Automotive and Tubular Products South Africa CEO Ashok Thakur. He adds that substitution of imported products in favour of locally manufactured goods is... →

SAB launches initiative to accelerate responsible alcohol consumption

By: Simone Liedtke 1st December 2021 South African Breweries (SAB) has committed to use its scale, reach and expertise to accelerate responsible alcohol consumption through the launch of a new evidence-based platform. The new platform is called SAB Sharp, a play on words communicating SAB’s leadership in championing responsible... →

Aspen strikes deal with J&J to launch own vaccine, called 'Aspenovax'

By: News24Wire 30th November 2021 Aspen will manufacture and sell its own branded Covid-19 vaccine in Africa, following an agreement with Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson is granting Aspen an intellectual property licence to produce its vaccine under the new brand name "Aspenovax". According to the deal, Aspen will... →

Aspen SA closer to launching own-branded vaccine, called Aspenovax, for Africa

30th November 2021 Pharmaceutical company Aspen’s wholly-owned South African subsidiary, Aspen SA Operations, has signed a nonbinding term sheet with Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, two of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, that will form the basis for the negotiation... →

Pic of Covid-19 Vaccines with South African flag in background.

Zinc anti-corrosion coatings offer long-lasting protection

By: Donna Slater 29th November 2021 Various methods of applying zinc films to steel items offer unique and long-lasting anti-corrosion benefits, according to various zinc experts who spoke during a webinar hosted by Creamer Media Contract Publishing on behalf of the International Zinc Association (IZA) on November 23. IZA... →

Rail operator eyes South African, African leasing expansion with renewed locomotive fleet

By: Donna Slater 29th November 2021 Freight logistics company Grindrod, through its 43% shareholding in Pretoria-based freight company Railco Africa, is looking to expand its locomotives leasing and rail operations business in South Africa and the rest of Africa. This comes after it achieved success in Sierra Leone, having brought... →

An image of a newly refurbished GL30 SCC locomotive at Pretoria-based freight company Railco Africa

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
A newly refurbished GL30 SCC locomotive at Pretoria-based freight company Railco Africa

CSIR's initial circular economy study shows potential to create economy-wide value

By: Schalk Burger 26th November 2021 The initial findings from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR's) Science, Technology and Innovation for a Circular Economy (STI4CE) study shows that transitioning to a more circular economy has the potential to create value across all sectors of the economy. There are also... →

Global glass company Ardagh to acquire Consol for R10.1bn

By: Simone Liedtke 26th November 2021 Global glass and metal packaging supplier Ardagh Group intends to acquire 100% of the ordinary shares of South African glass manufacturer Consol Holdings for R10.1-billion. The transaction will include Consol’s operations in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia. →

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