There is enormous potential for Southern African manufacturers to increase their market share both locally and internationally. The driving force behind capturing this growth opportunity is the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC).

According to Eric Bruggeman, CEO at SACEEC, part of the Council's mandate is to organise outward selling and inward buying missions. “We identified a need to showcase the offerings of the SADC region’s local manufacturers in an interactive manner. The result is the inaugural Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo (LME) being held at the Expo Centre, Nasrec from 21 to 23 May 2019.”

“Endorsed by the Premier of Gauteng, David Makhura, we believe that the exhibition will enable exhibitors to meet with top decision makers from the inward buying missions already committed to the event. As Industry 4.0 continues to transform the way that manufacturers do business, LME 2019 will provide them with an opportunity to grow their customer base, with the knock-on potential for fostering job creation,” says Charlene Hefer, portfolio director for Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery.

“It is critical for the sustainability of local manufacturing operations that they aggressively pursue opportunities to increase their market share. Not only is this relevant to their increased permeation of the overseas market, but furthermore, they need to capture market share that is currently being monopolised by importers. Recent statistics indicate that South Africa currently imports products to the value of a staggering $83.2-billion. If we were able to shift this demand to the local manufacturing sector, we could realistically create 1.329-million jobs,” says Bruggeman.

LME 2019 will give local manufacturers from South Africa and other SADC regions a chance to not only display their capabilities and capacities to a captive audience, but furthermore it creates a forum for the exhibitors to network with their peers.

“We are excited about the prospect that local manufacturing operations have to evolve and expand by interacting with the inward buying mission representatives. Added to this are the benefits derived by the support of SACEEC, together with AREI (Association of Representatives for the Electronics Industry) and the dti (Department of Trade & Industry). We urge local manufacturing companies throughout Southern Africa to capitalise on the unique marketing opportunities of exhibiting at LME 2019,” says Hefer.