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NAACAM, members demonstrate innovation, resilience in challenging year

22nd January 2021

By: Cameron Mackay

Creamer Media Senior Online Writer

     

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The detrimental effects of the Covid-19 pandemic compelled many local companies in the automotive component manufacturing industry to re-evaluate the manner in which they operated this year.

Local automotive component manufacturer association, the National Association of Automotive Components and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), and its members, found innovative methods of dealing with the unprecedented impacts of the pandemic.

NAACAM president Ugo Frigerio says the association has been actively interacting with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), particularly with regard to changes in lockdown levels and opening up businesses in the automotive industry as soon as possible during the lockdown.

He adds that the association has also supported programmes such as the DTIC’s Automotive Master Plan and the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP).

NAACAM’s key stakeholders also played a role in assisting the association and the wider automotive industry this year.

Acoustex, a black-owned tier 1 component supplier, has interior trim and insulation divisions. The company and its senior leadership navigated the turbulent operating environment to unlock new opportunities.

“This pandemic bought us the ability to streamline our business. It’s helped us become more customer-centric and to see how we can push the boundaries with our product offer.

"When we heard about the lockdown, we immediately formed a Covid task team, which dealt with various issues,” states Acoustex commercial director Andre Swartbooi.

Other black-owned suppliers within the NAACAM membership include component manufacturers Sealtron SA and Thekwini Wire and Fasteners.

Sealtron, a wire harnessing and injection-moulding supplier, supplies original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in a range of industries. Since entering the automotive sector, the company has engaged with tier 1 component suppliers and OEMs, and is currently pursuing a number of new localisation opportunities.

Thekwini Wire and Fasteners, meanwhile, successfully graduated from the Ntinga Project, a Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) initiative supported by the Automotive Supply Chain Competitiveness Initiative to identify and develop black-owned component suppliers in South Africa.

Thekwini invested in a high-capacity sequential bending machine, enabling it to supply its new tier 1 customer Bosal with hanger brackets for the new VW Polo Vivo.

NAACAM had assisted Thekwini in raising the capital to buy the new machinery to support its product diversification.

Further, the launch of the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) is an initiative designed to support black participation in the automotive industry supply chain.

“We are trying to rebalance the issues of inequality, which has different patterns. Diversity sits at the centre of it. Before you start to include others, it’s important that you’ve got a diversified circle that makes certain decisions, because then you are well represented in decision-making,” states AITF CEO Jabulani Selumane.

Components manufacturer Microfinish showcases this transformation, as the company is black-owned and boasts a management team with an average age of 35.  

The company has diversified its product range to supply to essential service providers. This diversification resulted in the design and manufacture of the SaniStep, a foot operated device that provides a hands-free solution for opening doors, thus preventing the spread of germs.

“A number of local companies took the initiative to convert their production processes to assist in the respirator initiative and assist in creating the necessary supply of masks and related equipment. That assisted component companies to make up for revenue to try deal with the initial impact of Covid,” Frigerio further points out.

JMP Group is a 63% black-owned, Level 2 black economic empowerment supplier of gaskets, industrial sponges, rubber and other products. The company identified face-shield production as an opportunity to get its staff back to work.

Branding solutions company Creative Graphics International similarly adapted its manufacturing facility to produce the Survisor face-shield to medical-grade standards.

Other innovations include the creation of a health app by industrial automation company Jendamark. The company’s new Odin Health app uses Fourth Industrial Revolution technology to manage employee wellness in its operations around the world.

Local automotive company GUD Holdings developed an innovative mobile hand-wash station by repurposing its Indy Oil drums to allow people at taxi ranks and in water-scarce areas to wash their hands with hygienic soap and water to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, nonprofit organisation the South African Emergency Ventilator Project was launched in March. Led by NAACAM member Rand York Castings, the organisation was set up to cost-effectively produce in-demand ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure machines locally.

Further, global tier 1 automotive supplier BOSAL Afrika invested about R25-million in the upgrade and relocation of its new OEM plant manufacturing emission control systems in Koedoespoort Industrial, Pretoria.

OEM supplier Ebor Automotive Systems built its new Ebor East London plant, which will create between 80 and 100 jobs. The first machines and tools have been received and the first samples have been produced for the upcoming Mercedes W206 programme.

Component manufacturer Eberspächer South Africa received Q1 award from Ford Motor Company earlier this year. The Q1 rating system measures all aspects of the business system including quality, cost and delivery.

Edited by Zandile Mavuso
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

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