Indaba highlights South African manufacturing opportunities
The event is hosted in partnership with the (Department of Trade and Industry) dti, the Department of Science & Technology, the Department of Public Enterprises, the Manufacturing Circle, the City of Ekurhuleni as the host city and the NCPC-SA.
The aim of the Indaba is to focus on and boost the growth potential of key industry sectors within manufacturing, including automotive, construction, metals, forestry, paper & packaging, chemicals, aerospace & defence, industry products and services, and to provide a platform for informative and interactive sessions with the prime movers of the nation’s manufacturing sectors.
Manufacturing underlies the success of the most developed economies and it can do the same for South Africa. South African manufacturing continues to be heavily dominated by resource-processing sectors that are capital- and energy-intensive. A structural shift towards higher growth in more value adding and a higher labour-absorbing manufacturing sector is essential for South Africa to shift to a development path that generates more growth and higher levels of employment.
The importance of building capacity and improving strategic sourcing and supplier development across government departments and State Owned Companies (SOC) remains another key focus. Private sector support for local procurement is showing progress, seeing a renewed focus on developments that will ensure that industrialisation and manufacturing happen locally.
Global manufacturing is changing at an exponential rate; and to be competitive, both locally and globally, manufacturers need to be in touch with changes in customer needs, the business environment and evolving manufacturing technologies.
Now more than ever, collaboration between the stakeholders is tantamount to the mobilisation of a manufacturing sector that is a growth engine for economic development, directly affecting employment creation in South Africa.
The Manufacturing Indaba provides a platform to drive Africa’s growth through productive interaction between the relevant stakeholders in the manufacturing industry. It is a launch pad for key players to have their say and be a part of the way forward for this essential sector.
