Davies: manufacturing mustn't become a downturn casualty

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said that South Africa could not afford to allow a situation where manufacturing became a casualty, should another downturn in the world economy became a reality. "The challenge we face," he said, "is that the circumstances, the global environment, and the impact that this is having on manufacturing, could pose some very serious challenges to us." Read more >>

WTC Africa Initiative and Italy join hands in trade

Following a trade agreement reached between the World Trade Center Africa Initiative and Italy, business between Africa and Europe is set to receive a significant boost. The agreement will see business leaders from 12 African countries meet their Italian counterparts in on-site deal rooms next year, at the inaugural Afritalia Commerce Exchange. Read more >>

New explosives factory for Denel PMP

Pretoria Metal Pressings (PMP) recently opened a new manufacturing facility that will significantly expand its capacity to produce primary explosives for end-users in the chemical and mining sectors. The R10 million facility was opened by the chairperson of the PMP Board, Gabsie Mathenjwa and the CEO, Carel Wolhuter at the company's premises to the west of Pretoria. Read more >>

Sluggish demand to affect SA's largest steelmakers in Q3

Sluggish domestic and international steel demand and operating problems will affect third quarter profits at ArcelorMittal SA and Evraz Highveld Steel - South Africa's largest steelmakers. September quarter gloomy conditions contrasted with a relatively flat first half of this year and last year's recovery from the 2008-09 lows. Read more >>

Powertech and EnerSys in joint venture

Power Technologies (Powertech) has entered into a joint venture with EnerSys, by selling 50.1% of its industrial battery business to EnerSys. The transaction came into effect on 3 October 2011. Read more >>

'Manufacturing improvement not yet on the cards'

[Ntsakisi Maswanganyi] A number of factors will keep the local manufacturing sector under continued pressure going forward, Stewart Jennings, chairman of the Manufacturing Circle and PG Group CEO said in an interview with BusinessLIVE. The Manufacturing Circle is a growing group of SA's leading manufacturing companies. Read more >>

EXCLUSIVE: New Brand Council of SA announces office bearers

The board of the new Brand Council of South Africa (BCSA) has elected HKLM's Sean McCoy as chairman, and Interbrand Sampson's Jeremy Sampson and Brand Leadership's Thebe Ikalafeng as joint vice chairs. The BCSA, incorporates the Brand Design Council (formerly known as THINK), was constituted after extensive debate around the need for a collective voice to represent, strengthen and advance the interests of the wider branding and design industry in SA, and it. Read more >>

Rolling Stone South Africa: the first in-depth interview

[Johann Smith] "Rolling Stone" - it was the writing on the wall found backstage at Rocking the Daisies. It was a hint, a secret, that the writer wanted musicians to know first, before anyone else. There is no way of saying it better: Rolling Stone magazine is coming to South Africa in November 2011. Johann Smith and Ruth Cooper of Bizcommunity.com's BizLounge speak to Miles Keylock, editor-in-chief of RS SA. Read more >>

South Africans are overweight - survey

South Africans weigh in as the third fattest nation on earth. A survey done in 2010 by Glaxo SmithKline has found that 61% of the South African population are overweight or morbidly obese. In addition to this survey, a study done by the Medical Research Council in 2007 found that 56% of adult women and 29% of adult men in South Africa were overweight or obese. Read more >>

Unions to picket at Wal-Mart/Massmart hearing

The Congress of SA Trade Unions' (Cosatu) and the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) on Monday announced their intention to embark on "mass pickets" at the Wal-Mart-Massmart appeal hearing in Cape Town set for Thursday and Friday, 21 - 22 October 2011. Read more >>