JOHANNESBURG – The Concrete Institute (TCI), representing cement producers, said on Wednesday it had applied to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) to investigate the surge in imports at low prices. Imported cement is undercutting the industry by at least 45 percent, TCI spokesman Bryan Perrie said. “When this is combined with unprecedented low levels of demand due to slowed economic growth, the industry is facing an existential crisis which threatens to undermine the industrial capacity of the country,” he said. Data shows that 350,441 tons of…
Read MoreDay: 22 Aug 2019
The right packaging is a winning formula
Industrial designing and packaging are some of the most essential selling points of a product and one entrepreneur perfecting the art is Sibusiso Mkhwanazi with his Sintu Design: Rooted Innovation studio. Founded in 2017 by the Centurion, Pretoria-based creator and director, Sintu Design specialises in concept development, design thinking, product development and computer-aided design. Mkhwanazi’s journey started with a job at the SA Bureau of Standards, where he developed products for the engineering and manufacturing sectors for mass production and distribution. “So my first major product was designing a prototype…
Read MoreFAW’s medium truck is built with SA pride
Priced at R245,000, the 6.130 FL medium truck is a value-for-money offering The 6.130 is based on the 8.140 heavy truck range but reconfigured with a shortened chassis and 3.5-ton payload. The 6.130 is based on the 8.140 heavy truck range but reconfigured with a shortened chassis and 3.5-ton payload. Image: Supplied FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA recently launched the FAW 6.130 FL medium truck, specifically configured for the local market and built right here on South African soil for southern and central African markets. The new FAW 6.130 medium truck…
Read MoreBooming blueberry industry eyes Asian markets
SA does not have access to key markets such as China and South Korea at a time when blueberry imports are growing phenomenally in Asia 21 AUGUST 2019 – 19:15 BEKEZELA PHAKATHI Blueberries being processed at a factory. Picture: REUTERS/Neil Hall SA’s booming blueberry industry is looking to gain access to the Asian markets, saying this will create an additional 12,000 jobs in the sector. The industry is labour intensive and employs three to four workers per hectare. SA does not have access to key markets such as China and South…
Read MoreSouth African municipal districts must all have Silicon Valley skills hubs
To get in gear with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and in order to transfer digital skills and foster tech enterprise development, South Africa should introduce ‘hubs’ in all the 44 municipal districts, through public-private sector partnerships. “Silicon Valley” has become an expression synonymous with the digital economy and technological innovation. Silicon Valley is a region located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay area in Northern California. It serves as global headquarters for many notable technology, innovation and social media companies, including Alphabet (Google), Apple, eBay, Facebook and…
Read MoreCoega favoured as investments flow in
Despite the deteriorating local and global economic investment environment, which has resulted in most of South Africa’s special economic zones (SEZs) struggling to attract investment, Coega in Port Elizabeth is riding the investment wave. The SEZ, which is operated by the Coega Development Corporation, has secured an additional 18 new investments valued at R2.6 billion, creating about 3 000 jobs during the 2018/19 financial year, against a target of R693 million. Investments in aquaculture, which include an abalone farm and a land-based fish farming facility, represent a third of the…
Read MoreSchool of specialisation on drive to the future
The future looks bright for maths and science pupils at the Katlehong Engineering School of Specialisation, on the East Rand, who will be trained as qualified car technicians by five big motor companies in SA. Yesterday, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi officially launched the school with a focus on manufacturing, transport and logistics. The school is situated in the eastern economic development corridor where the major industries are transport, manufacturing and logistics. Lesufi said the school has partnered with MerSeta (Manufacturing, engineering and related services Seta) to provide pupils with…
Read MoreTwo SA cities leading in transformational tech in Africa
HARARE – Two of South Africa’s big cities are leading Africa’s charge in embracing transformational technologies, which analysts at global IT research firm, Gartner, believe will spur spending on technology across the continent. According to Gartner, Cape Town is leading the charge through heavy investment in wireless communications. This is expected to boost the creation of an entrepreneurial base apart from boosting financial, manufacturing and tourism service industries. “Cape Town is investing heavily in wireless communications not just as a growth engine for the city’s financial, manufacturing and tourism industries, but…
Read MoreMobile phones are replacing bank accounts in Africa
It doesn’t look like the hub of an online bank. But that’s what the yellow and blue metal kiosk becomes when Albert Agane locks himself behind the metal bars every day at 6am. From his perch along a dusty suburban thoroughfare in Accra, the 28-year-old helps fellow Ghanaians withdraw or deposit cash for accounts they operate from their mobile phones. All they need do is text. Mobile money is the fastest-growing source of income for wireless-network operators like MTN and Vodafone’s Safaricom unit, outpacing data since many Africans don’t have…
Read MoreSA businesses still in their comfort zone when it comes to AI – expert
Despite pockets of excellence, there is a massive gap among South African businesses between understanding the impact of using technology and actually moving to embrace that technology, according to Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx. Moreover, many have flagged poor connectivity as a barrier to moving ahead. “The secret that South African businesses should understand is that technology is not the enemy, but your ally,” Goldstuck said at the SAIPA Accounting Indaba in Cape Town on Tuesday. More than half of businesses he recently surveyed indicated that they…
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