Cheap shale gas has fed an investment boom in products that often end up as waste. Has the petrochemicals industry miscalculated? Along the banks of the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, giant cranes whir overhead as thousands of construction workers toil away at what will be one of the largest plastic factories in the world. Once complete, the citadel of smokestacks and pipeworks will churn out 1.6m tonnes a year of pellets for manufacturers in a wide range of industries. They will then make things such as shrink wrap, shampoo bottles and…
Read MoreDay: 13 Feb 2020
Sanitary towel factory mooted for EL IDZ
A ‘high-tech’ sanitary towel manufacturing plant is on the cards for East London’s Industrial Development Zone. According to the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, almost 12 000 squares metres had been set aside for the R67m facility which should be operational in June next year. ECDC CEO, Ndzondelelo Dlulane, said they struck a deal with local sanitary towel distributor, Ntombam Sanitary Towels, and Clothing and South Korean investor, M.view Global. “The deal is important in boosting local manufacturing, skills development and transfers, and in positioning the Eastern Cape as a manufacturing…
Read MoreSouth Africa launches poultry masterplan
South Africa is competitive in the global poultry industry and produces chicken at the 6th lowest price per kilo in the world. The introduction of a new poultry sector masterplan in the country, announced by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), aims to stimulate local demand, boost exports and protect the domestic chicken industry. The poultry masterplan takes into account several systemic and other problems in the industry. The main objectives of the plan centre on driving local demand and protecting the local industry, feed costs (primarily maize and…
Read MoreToyota wants zero carbon dioxide emissions from Durban plant
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is investing in solar energy at its manufacturing plant in Prospection in Durban, with the aim of achieving zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the factory by 2050. TSAM president and CEO Andrew Kirby confirmed that the company has been installing photovoltaic (PV) panels around its plant site since 2016. Three megawatts (MW) of solar power was installed at a cost of R33 million – saving 3 600 tons of CO2 a year. These initiatives involved generating solar power from PV panels on the roofs of its blanking…
Read MoreSA MANUFACTURING SECTOR SEES ITS 7TH MONTH OF GROWTH DECLINES
Production in the sector plummeted by almost 6% year-on-year in December. Production in the sector plummeted by almost 6% year-on-year in December. This is the biggest drop in the sector in recent months. FNB senior economist Geoff Notling said: “All manufacturing divisions recorded negative growth in December. The largest detractors, which were motor vehicles parts and accessories, declined by 24.9% year-on-year while petroleum and chemical products declined by 5.9% year-on-year.” He said load shedding contributed towards the contraction: “What we found with our models is that electricity output declined…
Read MoreMedicines for All Institute partners with South African manufacturer to increase access to lifesaving drugs
The Medicines for All Institute has entered into a partnership with a manufacturer in South Africa to commercialize advances made by the institute to improve access to lifesaving medications for HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The institute, which has successfully developed cost-saving formulas for key anti-HIV drugs, is based at Virginia Commonwealth University and its College of Engineering in Richmond, Virginia. Officials at VCU and Chemical Process Technologies Pharma Ltd. recently signed a three-year agreement outlining their collaboration. The South African company will validate and scale up processes developed by…
Read MoreArcelorMittal gets the go-ahead to buy steel manufacturer
The Competition Tribunal has unconditionally approved a large merger that will see ArcelorMittal SA acquire the steel and rail manufacturing business of Highveld Structural Mill, the Tribunal said in a statement on Wednesday. HSM, a subsidiary of Evraz Highveld Steel & Vanadium, is the only producer of “heavy sections of long steel” in the country, according to the Tribunal. It went into business rescue in 2015 and ceased production. In 2017, however, it reinstated production of the heavy sections. ArcelorMittal, the largest steel company in Africa, announced the R300 million…
Read MoreLenovo signs as official partner alongside Aruba.it for Ducati 2020 Superbike
South Africa. Johannesburg. 13.02.2020. We are pleased that Lenovo has announced a global official partnership with Aruba.it, a technology solutions partner, and Ducati, a world leader in motorcycle innovation. The new sponsors of the Superbike 2020 season were unveiled earlier today at the famous Autodromo of Imola in Italy. As part of the partnership, Lenovo branding will feature alongside Aruba.it on Ducati bikes, riding apparel, marketing collateral and track side facilities. Lenovo Data Center Group servers and storage solutions will also enable the championship on and off the track, with…
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