OVERVIEW
Manufacturing Mpumalanga’s natural resources support a diverse manufacturing sector.
Columbus Stainless’ factory. Image: Columbus Stainless
F
rom steel to chemicals, petroleum and stainless steel to paper and fruit juice, Mpumalanga makes a wide variety of products. There is a distinct geographical divide. Fuel, petroleum and chemical production occurs in the southern Highveld region clustered around Sasol’s plants. The Sasol chemicals and liquid fluids complex at Secunda is a vital component of Mpumalanga’s manufacturing sector. The company has two propylene manufacturing plants and recently completed two major investments aimed at improving flows and expanding production. Propylene is an input for polypropylene which is used in packaging, automotive components and textiles. The market is growing in South Africa at 4% per annum, roughly the same rate as the global market. The northern Highveld area, including Middleburg and eMalahleni (Witbank), is home to ferro alloy, steel and stainless-steel concerns. In the Lowveld, agricultural and forestry products are processed while Sappi’s giant mill is close to the company’s forests south-west of the provincial capital, Mbombela. Standerton has textile-manufacturing capacity in the form of Standerton Mills. It is also home to several plants that use local raw materials: Nestlé has an infant-cereal manufacturing plant, RCL runs farms in the Carolina district and Early Bird is prominent. McCain and
MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2020/21
28
Sector Insight Food and forestry provide the most jobs in the manufacturing sector. PepsiCo (Simba) have plants that use the province’s plentiful potato crop. TSB Sugar runs two large mills and produces fruit juices through a subsidiary company. Nelspruit is the centre of the province’s food-processing cluster. Approximately 70% of jobs in the manufacturing sector are in food and forestry. A Social Enterprise Development Programme has been designed by the Provincial Government of Mpumalanga
