Manufacturing

Solar panels could be made in the North West.

Sector Insight

Supreme Chicken has invested R180-million at Tigane.

in the SADC region. Chassis manufacturer KLT Group has acquired the Brits plant which comprises a pressing, welding, assembly and e-coating facility. The KLT Group has four plants in South Africa and employs more than 1 000 people.

The announcement that AMEA Power has been awarded a 120MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project at Doornhoek is interesting beyond the implications for energy generation.

Doornhoek is near Klerksdorp which in turn is near Stilfontein, and that is the site chosen by the North West Provincial Government as the possible location for a factory that will produce solar panels. The nascent renewable energy manufacturing sector has great potential.

Just north of Klerksdorp is the small town of Hartbeesfontein, and it is in the Tigane area of that town that Supreme Chicken has spent R180-million upgrading facilities and expanding production capabilities. A million chickens per week will now be processed, 300 000 more than was previously possible. Improved chilling technology allows the company, a part of Country Bird Holdings, to reduce its water usage.

The Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (CFAM) at North-West University specialises in extruder technology and the recent introduction by NWU of a new qualification in mechatronic engineering will give graduates a head start in a wide range of enterprises.

Bridgestone South Africa’s investment in new technology at its plant in Brits is allowing the company to produce 19-inch tyres for the BMW X3 being assembled in Pretoria. Bridgestone’s factory is one of only four in the world that produces runflat tyres. About 850 people are employed at the plant.

Also in Brits are Bosch and Dubigeon Body and Coach. SOS Tie & Die is a manufacturer of precision pressings, components and press tools. AVMY Steel Science is the largest supplier of small-quantity steel

Online Resources

Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC): www.aidc.co.za

National Department Trade, Industry and Competition: www.dtic.gov.za

North West Development Corporation: www.nwdc.co.za

In addition to Brits (automotive components and tyres), other concentrations include mining equipment and engineering (Klerksdorp) and food and beverages (Potchefstroom).

Rustenburg has a mixture of enterprises, the biggest of which are mining-related smelters.

Production of non-metallic mineral products is concentrated around Lichtenburg and Mahikeng (cement), and Rustenburg (stone). Totpak is located in Ventersdorp. RCL Foods has a large processing plant at Rustenburg, an EPOL feeds facility. Clover’s decision in 2021 to leave Lichtenburg because of a lack of reliable services was a blow for employment opportunities in the Ditsobotla Local Municipality.

About 30% of the country’s grain and oil-seed crop pass through Senwes silos every year. Sasko operates a white-maize mill in Klerksdorp. The SAB Rosslyn Brewery supplies the North West with most of its beer. ■