TASA Chair Vusi Mkhize and South African Automotive Week Director Andrew Binning sign an MOU to promote and grow the tooling industry in South Africa
The Tooling Association of South Africa has signed a memorandum of understanding with the organisers of South African Automotive Week to develop and expand critical tooling skills in South Africa.
Tooling Association of South Africa (TASA), Gauteng Chairman Vusi Mkhize said according to the MoU, signed in Johannesburg this week and which includes the Gauteng Tooling Initiative, South African Automotive Week (SAAW) would be TASA’s preferred promotion exhibition.
TASA will also join NAACAM, NAAMSA and the RMI as Official Partners in the hosting of The Week, which takes place every two years to grow investment, trade, market access and global insights for the automotive manufacturing supply chain.
“TASA will host a Tooling focussed seminar at future editions of SAAW and promote The Week to members and associates in terms of an exclusive partnership, which we believe will optimally address the imperatives pertaining to tooling and the tool industry in South Africa,” Mkhize said.
“The Tool, Die and Mouldmaking (TDM) industry, which represents a market of R13 billion per annum, with added maintenance services contributing another R2 billion per annum,.is critical to achieve manufacturing competitiveness in South Africa,” Mkhize said.
“There can be no manufacture without the tools to do so, and in order to create a sustainable manufacturing industry, steps need to be taken to ensure that the TDM industry achieves the highest quality and standards.”
Mkhize said the South African TDM industry had been in a steady rate of decline after having suffered years of underinvestment and factors such as increasing volumes of imports versus exports, skills losses and technology stagnation.
Partnership with SAAW was one of the many initiatives TASA has undertaken to restore the tooling industry in South Africa, Mkhize said.
South African Automotive Week Director, Andrew Binning said the agreement “was an important milestone in the development of The Week as the country’s single and authoritative voice and showcase of its manufacturing capability.”
National Association of Automotive Components and Allied Manufacturers of South Africa (NAACAM) Director, Robert Houdet said SAAW traditionally injected millions into the economy through deals concluded between local and international organisations and had established itself as the intellectual gathering for the automotive and related manufacturing fraternity in Africa.
The fifth edition of South African Automotive Week will take place in October 2016.
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