OVERVIEW Manufacturing
OVERVIEW Manufacturing Solar panels could be made in the North West. SECTOR INSIGHT Supreme Chicken has invested R180-million at Tigane. Supreme Chicken has expanded its operations. 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 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. 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. ■ NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2023/24 22 PHOTO: Supreme Chicken
Water Plans are in place to address shortfalls in water delivery. OVERVIEW The inability to deliver water to consumers reliably continues to affect municipalities and several steps are being taken to fix the problem. In addition to a Provincial War Room on water which was announced in 2022, a Steering Committee has been established with the National Department of Water and Sanitation. A mobile app is to be introduced to enable citizens to alert authorities to water problems quickly. A panel of experts has identified water and bulkwater supply as among the sectors that should be prioritised when it comes to creating “Mega Infrastructure Projects”. The projects were identified based on stage of readiness, bankability, socio-economic impact and ability to be implemented timeously. The N12 highway was badly flooded in November 2022, causing huge delays to traffic and damaging the road itself. The sum of R100- million has been allocated to repair it. The community of Deelpan, near Sannieshof, has agreed to a relocation from the low-lying land which they current occupy and which was prone to flooding. The province has 83 sewage-treatment plants, and the national Blue Drop award system has found that most of them need improvement. JB Marks Local Municipality, which has Potchefstroom as its main town, is one of only three municipalities in the country that acts as a water-service authority and as a service provider. It has won awards for its levels of service. The biggest service providers active in the North West are: • Rand Water. • Sedibeng Water (which has taken over the service area of Botshelo Water). • Midvaal Water Company, which supplies water to Matlosana (Klerksdorp). • Magalies Water serves two of the local municipalities in the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, Moses Kotane and Rustenburg. It also supplies water to five mines in the province and is active in the provinces of Gauteng and Limpopo. ONLINE RESOURCES Blue Drop Awards: www.ewisa.co.za National Department of Water and Sanitation: www.dws.gov.za South African Association of Water Utilities: www.saawu.org.za SECTOR INSIGHT Floods damaged roads in 2022. Magalies Water’s contribution on Mandela Day in 2023 was to clean up the Dorpspruit in Rustenburg. South Africa is a water-scarce country and water management is critical to economic planning. The western part of North West Province is particularly dry. In the eastern part of the province, national government has sent water tanks to some parts, and has upgraded the treatment plants upstream from the Hartbeespoort Dam. Three of South Africa’s six major catchment areas are located in the province: the Limpopo, the Orange and the Vaal. Within these catchment areas, only the Vaal River has a strong-enough flow to allow for significant amounts of water to be taken from it directly to support irrigation or industry. There are four water-management areas in the province, three of which are linked to the Vaal River. Water is imported into the provincial system through transfers between water basins. ■ PHOTO: Magalies Water 23 NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2023/24
