Manufacturing Sector Shows Resilience
South Africa boasts a well-developed manufacturing sector which is inextricably linked to our area of expertise, mechanical engineering. In 2023, the sector in its entirety provided more than 1.6 million jobs and accounted for 13.0% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP). According to data from Statistics SA, the food and beverage sub-sector was the […]
High-quality Valve Solutions
“BMG, which celebrates 50 years of business this year has established an extensive distribution network and this footprint, enhanced by in-depth market knowledge, makes us the ideal partner to bring InterApp’s high-quality valve solutions to the African market,” says Susan Victor, Sales Manager, BMG’s Fluid Technology division,. “Our skilled engineers and technical support teams work […]
Award for Young Mechanical Engineer
Young talent from leading consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory practice Zutari was in the spotlight at the 2024 CESA Aon Engineering Excellence Awards when Istiaan Lubbe received a commendation in the Young Engineer of the Year category. Istiaan graduated with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria (UP) in 2017 and recently […]
Meeting Local and International Requirements
There are numerous reasons that goods off a production line can be sub-standard. A major one is a lack of structure in terms of systems and processes, but it could also be that workers on the line have not been given effective training, including performance guidance. Furthermore, when there is little to no communication, employees […]
Factory of the Year
The Factory of the Year competition is a global benchmarking contest for companies in the manufacturing sector, initiated by the global management consultancy Kearney in 1992 and debuted in South Africa in 2018 through a collaboration between Kearney, the DTIC (Department of Trade, Industry and Competition), the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), Manufacturing […]
Choosing the Wisest Course
I had the opportunity to attend the recent launch of the publication: “Engineering Ethics in South Africa”, together with our Editor, Susan Custers. Held at the Juta offices in Sandton, author Dr Lorrainne Doherty, took guests through the need for South Africans to be keenly aware of their actions and decisions in light of competing […]
John Orr Lecture: No Time to Lose
Despite the rise of Uber for example, the idea that you don’t have to own an asset outright to be successful is not new. Prof Pat Naidoo, who gave the SAIMechE John Orr lecture late last year, in fact took delegates to circa 1900 when the famous British economist, John Maynard Keynes argued that government’s […]
Manufacturing Excellence Programmes
South Africa’s manufacturing industry has to keep evolving to remain competitive in the face of global competition in recent years. While there has been a longstanding battle between effectively producing products against demand and maintaining a sustainable cost base, a key modern day challenge remains — the reality that agile manufacturing is becoming more cumbersome […]
SAIMechE Appoints CEO
The South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering announces the appointment of Uncel Mhelembe as the new Chief Executive. He has taken up the role, effective February 2023, a year after the departure of the previous CEO, Vaughan Rimbault. Uncel was appointed to the Institution as General Manager in February 2020. He comes with a great […]
23 Business Tips for 2023
The end of a year and the beginning of the next is when thoughts turn to New Year’s resolutions – time to lose weight, return to the gym, improve one’s health. The same applies to small business owners, according to Denzil Steyn, president of the Durban Chapter of the global peer-to-peer network, the Entrepreneur’s Organisation […]
