Despite the volatile economic conditions in the country, coupled with unreliable power supply, efforts are being made in the Buffalo City Metro to keep big companies, including Mercedes-Benz SA (MBSA), in the municipality.
The Nelson Mandela University (NMU) has launched a new Automotive Industry Development Centre – Eastern Cape (AIDC-EC) Chair in Automotive Engineering.
The AIDC-EC has endowed the new research chair in the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology for an initial three-year period.
Backed with a financial investment of R14-million, this strengthens the university’s position as a centre of excellence in the automotive industry.
As the largest vehicle manufacturing province in SA, it is no secret that the Eastern Cape is heavily reliant on the automotive sector to succeed for it to do the same.
The Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape has partnered with the Japanese International Co-operation Agency to roll out Kaizen, a new programme that will boost productivity in the province’s manufacturing sector.