THE Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Andrew Whitfield pledged government’s commitment to supporting the Tooling, Die and Mould-making (TDM) sector in a speech given at the official opening of the Intsimbi/PtSA centre of excellence in Pinetown on 6 November.
The Intsimbi Future Production Technologies Initiative (FPTI) is a national multi-stakeholder programme that was established by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Production Technologies Association of South Africa (PtSA), to implement a turnaround strategy for South Africa’s distressed tooling industry.
“As government, we will continue to support the Intsimbi initiative to ensure sustained growth and impact in the tooling, die and mould-making sector. We understand and acknowledge that the TDM industry is the engine room of manufacturing,” said Whitfield.
He added that the mission of the Government of National Unity is to make it easier for businesses to grow and create jobs; and for people to get jobs and keep those jobs.
“Initiatives such as this, are critical to the realisation of this goal, by providing our people with critical skills to enter the workforce and contribute to the reindustrialisation of our economy. The Initiative is enabling government and industry to cooperate on the large-scale interventions required to rehabilitate the South African TDM sector for the benefit of our manufacturing sector,” said Whitfield.
He added that ongoing government support to the TDM industry was also essential to maintain and expand the reach of these initiatives, which play a critical role in developing skilled professionals and fostering innovation in key industrial sectors.
“Government will also continue to advocate for increased local content, particularly in the automotive sector, as it is one of the largest consumers of tooling. This strategic focus is essential for creating a robust market that can drive the recovery and growth of the TDM sector in South Africa, which will spill over into other sectors,” said Whitfield.
He added that to date, government had invested more than R700 million and the private sector R300 million into the programme, to build the necessary capacity to deliver internationally and domestically recognised trade and part-qualifications, and toolmaking capacity that are in line with industry needs.
“This, along with a sizable industry investment, has resulted in the establishment of fully equipped training centres of excellence in the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, including accredited trade test facilities for the occupational trade qualification in toolmaking. And today, we are finally officially opening KZN’s very own centre of excellence,” said Whitfield.
He expressed his delight that since opening. 1,462 students had completed the programme with occupational certificates in toolmaking or part qualifications. A further 190 students are currently in the programme and an intake of 120 students is being processed.
“Many of these graduates are employed in the automotive industry, with some starting their own businesses, or moving into management and supervisory positions. This strongly demonstrates the success of this transformative public-private partnership,” said Whitfield.
He also announced that the DTIC would advocate for a Southern African Development Community (SADC) manufacturing hub with South Africa’s capability at its core.
“This will grow the manufacturing capacity and also grow the African Continental Free Trade Area-inspired investments, an opportunity we must take full advantage of,” said Whitfield
He appealed to all stakeholders to come together with a shared commitment to ensure that the Intsimbi Programme continues to produce quality artisans to support local manufacturing.
“This programme has the potential to be expanded to serve as the central hub of manufacturing skills development clusters and enterprise development in South Africa,” he said.
