Training the unemployed
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olkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) and the Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape have jointly initiated a programme intended to train 100 unemployed people annually in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. In December last year a R20-million funding agreement was signed to support VWSA’s training initiatives. The funding is being used to provide training for specialist skills such as advanced PLC and robotics, vehicle electronics, applications and product development. The fund will also be utilised to upgrade training facilities and equipment.
The programme is linked to four unit standards within the Automotive Manufacturing Qualification and gives trainees 28 credits towards a future qualification. “We are delighted to partner with the Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape to train some of the unemployed people in our metro. Training and the upskilling is vitally important to give people a chance to enter the formal job market,” said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director: Volkswagen Group South Africa.
Training is coordinated by VWSA’s Learning Academy under project leader, Simphelo Peter, who says trainees undergo a 13-week programme that covers fundamental skills such as the correct use of hand tools and lean manufacturing. Thereafter, they take part in on the job production training.
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analyst, Sundar Shankarnarayanan. He says the entry of cheap imports into South Africa’s independent aftermarket affects the reputation of all participants.
The study points out that the lack of standardisation and control over imports hinders competitive manufacturing of filters locally, since shipped filters are priced 20% to 30% lower than local filters and original equipment (OE) filters.
In terms of sales volumes, Shankarnarayanan says air filters (34,5%) and oil filters (42,4%) are rated the bestselling products in the local aftermarket. Fuel filters account for a further 17,8% of total filter sales, with cabin filters logging 5,2% percent.
“The drop in filter prices encourages commodity pricing in the domestic market. This is a significant challenge as local manufacturers account for 80% of the market with imported brands holding the remaining 20%,” says a statement issued by Frost & Sullivan’s mobility research
He adds that OEMs are fitting filters in passenger vehicles in greater numbers, raising the penetration rate of filters. He says demand is expected to reach 50,3 million units by 2022, of which passenger vehicles will account for 93% and commercial vehicles, the remainder.
www.automobil.co.za
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omputer chip maker Intel Corp is entering the fast-growing self-drive automotive market. Speaking at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, CEO Brian Krzanich said the company would invest more than $250-million (about R3,5-billion) over the next two years to develop technology for autonomously driven vehicles. In a keynote speech, Krzanich said Intel would focus on vision processing, 5G connectivity, cloud computing, machine learning and cyber security. His announcement followed an earlier statement which said the company would team up with BMW and Israeli technology specialist MobilEye to develop a self-drive system for BMW’s iNext, billed as the replacement flagship sedan in the auto manufacturer’s line-up.
Samsung to buy Harmon
Cheap imports flood filter aftermarket outh Africa’s automotive filters aftermarket is being flooded with lowquality, low-cost imports, according to a recent study by research house Frost & Sullivan.
Intel enters self-drive race
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amsung Electronics has agreed to pay $8-billion (about R114-billion) for in-car audio and technology specialist Harman International Industries. Observers believe the move is aimed at bolstering Samsung’s presence in the connected- and autonomousvehicle space. The deal, which is expected to be concluded in mid-2017, will position Samsung as a rival to other technology companies such as Apple and Google in the automotive sphere. About 65% of Harman’s sales this year have been to the auto industry. While the company has become legendary for developing high-end audio equipment, in recent years its focus has shifted to in-car electronic systems. Observers say the deal will give Samsung access to the in-car head unit, where Apple and Google have already staked claims through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It will also serve to accelerate the Korean company’s plans to introduce 5G LTE connectivity, currently planned to go into a trial stage in 2018.
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016/2017
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