Pretoria - The Tshwane Economic Development Agency will have an opportunity to attract more investments towards the growth and expansion of the automotive sector during a conference in 2023 where industry players will be able to share ideas about the latest trends affecting their trade.
The City of Tshwane entity will host the show in partnership with the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers.
The show will take place from August 30 to September 1 next year at the Sun Bet Arena in Pretoria.
The association’s executive director, Renai Moothilal, said the show would provide “opportunities for component suppliers and stakeholders to better understand the key drivers and trends in the sector”.
To be hosted for the first time in Gauteng since its launch in 2017, the show will include a two-day exhibition and a half-day thought leadership conference.
The show was last held in 2019 and could not take place in 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The organisers said the dynamics of the South African automotive sector had since changed significantly due to global supply chain disruptions and the adoption of a new automotive incentive framework.
Moothilal said: “Component suppliers have made progress in unlocking new local content, driving investment and acquiring new technologies to support their customers’ requirements.
“The show 2023 will provide an opportunity to showcase these best practices, but also provide opportunities for component suppliers and stakeholders to better understand the key drivers and trends in the sector.”
On the other hand, the entity is expected to use the conference to encourage the city’s potential growth and expansion of the automotive sector as part of its objectives.
It also has an objective to cultivate an environment within which the City of Tshwane can grow its human capital and economy through the facilitation, implementation and management of developments with a specific focus on economic development and investment attraction into the greater Tshwane area.
The association’s membership base comprises component suppliers to original equipment manufacturers for assembly in South Africa, export markets, and the domestic and global after market.
Four manufacturers are located in Tshwane and are responsible for 45% of South Africa’s vehicle exports.
It was expected that the automotive sector would gain further momentum in Gauteng, with the establishment of the Tshwane Automotive City.
According to the organisers, the project would serve as an “ignition” project for an integrated logistics framework, focusing on inland ports and manufacturing hubs linked to rail corridors that link Tshwane with strategic ports in South Africa and SADC.
“The infrastructure development and multi-mode linkages, envisaged to support the project, will create a transport corridor that will position the City of Tshwane as an automotive trade and investment gateway for Africa,” they said.
Pretoria News