The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) will host manufacturing companies and industry leaders at the interactive manufacturing roundtable event.
The function will take place at Emperors Palace on June 19 from 8am to 4:30pm.
The manufacturing roundtable will be held as a precursor to the two-day Manufacturing Indaba Conference and Exhibition, to be held from June 29 to 30 at 8am until 5pm.
The EMM’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe, said the revitalisation of the manufacturing sector is one of the EMM’s flagship projects, following the introduction of the Growth and Development Strategy 2055 (GDS 2055) which aims to develop Ekurhuleni into a sustainable city by 2055.
“The manufacturing sector contributes about 15 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is vital for creating employment in an economy where one in four people have been unable to find work, especially the youth,” said Mr Gadebe.
The Manufacturing Indaba, hosted by Ekurhuleni in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, Manufacturing Circle, Deloitte and others, will bring together business owners, manufacturing leaders, government officials, capital providers and professional experts to deliberate on the challenges that must be addressed in order to enhance manufacturing competitiveness and in turn, strengthen the GDP.
“The threat of other emerging economies and cheap labour continues to threaten the growth and prosperity of the South African manufacturing sector and this is among the challenges for which solutions will be sought at the Manufacturing Roundtable, Conference and Exhibition.
“The Manufacturing Indaba and Exhibition is one of government’s many efforts to help eliminate the obstacles that pose a challenge for local manufacturers to remain competitive,” said Mr Gadebe.
Mr Gadebe said the municipality comprehends that a sustainable city can be achieved by ensuring that stakeholder engagement and participation remain central to the development and success of revitalising the manufacturing sector. He said this was the objective of hosting the events.
For more information about the events, individuals and businesses can contact Edward Komane on 011 999-8128 or Edward.Komane@ekurhuleni.gov.za.
Alternatively, contact or Nolen Martin on 011 463-9184, 082 3598023 or email nolene@manufacturingindaba.co.za.
Alternatively, visit the Manufacturing Indaba website at www.manufacturingindaba.co.za.
