The Gauteng Premier, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, and MEC for Economic Development, Ms Tasneem Motara, officially opened the Batyi Automotive Component Supply (BACS) facility on 30th May 2023 in Pretoria North.
The opening of BACS is a culmination of the contribution made by various role-players in the automotive industry and a true testament to the success of the Incubation Programme developed by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC). The Incubation Programme was designed in collaboration with Ford Motor Company and its tier-one suppliers as part of the AIDC’s mandate to transform the automotive industry.
AIDC CEO, Mr Andile Africa, said, “The Incubation programme is designed to groom and prepare Black industrialists to become independent suppliers in the automotive value chain, which operates on a global scale”.
The AIDC currently has 13 SMMEs in the programme, located in the Ford and Nissan Incubation Centres. Six graduations from the centre at Ford have taken place with an estimated joint annual turnover of R35.9 million and 207 jobs created to date.
Mr Sipho Batyi graduated from the Incubation Centre after a rigorous five-year programme that led to his production facility’s opening. The AIDC facilitated an agreement between BACS, and Motherson, a tier-one supplier, for spray painting and assembly of their components. BACS currently produces 500 units daily and has created over 30 jobs. In a heartfelt address, Mr Batyi thanked the Gauteng Provincial government, highlighting the AIDC’s role in his journey. Batyi credits the AIDC as an organisation with the willingness and expertise to create real entrepreneurs in the industry.
BACS received messages of support from Ford Motor Company, Motherson and the National Association of Component and Allied Manufacturers ( NAACAM).
In his address and congratulatory message to BACS, Premier Lesufi said, “We can’t continue to be a country of consumers. We need to start to build a society that can produce, build a society that can create, but most importantly, a society that can exchange products and what we are seeing today is a realisation of that society.”
About the AIDC
The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) is a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), an agency of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development. The AIDC was established as a support centre to strengthen global competitiveness in the local automotive industry and bolster Gauteng’s position as an automotive industry destination of choice. The AIDC has accelerated economic growth within the automotive industry through strategic partnerships with government, non-governmental agencies, and industry leaders. The AIDC prides itself in being a world-class organisation specialising in Skills Development and Training, Enterprise Development, Incubation Programmes, Management of Incentive Programmes and Facility Management.
