The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) continues to serve as the leader in transformation and innovation in the automotive sector. This as the AIDC hosts a delegation from Toyota South Africa Motors and Trade and Investment KZN on a best practice tour at its facilities.
The itinerary included presentations and tours on the AIDC’s Incubation Centre at Ford, Batyi Automotive Component Supply (BACS), and the Automotive Supplier Park in Rosslyn. As an agency of the Gauteng Provincial Government, the AIDC provided information and guidance on how to develop the infrastructure and programmes that lead to growth in the automotive sector. The AIDC manages projects in skills development and training, incubations, supplier development, and Township Automotive Hubs.
Central to AIDC’s offering is the Automotive Supplier Park (ASP) – an industrial park based in Rosslyn in the northern corridor of the Gauteng City Region. The park spans 130 hectares and houses a tenant pool comprising mainly component manufacturers and suppliers to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Automotive component manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers benefit from the synergies and cost-saving opportunities created by the locality of the Automotive Supplier Park. The AIDC develops factories to tenant specification on a long-term lease basis.
Automotive Industry Development Centre’s Incubation Centre at FORD
The AIDC’s Automotive Incubation Centre at Ford currently houses five companies that supply automotive components directly to the Ford production line for the Ford Ranger. Each of the incubatees is subcontracted to a Tier 1 component supplier who then provides technical mentoring as required for the duration of the incubation programme. The AIDC’s incubation centre at Ford is the predecessor to the facility at NISSAN SA.
Batyi Automotive Component Supply
Lindisipho Batyi, founder of Batyi Automotive Component Supply (BACS) is a graduate of the AIDC ’s Incubation Programme at Ford; involved in the assembly and manufacturing of car components. The AIDC identified a graduation opportunity for BACS recently. This opportunity is the result of a partnership between a tier-one company (Mothersons) supplying Ford and its supplier (Easy Dent), extending an opportunity to BACS. Through AIDC’s intervention, the parties agreed that BACS would establish a spray-painting facility at the Easy Dent premises, fulling the order to Mothersons.
Lindisipho Batyis is the winner of this year’s BBQ award in the New and innovative Business category.
The AIDC was established over two decades ago and remains committed to being the industry’s partner in becoming globally competitive.
The AIDC’s Rirhandzu Khoza, Claude Pillay, Japhta Mashaba, Asanda Mzinyati, Andile Africa (CEO) , from Toyota SA Motors, Kim Nisbet, Umesh Harripersad, Xolani Xaba, Zimvo Mtolo and Claude Moodley from TIKZN.