The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) formed part of the delegation accompanying the Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as he made visits to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the Northern Corridor of the Gauteng City Region.
The minister visited the Ford plant in Silverton on Monday, then Nissan and BMW in Rosslyn respectively on Tuesday. The purpose of the visits was to engage the OEMs on the energy scarcity in the country. The stakeholder engagement programme is a call for the automotive industry to be part of the solution in mitigating the energy scarcity that has an adverse impact on the economy.
During the visit the OEMs presented to the delegation the impact of power interruptions on their production process in particular high energy processes such as the body shop and the paint shop. All three OEMs are implementing risk mitigation measures such as solar energy solutions. The minister says, “The crisis that we are facing requires that we should take bold, courageous and decisive action to close the electricity gap.”
The AIDC is part of these engagements as the implementation agency delivering creative, efficient, best practice and value-based solutions in support of government’s programmes related to the automotive sector in Gauteng. The CEO for the AIDC, Mr Andile Africa says “we have plans to install solar energy solutions for our tenants at the Automotive Supplier Park and to supply the broader Rosslyn precinct at large.”
