SATRA sees a role for itself in helping regenerate the industry in South Africa
26/11/2014
A not-for-profit company established by the department of trade and industry at the start of this year, the NFLC is based at Vaal University of Technology in Sebokeng, Guateng Province. Its role is to help create a platform on which the leather and footwear production sectors can flourish again in South Africa through product development, skills development, processes, and marketing.
In recent weeks SATRA has received visits from NFLC chief executive, George Newton, and from other key representatives of the industry in South Africa and has held detailed discussions on how the technology centre can assist in regenerating footwear and leather production in their country.
Most recently, Jaywant Irkhede, director of the leather and footwear section at the South African department of trade and industry and Thabo Sepuru, senior manager of materials technology laboratories at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), spent a number of days at SATRA and met with several of the organisation’s technical and manufacturing experts.
Mr Irkhede gave a presentation that explained the current status of South African footwear and leather production, and highlighted his department’s goals for a “dramatic improvement” in manufacturing capability and global competitiveness over the next five years.
The South African government established a new directorate of leather and footwear in 2011. Dr Rob Davies, the minister of trade and industry, recently commented that domestic market share and export levels were low, as was investment and adoption of the latest technology.
In addition, he said raw leather resources were under-used and said his department would “spare no effort” in supporting the leather and footwear industries in South Africa. In line with this, the department is to invest more than $25 million through its Competitive Improvement Programme, establishing a number of business clusters, of which the NFLC is one.
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