ABB has invested more than R10 million to complete additional technology transfer that brings the manufacture of UniGear ZS1 medium voltage switchgear to South Africa as part of its strategic plans to strengthen local manufacturing.
The product was previously fully imported from the Czech Republic, or other countries when needed. Due to the investment, 60% to 70% of the technology would be locally manufactured and assembled.
ABB’s Longmeadow campus in Modderfontein, Johannesburg spans 43 520 m² and contains offices, manufacturing, and logistics centres.
ABB said the Distribution Solutions factory within the campus employed around 120 people, 10 of whom had been newly employed through this investment.
ABB said it planned to increase these numbers by employing more permanent engineers, contractors, and graduates-for example, through its graduate programme, in which more than 70 graduates were participating.
ABB said the company had also started the process of increasing the localisation of its Compact Secondary Substations (CSS), due to be completed in October.
Yunus Hoosen, the head of InvestSA, an agency of the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, said the size of the South African switchgear market was projected to register growth. “The increasing number of investments in sustainable power generation, coupled with the growing population, is expected to drive the growth of the market.
“This illustrates both the importance of the domestic sector to multinationals and the strategic location of South Africa to a rapidly growing African consumer market,” Hoosen said.
BUSINESS REPORT