Auto industry escapes major power-related fall-out

ALTHOUGH THE lack of electric power has hit the SA motor vehicle industry, the impact at vehicle production level has been “relatively negligible”, according to Nico Vermeulen, director of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa). Not that the industry has got off scot-free, he added. “Clearly, it’s disruptive, cost raising and has a negative effect on production. “But the impact on the assembly plants has been quite minimal up to now.” Much of this, he suggested, has been because of a good relationship between vehicle builders and the municipal electricity suppliers in Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Pretoria. However, the industry remains vulnerable, and is also exposed to power outages at component suppliers’ factories. As part of its battle against the problem, the motor industry has already implemented efficient energy-saving projects, Vermeulen added. “In the last two years we have met with Eskom, and most of the motor vehicle companies have introduced power-saving programmes.” And, as this article was being written, Naamsa had another meeting with Eskom on its diary. “What we are looking for is some detail of what Eskom has planned in its usage reduction campaign, and what the motor industry can proactively do to help.”