Construction of the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) is making good progress according to development board chairperson, Lionel October.
The completion of Phase 1 construction will see more than R4.33- billion investments from ten tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers to Ford Motor Company in the next 12 months.
“Having these suppliers located adjacent to the Silverton assembly plant is crucial to increasing efficiency and competitiveness of the South African automotive sector, and thus unleashing further potential increases in production capacity for domestic and export markets,” said October.
With the construction of factories being at an advanced stage, government will now support TASEZ to develop other industrial development support systems such as training facilities, incubation centres, retail facilities, an office park and other public facilities. These will be developed in line with market demand and the TASEZ master plan.
From a South African automotive industry point of view, upon completion, TASEZ will not only be the world’s largest Ford Ranger pickup plant manufacturer, but will also be producing a global product and brand that will be exported to 150 countries.
- Dtic