South Africa lacks the automation and technology skills needed to leverage the technology disruptors that are changing the face of manufacturing and sparking a new industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0. Chairperson of the Manufacturing Circle, Andre de Ruyter, told delegates at last week’s Manufacturing Indaba in Johannesburg that some industries in South Africa had seen “massive gains” in production through the implementation of digitised and robotised skills in factories and warehouses. “But often these technologies are not fully utilised because there are major gaps in the kind of skills needed to take them forward,” he explained. According to De Ruyter, government needs to focus on delivering secondary and tertiary education that is more outcomes-based. Director-general of industrial policy at the Department of Trade and Industry, Garth Strachan, agreed, pointing out that South Africa needed to automate a large portion of its production processes if it was to become globally competitive on the world’s industrialisation platform. “It’s such a delicate balance in the South African reality where we face a massive unemployment rate and we need to make more use of the resources we have but we also need to upskill people to operate the machines that could possibly eliminate the need for jobs,” he said, noting that it was “vital” to investigate and properly understand the skills gaps. A suggestion from a conference delegate was that automation could significantly ramp up production in South Africa – and thus boost the economy – which would eventually lead to more job creation. “Is it not better to rather upskill and employ 50 000 people in the short term, rather than focus on creating 500 000 jobs for unskilled people, and ensure SA meets its economic growth targets to be able to employ more people in the long-run?” he asked. Aveng managing director, Solly Letsoalo, weighed in saying that any manufacturing company needed “capable employees” that were continually being developed to meet changing business needs. “Our clients’ needs are constantly evolving and so must our business responses. In-house skills development and training is essential,” he said. Nissan South Africa manufacturing director, Joan Busquets, said the carmaker was investing significantly in skills training and development to address the shortage of skilled engineers and operators in South Africa. “I agree that it’s up to the manufacturers to provide the necessary skills training – especially in new technologies. Provided there are good tertiary education facilities that provide the good base set skills, we can build great engineers and technicians from there,” he said.
It’s such a delicate balance in the South African reality where we face a massive unemployment rate. – Garth Strachan
