The electronics components sector in the Western Cape has attracted almost R900 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the past 12 years – and further growth is expected following the start of several major global manufacturing projects in Cape Town over the past two years, said Jacyntha Twynam, senior manager Wesgro Research. She told FTW that the trade and investment promotional body for the Western Cape had made a strategic decision to de-focus from sectors in which other government agencies were already actively promoting trade and investment opportunities and prioritise sectors such as electronics, business process outsourcing and information and communications technology. “According to Business Monitor International, South Africa’s consumer electronics sector was estimated at R6.9bn in 2013 – in terms of sales. Some 64%, or R555.4m, of the electronic manufacturing investments in Cape Town – from January 2003 to January 2015 – were consumer electronics-focused,” said Twynam. She said that Wesgro had facilitated the R350m HiSense investment in a manufacturing plant in Atlantis, Cape Town in 2013. “Today, the manufacturing facility is fully operational and has the capacity to produce 400 000 televisions and fridges per annum. A milestone is the manufacturing of the Hisense 84 inch UHD TV – the first to be manufactured on African soil,” commented Twynam. INSERT & CAPTION South Africa’s consumer electronics sector was estimated at R6.9bn in 2013 in terms of sales. – Jacyntha Twynam
