Cold Link Africa May 2019 | Page 31

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN Don’t miss the first local manufacturing expo T he manufacturing sector in southern Africa is primed to take a more active role in supplying goods to the continent and internationally. Characterised by a pioneering diehard attitude, this sector has a solid reputation of developing products that can readily compete with the best the international market has to offer. Eric Bruggeman, CEO of the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC), says that in the majority of cases, there is simply no reason for the African market to source products outside the continent. “The innovation and quality of locally produced goods is exemplary, and we believe that this message needs to be conveyed to those people responsible for the procurement of goods within organisations. By partnering with Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery, we are providing a showcase for local manufacturers at an inaugural event.” The LME, which is endorsed by Gauteng’s Premier David Makhura, will be held at the Expo Centre, Nasrec, from 21 to 23 May 2019. The event, which will also include free-to-attend seminars hosted by the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE), has attracted a wealth of local manufacturing intellectual property and expertise. The expo will also play host to an arei (Association of Representatives for the Electronics Industry) Pavilion and the Skills Development Zone hosted by the Artisan Training Institute (ATI). arei represents the interests of the electronics industry in South Africa and aims to contribute to the creation of an environment that encourages a dynamic growth of the electronic manufacturing industry, at both component and system level, in South Africa. The ATI will use the Skills Development Zone to display their technical skills in an interactive workshop setting. ATI is making a substantial difference in the technical training environment as it drives quality training throughout its operations. “We are very excited about the potential of the expo to ignite business ties between our local manufacturing sector and industry captains from The inaugural Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo (LME) will be held at the Expo Centre, Nasrec (Johannesburg) from 21 to 23 May 2019. The first Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo 2019 takes place from 21 to 23 May this year. Africa and abroad. It’s time for local manufacturers to share their offerings with the market. This event will present the exhibitors with a captive target audience and allow industry procurement specialists to source high-quality locally manufactured products,” says Charlene Hefer, portfolio director for Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery. CLA To visit the Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo 2019, or to find out more about the exhibition, visit the website at www.localmanufacturingexpo.co.za. SA’s participation in Foodex bears fruit T he Department of Trade and Industry (dti) led 30 local companies to the exhibition, which is regarded as Asia’s largest food and drink fair, providing a platform for creating and expanding business opportunities. It took place from 5 to 8 March, boasting a total of more than 80 000 visitors! Statistics from the exhibition, which got under way on the Tuesday, indicated that over 6 500 people visited the South African pavilion over the course of the week. This resulted in 783 trade leads for South African companies from international traders, who showed keen interest in importing local products. Export marketer at Fruits Du Sud, Tania Alston, said the exhibition will boost the company’s objective of increasing their market share in Japan and the rest of the Asian market. As a result of her participation in the exhibition, Alston said she met very promising clients for her sun-dried raisins. Peter Foulis from Naturezone was also impressed with the exhibition. He made contacts from countries such as Mexico, Korea, China, Japan, and America, which he says could see the company exporting its products in the near future. “The interest in our herbal iced tea and craft mixers was phenomenal,” said Foulis. Chief executive officer of the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum, Anton Kruger, said, “The show yielded positive results, as the forum did not only receive enquiries from Japan, but from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and China as well. It is important to create more awareness about South Africa as a fruit production and export country of high-quality fruits,” said Kruger. South African companies who showed off their wares at the 44th Foodex exhibition in Japan, are confident of trade leads that will help them grow their business. The opening ceremony of the 44th edition of the Foodex Japan international food and beverage trade. The exhibition takes place over a period of four days and attracts thousands of buyers from the food service value chain, distribution networks, and trading COLD LINK AFRICA • May 2019 companies from across the Asia region and globally. The show consisted of 1 360 exhibitors from 38 countries representing 14 sectors. CLA www.coldlinkafrica.co.za 31