Plumbing Africa September 2017 | Page 64

62 LOCAL MANUFACTURING A range of plumbing products, all distributed to the retail plumbing industry in Africa. CTA manufactures different diameters of copper tube, which are supplied according to customer specification. product and to form new alliances that would ensure CTA’s products are widely available at competitive prices. Through ongoing partnerships, it has increased its market share in the plumbing industry and continues to drive new technology solutions. It also adapts quickly while having its finger on the pulse of the industry. But it will always remain the end user’s trusted partner for superior quality. operates, it is often not seen as worthwhile to invest in manufacturing. The recent high increase in the cost of labour and energy has exacerbated this. However, the advantages of locally manufactured products include shorter lead times, quality standards can be verified, and partnerships with distributors in the region can more easily be formed and maintained. Many challenges, but quality control and partnerships maintained Local manufacturing requires technical know-how, significant capital investment, and access to working capital. Given the competitive challenges manufacturing faces from the global environment in which CTA The future, particularly relating to the plumbing industry Maintaining high quality standards and investing in capital to reduce the cost of production will be key to growing and maintaining the local manufacturing industry. PA Processed copper tubes are cut to various lengths and sorted in bins during the manufacturing process. September 2017 Volume 23 I Number 7 www.plumbingafrica.co.za