<\/p>\n
Isuzu SA Department Executive for Corporate Planning Fundi Mahlanyana said localisation is about more than producing vehicles, describing the strategy as an investment in sustainable economic growth and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, localisation is actually more than about the vehicles themselves. It\u2019s about building sustainability for the African continent,\u201d Mahlanyana said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mahlanyana said Africa has the talent and potential to become a major automotive manufacturing hub. \u201cAs Africa, we have enough talent to actually be a manufacturing hub for the African continent,\u201d Mahlanyana said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Isuzu recently invested approximately $16 million in a press shop next to the Struandale plant in Gqeberha. The facility has reduced the distance components travel because parts were previously transported from Komani.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mahlanyana said the wider investment totalled about $46 million and is expected to generate approximately $170 million in value through production of the D-Max.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The adjacent press shop is also expected to reduce carbon emissions and transport costs while strengthening local supply chains.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mahlanyana acknowledged that port inefficiencies, high costs and broader economic challenges can make localisation difficult. However, partnerships with government, customers, banks and industry bodies can help manufacturers find practical solutions. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s definitely finding a window where the door is closed,\u201d Mahlanyana said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The D-Max is assembled and re-engineered in SA to meet the needs of customers across different African markets.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vehicles are obviously designed in Japan and in Thailand. But when the vehicle comes to the South African market, by the time we introduce it to the South African or the African market, we have taken into account the diverse African terrain, the diverse environments, and the unique customer needs of the African continent,\u201d Mahlanyana said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Isuzu has operated in SA for more than 60 years and currently has a presence in about 26 African countries. Mahlanyana said the African Continental Free Trade Area creates opportunities to source skills and components from more countries while expanding regional production.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Isuzu\u2019s truck business has also maintained market leadership for 13 years. Mahlanyana attributed the performance to reliability, parts availability and long-term relationships with fleet customers. \u201cOur fleet customers know they can rely on us,\u201d Mahlanyana said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mahlanyana said Isuzu plans to expand further across Africa but will assess each market individually to ensure vehicles meet local conditions and customer requirements.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":42053,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-42052","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Isuzu South Africa (SA) says local manufacturing can create jobs, develop skills, lower emissions and strengthen automotive value chains across Africa.","published_date":"","news_description":"Isuzu South Africa (SA) says local manufacturing can create jobs, develop skills, lower emissions and strengthen automotive value chains across Africa.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/42052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/42052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42054,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/42052\/revisions\/42054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=42052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}