Highlights of the first day of the four-day inaugural HeavyWeight Expo at the Tshwane Exhibition Centre in Pretoria West yesterday were the official opening in brilliant sunshine by the deputy minister of agriculture, Dr Pieter Mulder, and the presence of more than 170 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and concepts from the heavy vehicle industry.

There was also the first of four workshops presented by Cape Town-based Omega Investment Research, which addressed the economic outlook for the heavy vehicle industry in Southern Africa.  Among the speakers were Jeff Osborne, CEO of the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) organisation, which has endorsed the HeavyWeight Expo, and Stewart Jennings, president of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM).

The first national exhibition and conference dedicated to the latest products, services and concepts in the heavy vehicle industry was officially opened at the Tshwane Exhibition Centre in Pretoria West by the deputy minister of agriculture, Dr Pieter Mulder.

The inaugural HeavyWeight Expo, organised by the Tshwane Business and Agricultural Corporation (Tshwabac) and incorporating the fifth annual Workshop and Aftermarket Technology Show (WATS), has attracted over 170 exhibitors whose products are displayed in three of the biggest halls at the Old Pretoria Showgrounds, covering some 17 000 square metres, and also in a 30 000 square metre outside display area.

In his opening address, Dr Mulder spoke about the challenge of food security and producing enough food in the world to feed the growing global population.  He said that, in order to meet these needs, the world’s farmers would have to produce 2% more food each year until achieving an increase of 50% in 2030.  This production would have to double again by 2050. 

He said it was clear that farming as it is know today would not be able to cope with the challenges of limited productive land and the ever-increasing pressure of food security.  The answer lay in technology and the transfer of skills which would improve productivity and enable the farmer to do more with less.

It was against this background that a commercial exhibition and conference like the HeavyWeight Expo was of utmost importance in South Africa, as it created an environment conducive for export and production opportunities.  These opportunities were essential to building our economy and in the fight against unemployment.

The HeavyWeight Expo was a shop window for the economic activities of a very important sector in our economy in South Africa, he added.  In addition, he believed that it would contribute towards a more positive economic atmosphere in South Africa.    

NAACAM’s Jennings, in stressing the economic importance of the local component industry, highlighted some worrying statistics that impacted on local vehicle production.  For example, he pointed out that car imports accounted for as much as 65% of total sales in January.  Local manufacturers produced fewer cars last year than in 1995 and the figure was 31% down on 2008. 

“We need high local content to protect existing jobs and create new ones,’ He said.  “NAACAM, who collectively employ nearly 300 000 people (compared to some 93 000 in manufacturing), is about vehicle production and the more vehicles we build here in South Africa, the better it is for local labour.”  The current strength of the Rand against the Euro (28% up on February 2009) had also impacted negatively on vehicle production.

The RMI’s Osborne spoke about trends in the motor industry and gave an overview of the industry’s 2009 performance and his views on 2010.  While he acknowledged that there were signs that the slump in industry sales might have bottomed out (January and February sales were up on the same period last year), he predicted that 2010 would be a year of consolidation in the motor industry and that a modest growth in new vehicle sales could be expected at best. 

He suggested an industry sales total for the year of 427 952, 8,28% up on 2009 but still and similar to the sales levels in 2003 and 2004.   

Ends

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