In 1986 UEC Projects was acquired by JSE listed Allied Technologies (Altech). With a strong background in military electronic technologies, with special emphasis on RF, from 1993 Altech UEC moved into the digital broadcast set-top box market.
In 1995 when Multichoice announced that it was launching a new digital satellite service in South Africa – DSTV – Altech UEC was chosen to design and develop the new digital decoders. With this announcement, the company made history when it launched a world-first Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) standard compliant set-top box (STB) for subscribers to receive the DSTV signal.
In 1997 the company decided to build a factory to manufacture its own STB products for the global market, and by 1999 had sold 1 million STBs. The vision of Craig Venter and the stellar efforts of the UEC team at that time, prepared the old factory for production in just two months and secured the business that has continued ever since.
The following are some more highlights of Altech UEC’s continued success:
* In 2002, launched the world-first Dual View STB in South Africa.
* In 2003, launched the world-first personal video recorder (PVR) STB.
* In 2005, launched the Dual View PVR, another world first.
* By 2007 over 5 million STBs had been shipped and just three years later the 10 million mark was surpassed.
* In 2011, 25,1% of Altech UEC was sold to a Black Economic Empowerment consortium. The company is a level 2 BBBEE contributor.
Moving on up
The growing demand for Altech UEC’s STBs began to put pressure on the original factory which was housed in six buildings at two sites in Mt. Edgecombe, KZN.
To streamline processes and boost productivity, in 2011 the STB factory was moved to a new facility which has the capability for plastic moulding, painting, printing, surface mounted device (SMD) assembly, hand placements, testing and final integration – all under one roof.
This allows manufacturing capability to extend beyond the previous STB manufacturing business to other electronic devices such as televisions, vehicle tracking systems etc.
In addition, a large investment was made to modernise the mechanical division, in particular the plastics sector, to expand the capabilities offered by the factory with respect to moulding plastic parts. Over and above moulding plastic parts required by the STBs, the capability exists to mould other plastic parts for the general consumer devices market or automotive industries, among others.
The 13 500 m², ISO9001-certified complex has a peak production capacity of over 20 000 units a day, over 300 000 units per month, and more than 3 million units a year. In total over 1,5 billion components are used in production annually, with over R100 million of supplies coming in a month.
On the inside looking out
The new factory provides synergy for in-plant logistics with operational efficiencies which allow quick expansion to support growth when required. The world-class facility and manufacturing systems are also available for contract manufacturing.
The company’s offering to contract customers includes general manufacturing services inclusive of process engineering and quality assurance, fully complaint rebate store to ensure import duty efficiency, supply chain to negotiate component pricing based on volume, as well as logistics services.
Altech UEC is a leading developer of digital technology for the converged African broadcast and broadband industries, specialising in the provision of fully integrated solutions, particularly customised set-top boxes, software solutions and services, systems integration capabilities as well as global logistical support services, supplied via Altech Global Decoder Logistics (GDL).
Altech GDL facilitates a complete service offering, including after-sales support and decoder repair capabilities.
Restructuring
In 2011 Altech sold 25,1% of Altech UEC to a Black Economic Empowerment consortium headed by Power Matla. With this sale came the restructuring of Altech UEC, with the international business being reorganised to form Altech Multimedia, headed by Peter Balchin as CEO. Altech UEC’s managing director, Rodger Warren, reports directly to Altech Multimedia and manages all African business.
Altech Multimedia has a global footprint with technical development and support centres in South Africa, India, China and Australia, and sales support offices in South Africa (under Altech UEC), Australia, India, Europe and the Middle East.
Corporate responsibility
Altech UEC’s plant has an environmental management policy whereby it compacts and recycles packaging material in the form of cardboard paper. The compactor has the capacity to compress half a ton of cardboard into a bale ready to be taken to the recycling depot.
The plant also recycles all electronic scrap as well as all by-products of the solder process. It also recycles wire clippings, cartons and polystyrene, wood, paper, plastic and steel. Products that cannot be recycled are disposed of through certified third-party disposal services.
The company’s factory aspires to be an employer of choice and, as such, create a positive work environment for all staff members. This is highlighted by the establishment of an onsite staff clinic. The plant also has operators that are fully trained as first aiders and fire fighters.
There is also a canteen with an outside area away from the humdrum of the factory, where workers can unwind during their breaks in the midst of a calming and flowing water feature, charming koi pond and alluring birdlife.
Risk management
With the electricity supply issues in South Africa, the plant has mitigated against the likelihood of load shedding by investing in massive generators and a fuel supply that will keep the plant running continuously for more than a week, after which the main fuel tank needs to be refilled. The fuel tank has a capacity of 18 000 litres.
The plant is also equipped with power smoothing equipment to protect against power surges and subsequent damage. It also has fire protection which consists of an overhead sprinkler system, attached to tanks with a 200 000 litre capacity, as well as a diesel pump system.
For more information contact Altech UEC, +27 (0)31 508 2800, [email protected], www.uec.co.za
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