Sabertek gears up to take on the Chinese market - 16 July 2014 - SABERTEK

Sabertek gears up to take on the Chinese market
16 July 2014, Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services, News

On the 1st of May this year, Sabertek turned 21 and is continuously going from strength to strength. The company has just invested in another brand new high-speed SMT production line in order to cope with the demands for increased capacity.

The new line will increase total capacity to 210 000 components per hour, and with higher capacity comes better build efficiency which is crucial when trying to compete with the likes of China and the rest of the world.

Sabertek has recently carried out experiments in certain technologies that are fast becoming the way of the future and is very pleased with the results. The company is able to compete price-wise but with a high quality product. We are certainly not talking here along the lines of what are often referred to as ‘fong kong’ products; in fact I don’t believe the South African manufacturing industry will ever lower itself to those standards.

It is a firm belief at Sabertek that we are among a handful of very reputable manufacturing companies in South Africa whose technologies enable them to produce and compete with the top companies worldwide. It is very sad how our capabilities here in South Africa are way too often overlooked and everyone automatically assumes that China is the place to go for electronic manufacturing.

There are so many advantages to keeping our manufacturing in South Africa, for the customer and for the country. Need we even go down this road? Job creation and boosting the economy have to be the hottest topics for discussion these days, yet we as South Africans (along with some of our major companies and government departments) still import products when they could have them made right here in our own back yard.

As with most products, volume dictates the price and this applies in a huge way to manufacturing. If we are able to compete currently with our local manufacturing industry being so poorly supported by the South African market, imagine how strong we could become as an industry if local was in fact ‘lekka’?

This trend needs to change and it needs to happen from the top. Our government departments need to stop importing and walk the talk – ‘Proudly South African’ should mean exactly that. They need to start promoting and supporting the local industry.

The South African manufacturing industry has the potential to become a serious competitor to China and as such could become a major exporter of locally manufactured goods.

For more information contact Jason Finney, Sabertek, +27 (0)12 653 0008, jason@sabertek.co.za, www.sabertek.co.za