Exporting of professional services the answer for SA consulting engineers
28 March 2001
News
In order to curb the loss of professional capacity in the consulting engineering environment as a result of a shortage of work in South Africa, the South African Association of Consulting Engineers (SAACE) is putting considerable effort into the exporting of services to countries experiencing a shortage of skills. The SAACE is reporting some success in this initiative, which forms part of a broader strategic thrust towards the establishment of an Export Council.
Says SAACE Executive Director, Graham Pirie: "A large number of the world's engineering associations are experiencing high levels of work among their members, but are in many cases experiencing a shortage of professional and related engineering skills.
"The situation in South Africa is very different and we are trying to match the under-capacity of international companies with our need for work but in a manner which curbs immigration and relocation. The answer lies in the advent of electronic technology, which allows our engineers to carry out most of the work here."
At present the SAACE is working with its Irish counterpart and reports that 70 of its member firms have expressed an interest in working with Irish firms and 20 Irish firms are interested in using the skills of South African firms.
Pirie says that the SAACE is committed to assisting its members to export their consulting services internationally in addition to ensuring that its member firms are globally competitive. "In a declining economy and with the amount of available work shrinking, you have to be globally competitive whether you stay at home or not," said Pirie.
SAACE, (011) 463 2022.
Further reading:
Hitachi reinvents asset management solution
News
Hitachi Energy, in collaboration with Microsoft, is accelerating the digital transformation of essential infrastructure - from electricity networks and transportation corridors to heavy industrial operations - by reinventing how critical assets are managed and maintained.
Read more...
Mycronic releases mixed Q4 results
News
Mycronic reported mixed Q4 results for the year ended January to December 2025, while delivering record full year order intake and net sales.
Read more...
AGOA: Businesses should diversify or face significant exposure
News
Cross-border payments platform Verto has called on South African and African businesses to accelerate their transition toward a “post-AGOA” trade strategy following President Donald Trump’s signing of a one-year extension to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Read more...
European components distribution growing
News
European electronic components distribution returned to growth in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to newly released figures from DMASS Europe.
Read more...
Silicon Labs reports strong growth
News
Silicon Labs has reported robust financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2025, with significant YoY revenue gains and shifting market dynamics.
Read more...
Siemens acquires Canopus AI
ASIC Design Services
News
The acquisition extends Siemens’ comprehensive EDA software portfolio with computational metrology and inspection to help chipmakers solve critical technical challenges in semiconductor manufacturing.
Read more...
Micron breaks ground on new wafer fabs
News
Micron Technology has advanced two major semiconductor manufacturing initiatives that together reflect the company’s strategic response to sustained global demand for memory solutions.
Read more...
Texas Instruments announces planned acquisition of Silicon Labs
News
Texas Instruments Incorporated and Silicon Laboratories recently announced a definitive agreement under which Texas Instruments will acquire Silicon Labs, combining two leaders in semiconductor technology.
Read more...
AI-fueled supercycle doubles memory market revenue
News
The ongoing surge in artificial intelligence is set to propel both the memory and wafer foundry sectors to unprecedented revenue levels by 2026, according to TrendForce.
Read more...
Research agreement for EUV tech
News
Gelest, Inc., a Mitsubishi Chemical Group company, recently announced a research agreement with IBM to test Gelest precursor materials for dry resist EUV lithography.
Read more...
printer friendly version