Hisense opens Western Cape manufacturing plant
10 July 2013
News
Brett van den Bosch
Hisense officially unveiled a new high-tech manufacturing plant for its white goods and consumer electronics in the Western Cape in early June.
Initially manufacturing flat-panel televisions and refrigerators, the 25 000 m² facility is set to expand to almost twice that size as it expands production to include washing machines and air conditioners by the end of 2014.
The Chinese company held an opening ceremony at the Atlantis plant that was attended by the Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel; the Governor of Western Cape Province, Helen Zille; Dr Lan Lin, vice president of Hisense Group; as well as other South African and Chinese luminaries.
Hisense invested an initial sum of R350 million in the facility, which was complemented by a R28,6 million grant from the Department of Trade and Industry. The Industrial Development Corporation has also reportedly agreed to provide funding for the next phase of expansion.
The plant currently employs 300 production staff, who are expected to produce 40 000 television sets per year, and the same number of refrigerators. Hisense technicians and engineers from China are training these employees as part of a skills transfer programme. This headcount will double later this year and will swell to over 1000 when the facility is expanded.
Although the majority of the components in its products are currently imported in the form of complete knockdown kits, Hisense says it is sourcing printed circuit boards and certain specialised electronic components locally, and is working towards achieving a 60% majority of locally sourced components.
Further reading:
What’s new in Altium Designer
EDA Technologies
News
Altium has released a major update to its Altium Designer suite version 23.10, with many new features added.
Read more...
SIMCom Symposium 2024
Otto Wireless Solutions
News
Otto Wireless Solutions, in conjunction with SIMCom Wireless Solutions, will be hosting a free half-day seminar in Johannesburg – The SIMCom Symposium 2024.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Exciting times ahead?
Technews Publishing
News
There are many subjects that excite me in this world, but two of the larger technical subjects are, firstly, renewable energy, and secondly, the idea of artificial intelligence as it continues to evolve
...
Read more...
Microchip expands partnership with TSMC
News
Microchip Technology has announced it has expanded its partnership with TSMC to enable a specialised 40 nm manufacturing capacity at Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing.
Read more...
Huge SA grid battery project
News
A standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) has won preferred bidder status under South Africa’s Energy Storage Capacity Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (ESIPPPP).
Read more...
Mouser sponsors NCP Cup 2024
News
The NXP Cup is an EMEA-based autonomous car competition, presented by NXP Semiconductors, which is designed to provide students with real-world experiences in autonomous vehicle programming and building.
Read more...
TrinaTracker brings its smart solar tracking to SA
News
The Vanguard 1P is designed to provide customers with trackers that combine suitability for flat terrain, together with outstanding system stability and reliability, quick installation, and flexible external compatibility.
Read more...
Nordex adding 830 MW of wind generation
News
Nordex Energy South Africa will be adding 830 MW of wind energy generation capacity to the company’s already-installed 1 GW base.
Read more...
Invertek produces its three millionth drive
iTek Drives
News
Invertek Drives Ltd, a global manufacturer of variable frequency drive (VFD) technology, has celebrated producing its three millionth VFD, just three years after its two-million milestone.
Read more...
Analog Devices’ digital storefront is live
News
Analog Devices has designed an improved digital experience with users in mind – a new analog.com website and eShop.
Read more...
printer friendly version