Innovation, outward-looking approach will bolster industry growth.
The plastics converter industry needs to alter its mindset and look for innovative solutions while becoming more outward-looking to experience real economic growth, says industry body Plastics SA.
Plastics SA chairperson Bernhard Mahl describes real growth as “thousands of tons of plastic, polymers and resin converted”. He notes that, globally, where there has been growth, industry growth is measured by virgin material consumption, and we do not see the same grow the in South Africa when looking at virgin material consumption. By adding the volumes of post consumer waste recycled, the growth seems slightly better.
“The truth is that the industry has stagnated,” he declares.
Over the past five to ten years – with the exception of 2015, during which there was a 6.4% increase in virgin material consumption to 1.49-million tonnes – local industry has hovered between producing 1.3-million tons and 1.4-million tons of virgin material, he says.
“The global plastics industry grows at 3%, but local industry has grown between 0% and 1%, in line with the South African economy. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is growing disproportionally less than the population growth. Our industry, on a per capita basis, is basically shrinking.”
Bu hikaye Engineering News dergisinin January 20, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Engineering News dergisinin January 20, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Energy Efficiency & Management
Importance of energy efficiency highlighted at DoE conference.
Biofuels
Innovation earns company biofuels award.
Security Technology For Business
Power instability leads to security technology changes in South Africa.
Corridor Crowd-In
eThekwini seeks private investment around public­transport corridor.
Taking Off
Fourteen airport rail links planned in Africa, including two more in SA.
New gas projects will be economical – Aurecon
With two major gas-to-power projects under way in the country, consulting company Aurecon believes that the two, possibly three, gas power stations associated with the projects can be economical as existing infrastructure can be used to support them.
Construction to continue at Kathu
Next year, global engineering and technology company Sener will continue to provide the engineering, procurement and construction services for the 100 MW Kathu concentrated solar power (CSP) project in South Africa’s Northern Cape, in conjunction with its joint venture partner Acciona.
Transformative
Meeting 60% local content goal would transform economy, create 49 000 jobs.
Control And Instrumentation Play Rugged Role In Industry
The uptake of new infor-mation technology (IT) in industrial automation has traditionally been at a slower rate compared with that of the broader information and communication technology (ICT) sector, says the Society for Automation Instrumentation, Measurements and Control (SAIMC) professional services portfolio head Petrus Klopper.
Sewer Manual To Be Published Next Month
Plastic pipes manufacturer DPI Plastics will publish its comprehensive sewer product manual next month that provides detailed information on its range of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe applications and installations in the sewage and effluent sector.