Riley Surface World recently used the inaugural exhibition of SAMFA (The South African Surface Finishing Association) to launch its new trading name and web site.
SurfacEx 08 in Johannesburg featured mainly home-grown South African companies or subsidiaries of international manufacturers and chemical suppliers. We were the only UK company to attend, having forged strong links with SAMFA over the last few years.
Our involvement in the South African market occurred almost by chance back in 2004. To improve our exports we were following a government-sponsored programme entitled ‘Passport to Export’. Part of the course offered subsidised travel and market research to several countries, including South Africa.
Now for the personal motivation. As a keen kite surfer, I knew that the Cape region offered some of the best conditions for my sport in the World. What a great opportunity to combine business with pleasure.
Prior to embarking, I contacted the SEA to find out if there was an equivalent organisation there. They duly put me in touch with SAMFA’s general secretary, Tony van der Spuy, who by chance lived and worked in Cape Town. Over a few beers a new friendship was formed and we agreed to become a SAMFA member.
SAMFA was formed in 2003. It came about as the result of an initiative by the Danish government to improve the safety standards in the South African surface finishing industry. In order to benefit from the funding, the companies needed to form a recognised trade association, so SAMFA was born.
The association has followed the blueprint set by the SEA for much of its organisation and activities. It holds regular seminars and networking events’ and it gives out awards to encourage enterprise and excellence.
It has also followed the example of the UK’s Surface World show when planning its own exhibition. Although it was on a smaller scale, SurfacEx 08 had a similar number and variety of exhibition stands and attracted visitors from across a wide spectrum of South African industries.
The result has been that South Africa has become one of our best export markets, offering opportunities to sell and buy used machinery in all areas of the country. It has buoyant engineering and automotive sectors and, unlike the UK, is still growing strongly in areas such as mining and foundry, exploiting the country’s rich natural resources.
Members of SAMFA are benefiting from this solid industrial base. They are also reaping the rewards of South Africa being the powerhouse economy for the whole of Africa. Of course, there are challenges as a result of the changes that are taking place in society. South African industry is no longer white dominated as it was in the past. Positive discrimination is prevalent, particularly in the public sector, but this seems to be working well as the country undergoes transition.
With the World Cup due in 2010, there are even greater opportunities with many new infrastructure projects taking place. There are also emerging markets in neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Angola and Tanzania, who are developing their manufacturing in conjunction with their mineral resources.
South Africa, as a former colonial country, looks to the UK and Europe for most of its practices and partnerships. By helping to play a part in the development of its surface finishing industry, we in the UK will ultimately benefit as well.
