Manufacturing
subsectors (or
industries) have a strong presence and potential for further development within the
Nelson Mandela Bay area.
CLOTHINGAND TEXTILES
Currently,
key products being manufactured are seat covers, fabric and upholstery,
industrial hosing, medical fabrics, clothing and the use of
natural fabrics forbags,
matting and
carpeting. Areas being examined are the
use of new materials
like hemp, wool and mohair fashion items, and
indigenous Xhosa designs in
high quality
fashion clothing. Two key opportunitiesthat have been identified are a fibre processing
plant to
spin wool and mohair fibre into yarn,
as well as a textile mill, centred on cotton, poly-cotton and acrylicfabric.
RENEWABLE
INDUSTRIES
TheNelson
Mandela Bay Municipality is embarking on a drive of
creating sustainable employment, diversifying the key sectors, strengthening competitiveness.TheRenewable
Energy sector is one of the targeted sectors identified for diversification and
one of the fast growing owing to the IPP programme of the
Department of
Energy. Generation and Components ManufacturingIndustryis
one of
the key targeted sectors. The development ofthis
sector is prioritized in the proposed Nelson Mandela Bay region IndustrialDeveloped
Strategy.
CHEMICALS
Plastics and pharmaceuticals are the key
chemical industries in the Eastern Cape. Nelson Mandela Bay is home to Aspen, the
largest generics manufacturer in the
southern hemisphere and the eading supplier of generic medicines to both the private and the public sectors in South
Africa. Aspen is one of the top twenty
generic manufacturers worldwide and South Africa’s number one generic brand. The plastics
industry,
albeit small, is highly diversified
throughout the Province, where automotive, packaging, moulding and
extrusion, household and construction industries are prominent.