Manufacturing sub-sectors (or industries) have a strong presence and potential for further development within the Nelson Mandela Bay area.
CLOTHING AND TEXTILES
Currently, key products being manufactured are seat covers, fabric and upholstery, industrial hosing, medical fabrics, clothing and the use of natural fabrics for bags, 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 opportunities that 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 acrylic fabric.
RENEWABLE INDUSTRIES
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is embarking on a drive of creating sustainable employment, diversifying the key sectors, strengthening competitiveness. The Renewable 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 Manufacturing Industry is one of the key targeted sectors. The development of this sector is prioritized in the proposed Nelson Mandela Bay region Industrial Development 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 leading 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 plastic industries, albeit small, is highly diversified throughout the Province, where automotive, packaging, molding and extrusion, household and construction industries are prominent.