East London's new R1bn factory hits ground running
A newly-built R1bn factory in East London has started production of the new generation DStv Explora.
Arris International, a service provider for MultiChoice, has extended its contract with Yekani Manufacturing, which up until October had been producing Explora 1 and 2.
Since the beginning of the month, the factory has also been producing Explora 3.
The decoder was previously produced by Vektronix at its Wilsonia-based factory, but the company was bought out by Yekani in 2016.
The R1bn Yekani factory in the East London IDZ was launched in June by trade & industry minister Rob Davies, promising the capacity to employ about 1,000 people eventually. The factory currently has 400 employees, including former Vektronix staff.
On Thursday, the factory received a visit from their clients Arris and MultiChoice, accompanied by finance & economic development MEC Oscar Mabuyane.
Mabuyane said Yekani’s R1bn investment in the province was already bearing fruit, and was part of the province’s diversification strategy.
“Our strategy is anchored in diversifying our economy beyond the automotive sector and this investment is also directed at youth innovation.
“It is our belief that this venture between Yekani, MultiChoice and Arris International will bring innovation and add to our research capabilities.
“We all know MultiChoice is Africa’s leading video entertainment company and now their state-of-the-art decoder, the DStv Explora, is being manufactured at our new Yekani factory,” he said.
Mabuyane said it was a patriotic move by MultiChoice to ensure all its decoders were manufactured in South Africa as part of its commitment to create jobs locally and support local manufacturing.
Yekani surface mount technology manager Jinen Rampersod said the factory was a world-class facility and ranked among the top three in the world. It produces 60,000 decoders a month.
“We produce up to 12,000 components daily, 4,000 of which are for the decoders, but the majority are for electricity prepaid meters, which we also manufacture,” he said.
Machine operator Siwaphiwe Ofisi said the opening of the factory was a great opportunity for him as a fresh electrical engineering graduate from Buffalo City College.
“I don’t think I would have got a job so easily if it was not for the factory. So many graduates go to jobs they didn’t study for because they can’t break into the industry, so I don’t take my job for granted,” he said.
Yekani spokesperson Palesa Beja said the factory had provided skills training for young and old to make a dent in unemployment in the area.
“While some may have had qualifications, there are many who have received in-house training as part of our upskilling programme to ensure that people are employable in line with our drive to make an impact throughout the city,” she said.
I don’t think I would have got a job so easily if it was not for the factory
Machine operator