The Zest WEG Group has acquired the entire business of Hawker Siddeley Electric Africa in South Africa, subject to conditions precedent. Hawker Siddeley is recognised among the pion-eers of mini substations and has become one of the largest manufacturers of mini substations, unit substations and distribution transformers in South Africa, with the capability to design and manufacture the complete range presently in use in the country’s industrial sector.
Louis Meiring, chief executive officer of the Zest WEG Group, says the rationale behind the acquisition is that, while the Zest WEG Group has enjoyed success in the African market with the supply of large transformers, it has not been able to participate in the transformer sector with products from 50 kVA to 20 MVA, in both distribution transformers and mini substations.
“It made absolute sense to fill this gap via an acquisition that would give us instant access to a product segment in which historically we could not compete,” says Meiring. “The acquisition means that we can now make the most of opportunities to supply a spectrum of our products on a turnkey basis. Pursuing this route will also give us a cost leadership advantage.”
Meiring adds that the acquisition has come just at the right time for the group, which is making robust progress against its 2020 strategic plan. The plan, initiated by WEG headquarters in Brazil in 2011, is poised to accelerate the expansion of its global network of businesses and manufacturing plants and is expected to ensure that the group increases its sales by at least 17% year-on-year until 2020, when it aims to arrive at a turnover of US$10-billion.
“The Zest WEG Group business model is one of continued investment in assets and technology transfer from WEG,” concludes Meiring. “To this end we will recapitalise the Hawker Siddeley business in the form of investment in new equipment and training. Our new company will become a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with the latest design and manufacturing capabilities. This positions us not only to supply these products throughout Africa, but also export from this facility to other parts of the world.”
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...A strategic milestone for Conical Technologies Conical Technologies
News
Conical Technologies has been appointed as the sole distributor in southern Africa for Mibbo, manufacturers of a vast array of products for the automation industry.
Read more...Robotics TechTalk at UKZN
News
The Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technology Lab at the University of KwaZulu-Natal recently held an exciting TechTalk. It was an opportunity to introduce students to the IEEE Robotics and Automation chapter, SAIMC, and the Robotics Association of South Africa.
Read more...Schneider Electric honoured with Gender Leader Award Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has been awarded the Gender Leader Award at this year’s Africa CEO Forum. This award acknowledges those organisations operating in Africa that have shown a significant and continuous commitment to gender diversity and inclusion.
Read more...Africa Automation Technology Fair 2025 closes on a high note
News
The Africa Automation Technology Fair 2025 officially wrapped up after three dynamic days at Gallagher Convention Centre, cementing its status as Africa’s leading platform for industrial automation, AI and IoT.
Read more...A new generation of solar professionals
News
A new generation of solar professionals is rising in Cape Town. The second cohort of the Solar Youth Project has just completed an intensive eight-week training course and is ready to take on the next stage, 10 months of work experience.
Read more...From the editor's desk: The age of superintelligence Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
In this issue of SA Instrumentation & Control we say farewell to our longstanding contributing editor, Michael Brown, who is retiring soon. His outstanding contribution over the years in the field of ...
Read more...Driving digital transformation in the new wave SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council
News
The latest presentation in the series ‘Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry’ will be held on Wednesday 25 June. It will be presented by Johan Potgieter, Cluster Industrial Software Leader for Schneider Electric, South Africa.
printer friendly version