Automobil November 2022

In this issue, we meet Reneé Coetsee and sit down with the well-known Alan Taverner. We also bring you the latest news from WorldSkills, Alfa Romeo, AMID, the AA and Sumitomo and take a deep dive into the latest monthly vehicle sales statistics.

We’ve been representing the retail motor industry for more than

With more than

businesses, our unity is our strength.

Centralised wage negotiations.

Various

and Industry-related Boards and committee structures.

Various South African Bureau of Standards (

)

committees and working groups.

The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (

), defending our

industry when compulsory specifications and standards are compromised.

The Moto Health Care Fund, Industry Provident Funds

and the Sick, Accident and Maternity Pay Fund.

Meetings hosted by reputable organisations recognised by government, big

business, consumers and relevant stakeholders like Business Unity SA (

).

Professional industrial relations advice ensuring procedural

and substantive fairness when disciplining staff.

Chairing of disciplinary hearings and

,

and Labour Court.

Exceptional CPA support at the National Consumer Commission (

)

and the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (

).

Facilitation of a business-to-business complaint where both parties are

RMI members, with a complaint resolution rate in excess of 95%.

Training needs and representation via

Industry-specific products like

Industry labour relations seminars.

Automobil magazine and weekly web letters.

Commenting on industry topics in the media, and participating

in and hosting numerous conventions and shows.

News

News

www.automobil.co.za

November 2022

ord South Africa is proud to have sup-

ported two determined learners who

represented South Africa at the 2022

International WorldSkills Competition in

the Mechatronics Technology category.

The South African team competed in re-

gional and national rounds before head-

ing off to Stuttgart, Germany for the final

round, which finished on 8 October 2022.

The WorldSkills competition aims to en-

courage young people to pursue artisanal

vocations as a career choice to help ease

the skills shortage in South Africa. One of

its primary objectives is to influence the

development and employability of South

African youth and act as an effective means

of increasing awareness of apprenticeships.

To date, WorldSkills has helped develop

careers in multiple areas including mecha-

tronics, mobile robotics, water technology,

automotive technology, auto body repairs, spray

painting, computer numerical control (CNC) turn-

ing, graphic design, plumbing, as well as careers

in a number of beauty, cooking and service relat-

ed industries.

Ford South Africa’s involvement in WorldSkills

started in 2019 with the sponsorship of automo-

tive equipment, such as engines and gearboxes,

required for a national event in Durban. After

seeing the immediate impact that WorldSkills was

having on artisanal trade and skills development of

the youth, Ford South Africa procured the neces-

sary mechatronics equipment required for upskill-

ing learners in automation technology. As expect-

ed, this support continues to motivate and inspire

learners to embark on a technical career path and

push their professional skills to the limit.

This year’s team, comprising Pontso Mashu-

mu and Ernest Ndou, was selected from a group

of unemployed NQF Level 2 learners from vari-

ous colleges in Gauteng. The pair was enrolled

into Ford’s Technical Training Centre, which

incubates young learners from previously

disadvantaged backgrounds to help them

acquire mechatronics technology skills up

to NQF Level 4. These qualifications can be

used to advance their careers within the

automotive sector.

Mashumu and Ndou initially took part

in the provincial competition during No-

vember 2021, which was hosted at FESTO

in Kempton Park. With great determina-

tion, the team claimed first position in the

provincial competition where they were as-

sessed on all aspects of mechatronics and

automation systems. In June 2022 the team

secured another first place in the following

national competition, which included de-

signing Modular Production Systems (MPS)

needed to build handling and sorting sta-

tions. This qualified them for the WorldSkills

International event held over 12 weeks across Eu-

rope, North America, and East Asia.

Competing against the very best in the world,

the team built MPS stations with three distribution

links integrated with Robotino pick-and-sorting

modules. Their design was awarded 677 points,

which meant they narrowly missed out on the Me-

dallion of Excellence - but managed to rank among

the top 22 countries alongside teams from Japan,

Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and India. 

he 39th edition of Auto e Moto d’Epoca, one of the most

important events in Europe for vintage car and mo-

torcycle enthusiasts, was Alfa Romeo’s chance to

present the Alfa Romeo Classiche heritage program, a

range of services with the precise aim of protecting and

promoting the history of the iconic Italian brand. For the

first time in Stellantis, the brand’s top management is

personally involved in all the activities that make up the

whole range of its dedicated services. In fact, the certifica-

tion committee is chaired by Alfa Romeo’s CEO and the Head

of Heritage department, with the support of the Alfa Romeo

Museum, the location of the production registers and all the techni-

cal documentation used by the committee to analyse the information on

the examined cars.

The Alfa Romeo Classiche heritage program consists of the

Certificate of Origin – which has been offered for Alfa Romeo

cars since 2016 – together with the Certificate of Authentic-

ity and the Restoration. The top management of the brand

personally chairs and intervenes in the committee that

evaluates historic cars and issues the certifications with

the support of the heritage team and the experts in Alfa

Romeo history.

The brand will introduce an area dedicated on its website

to the new Alfa Romeo Classiche heritage program that allows

owners of historic cars to make use of programs dedicated to Cer-

tificates of Authenticity and Restoration. It will therefore be possible to

receive all the information and support necessary to start a dedicated and

personalised program directly from the brand’s website. 

Ford SA helps learners

through WorldSkills

Alfa Romeo launches

Classiche heritage program

Made with Publuu - flipbook maker