Infrastructure

Provision and availability of appropriate infrastructure and infrastructure-related services is an important investment and growth determinant. Cost and reliability can be identified as two requisite outcomes of this particular focus area. In the short term, the DAC is engaging with opportunities to support optimisation of value chain efficiencies within current operational constraints. This support is principally operational in nature with a view to reducing cost and improving reliability given current environmental constraints.  Additional priority focus areas that influence infrastructural cost and reliability will be examined in the long term.

Logistics Optimisation

This programme focuses primarily on reducing logistics costs, eliminating inefficiency, improving reliability and knowledge creation. This programme has achieved significant gains in the logistics field. The DAC Logistics TSC interacts with regulatory bodies such as freight forwarders, port operations, various shipping lines and logistics service providers in order to ensure that DAC members are kept abreast of current information.

  • Sea & Road Freight Rate Negotiations:  These negotiations secure preferential sea freight rates for DAC members, irrespective of size of firm or volume of shipping.
  • Best Practice Workshops:  Various workshops are hosted by the DAC. Two-day sessions are run at host plants and focus on topics such as value stream mapping, change management and achieving basic stability. Other workshops focus on best practice consolidation and movement of freight upstream and downstream.
  • Logistics Newsletter:  The bi-monthly DAC Logistics Newsletter serves to notify DAC member firms of important issues such as infrastructure and port-related problems. Please click on the link to view the latest Logistics Newsletters: News & Downloads
 

Automotive Supplier Park

The establishment of the Durban Automotive Supplier Park has been identified as key to the further growth of the KwaZulu-Natal automotive industry.  The DAC is represented at the Durban Automotive Supplier Park Steering Committee by the DAC Chief Facilitator and/or the DAC Project Manager.

Energy

  • Energy Efficiency Special Interest Group:

The DAC Energy Efficiency Special Interest Group (SIG) was established in 2008 with the intention of reducing the usage of electricity at firms and thus reducing costs. Energy efficiency became a priority at firms due to load shedding and the electricity shortages. In response to the crisis, the DAC established a pilot Energy Efficiency Club and covered the following technical training sessions:

  • Metering, monitoring, targeting and reporting
  • Compressed air
  • Motors and drives
  • Lighting
  • Stakeholder Forum - Reliability and Sustainability of Supply:

This initiative aims at keeping DAC members informed of the latest developments with regards to the supply of energy in South Africa. Key stakeholder engagement is undertaken with representatives from Eskom, eThekwini Municipality and Msunduzi Municipality. The DAC member firms are kept informed of the demand and supply side programmes in place, and are guided in the use thereof. Energy Workshops are held bi-monthly and Energy Newsflashes are distributed on related topics.

Stakeholder Engagement

The stakeholder interface serves as a means of improving the efficiency of the external logistics function. This will encompass continual, active interaction with regulatory bodies, freight forwarders, port operations, various shipping lines, as well as logistics service providers. Members will be kept informed of outcomes, particularly in respect of those that have been successful in using the combined bargaining power of the cluster to improve the prevailing service levels in this field.

Special Projects