Industrial Zones

Industrial Overview

INTRODUCTION:

The Eastern Cape is the solution for a wide range of manufacturers and logistics service providers who want to be in the best position to serve both the world and African markets. The area is already served by all the world's major shipping and logistics companies.

The Eastern Cape is home of one of the most diverse auto clusters in the world – it includes original equipment manufacturers General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Ford as well as over 150 suppliers, including Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Corning, Visteon, Hella, Faurecia, LUK and Johnson Controls. Both OEMs and most of the suppliers are active in both the local and export markets.

They are succeeding in the highly competitive global auto market thanks to their position – The Eastern Cape, which includes the metro’s of Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage, Despatch) and Buffalo City (East London, King Williams Town, Bhisho), are mid-way between the major markets in the east and west. The Eastern Cape is also ideally situated for primary production as it has access to South Africa's vast mineral reserves, as well as its strategically important position at the centre of shipping routes for ore reserves that are found in different parts of the world.

The Eastern Cape is regarded as having the potential to substantially increase its contribution to the national economy with increased national levels of trade. The major sectors in the province are services, followed by manufacturing, with a large portion of the manufacturing sector being focused on the automotive industry. Other sectors include agriculture, textiles, clothing and leather, wool processing, timber and transport.