Fabrinox partnering with international firms on African projects
Fabrinox specialises in the cost effective manufacturing of sheet metal components and turnkey projects. Since its inception in 1993, the South African firm has built up a strong base of clients operating beyond the country’s borders in the rest of Africa. We talked to Fabrinox managing director Andre Visser about the company’s projects on the continent.
Give us an overview of the work Fabrinox is doing in the rest of Africa?
In the rest of Africa we mainly do under licence manufacturing of components for the agriculture, food and beverages, and mining industries. Historically most of these components were imported from territories such as Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe. International companies operating in Africa are, however, realising the benefits of having their manufacturing work done on the continent itself. While most companies still import the core technology from abroad, they use Fabrinox for the manufacturing of components, complete assemblies and the installation of production lines
The food processing industry has traditionally been one of Fabrinox’s largest clients on the continent; tell us more about your most recent project.
In the area of food processing and packaging, Fabrinox has partnered with one of the world’s leading manufacturers by designing and engineering the machinery used to process and package foodstuffs such as prepared meats, poultry and seafood as well as baked and fried snacks.
Fabrinox is currently busy with a project in Mozambique for a company that produces potato chips. We manufacture some of the components that are too large to import cost-efficiently. Together with the South African agent we are involved with the assembly and installation.
And you are also very active in Africa’s dairy industry?
Fabrinox supplies an international company in the dairy industry with equipment such as milking parlours, cow handling equipment and other more intricate installations. We recently completed a rotary milking parlour project in Zambia. We were responsible for manufacturing a number of the components, installation and final assembly.
You mentioned that Fabrinox is involved in the mining sector.
Mining is one of the largest sectors in Africa and we are actively involved in the industry. At the moment we are manufacturing steel containers and a processing plant for a mining house operating in Senegal. We do all the piping of the plant as well as the final integration.
Why are international firms using Fabrinox for their projects in Africa?
Our international clients operating on the continent often find that it is more economical to have some project components manufactured in South Africa, rather than importing it. We are familiar with Africa’s business environment and can also offer better support services than a firm that has to send staff from the US or Europe. The fact that we are roughly in the same time zone as the rest of Africa also helps.
Contact details
For more information contact Fabrinox at:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fabrinox.com