Toyota South Africa Motors has announced that a new production line has been opened at the firm’s Prospecton plant in KZN for the assembly of the Quantum Ses’fikile minibus taxi.
The line, which represents phase one of a three-phase development to fully localise Ses’fikile production, is part of an initial investment of R70 million in the facility that has created 90 new jobs in-house as well as an additional 210 jobs among service providers connected to the project.
The official function was attended by senior executives from Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM), the Department of Trade and Industry, the South Africa National Taxi Association, the Province of KwaZulu-Natal and the City of Durban.
“Not only is the Ses’fikile an important cog in the national taxi industry, but it is also a major volume seller for Toyota in South Africa. With this in mind it makes economic sense to localise the assembly of this product and reap the benefits of increased investment, job creation and possible downstream supplier development,” says Dr Van Zyl, President and CEO of TSAM and a Managing Officer of TMC.
The Ses’fikile joins the ranks of Fortuner, Hilux, Corolla and Hino, all of which are locally manufactured. The initial production phase, which saw such improvements as an additional seat added to the model to take the carrying capacity up to 16 people, will take production up to 15 000 units. Toyota Motors South Africa will eventually motivate for full Ses’fikile production upon meeting numerous volume and quality targets.
“The local assembly of our people-movers is one of the first fruits of the South African government’s Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP2) and the upcoming Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP). These plans seek to further develop the automotive and general manufacturing sectors by emphasising local manufacturing, local part sourcing and local employment and personnel development,” says Dr Van Zyl.
