Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin on Friday opened Turbomeca Africa’s new manufacturing and maintenance facility at Kempton Park, Johannesburg, that will manufacture gear boxes, civil and military helicopter engine, according to government news agency BuaNews.
BuaNews reported that Turbomeca Africa is a joint company formed two years ago by South Africa’s arms manufacturer Denel, and French Group Turbomeca, which is part of Snecma in France.
The company manufactures engines for both domestic firms and international companies such as Rolls Royce and General Electric, and gives support to repairs and overhauls of civil and military helicopter engines in sub-Saharan
Africa, the agency reported.
Denel owns 49% of Turbomeca Africa, while the French group owns the remaining 51%.
“The establishment of this new facility is very much in line with government’s intention to optimise and expand South Africa’s aerospace capabilities and to gain meaningful entry into the global environment,” said
Erwin.
He said the venture was part of government’s initiatives to restructure State-owned enterprises by seeking foreign partners to boost competitiveness.
“It’s an important area for us as the South African Government to begin to invest in new technology so that we develop our capacity to export. We are confident that once we form partnerships with foreign companies, we will
attract more foreign partners,” said Erwin.
Denel CEO Victor Moche said the new facility would be geared to become a “centre of excellence for engine manufacturing”. He said: “We want to achieve a standard and be at a stage where the world knows that certain engines are done only in South Africa,” he said.
Turbomeca Group chairperson Emeric d’Arcimoles said the facility put the company in good stead to break even and it was a vote of confidence that Turbomeca France was transferring its work load to Turbomeca Africa. “We are
re-deploying additional competency at the right place to support the growing 2005 demand from Snecma” said d’Arcimoles. – I-Net Bridge