A dream come true for a former employee of Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) when he became a supplier to his former employer.
With the support of Volkswagen’s B-BBEE Initiatives Trust and the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) Equity Equivalent Programme, Morgan Waterboer, co-owner and managing director of MCR Plastics, is now part of Volkswagen’s supply chain.
“I worked for VWSA from 2002, in the Quality Assurance division, but almost 17 years later I saw a gap in the market,” said Morgan, whose injection moulding company started supplying door covers and a fuel filler module for the popular Polo built at VWSA’s Kariega plant in 2022.
Morgan runs his company alongside his wife Edwina, who has been handling the finances and is currently running the HR function. “We are a small team, with four permanent employees and one consultant on board,” says Edwina.
MCR Plastics received bridging finance of R7.5 million from the B-BBEE Initiatives Trust when the company was just starting up. “Their support has been great, and it has enabled us to grow. It’s not easy to start a business, but the support was very comprehensive. VWSA’s excellent team also supported us in getting the necessary processes in place.”
Through the AITF programme, they also received funding and assistance with certifications and were invited to SA Auto Week in 2022, where they could interact with stakeholders across the industry.
“Since 1996, I have dreamed of being a business owner,” says Morgan. “My proudest moment was when we loaded the truck with our very first delivery; that was a happy day for me.”
The Trust was formed by VWSA in 2016 with the mandate of driving transformation in the South African automotive industry by investing in black-owned suppliers and offering post-investment support to these companies. VWSA has also been involved in the AITF – an organisation working with South Africa’s OEMs towards transformation in the supply chain and dealer network – since 2020.
“The support to MCR Plastics served as a valuable case study between the Volkswagen’s B-BBEE Initiatives Trust and the AITF, resulting in close collaboration between the entities to provide a solution that was customer-focused and ensured that the timing prescribed by VWSA was met,” says Neeraj Kessery, CEO of the B-BBEE Initiatives Trust.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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Dunlop Tyres South Africa has completed a R1.7 billion investment programme at its uMnambithi (Ladysmith) manufacturing facility, introducing new manufacturing technology and expanding production capabilities at the plant.
The South African automotive industry has gained some breathing space following the latest move by the United States Senate to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, to the end of 2028.
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