THE South African automotive industry is growing and along with it the need for high quality fasteners.
Historically, most fasteners used in the automotive industry in South Africa have been imported because there had been no other option, until recently. Now, OEMs and component suppliers are motivated to source as much locally as possible due to the Department of Trade and Industry’s APDP program that provides specific incentives for localisation.
Additionally, the recently announced South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) has increasing local content levels in the automotive value chain from 38% to 60% as one of its central objectives. The achievement of this target is considered to be a key to driving job creation and creating opportunities for new entrant development.
The increasing international steel prices and continual Rand devaluation also provides a strong incentive for automotive companies to stabilise their source of supply, ideally locally. A local supplier may also help minimise stock holding, speed up delivery lead times as well as offering more efficient product development and expedited trouble shooting.
Against this background, Impala Bolt & Nut supplies a wide range of industries, including high-tech automotive as a first and second tier supplier. The company said in a statement that it had geared up specifically to supply high-quality fasteners to the automotive market using local raw materials produced by ArcelorMittal.
“Our complement of quality manufactured products encompasses an extensive range of standard and specialised bolts, nuts and washers, all locally produced and suitable for automotive applications.”
In addition to a range of standard fasteners, the company can manufacture a wide range of specialised fasteners specific to required applications. They are also able to develop 3D-modeled drawings and produce exact tooling in order to manufacture within the relevant specifications for quality, conformity and cost containment.
Founded in 1988, Impala Bolt & Nut is a South African owned and independently-run bolt and nut manufacturing company, providing standard and specialised fastener solutions within not just the automotive, but engineering, and general industrial sectors.
Ssenior management is made up of experts in engineering and manufacturing, with several of them boasting 15 to 20 years of experience in the fasteners industry.
“Impala has been steadily investing in highly specialised purpose-built plant and equipment, cross-skilling and training machine operators and enhancing the well-entrenched quality management system in order to expand its capabilities and extend the product range,” the company said, adding that further developments were planned for the coming year.