MANN+HUMMEL today officially opened a new manufacturing hub in Kempton Park, Gauteng.
The German firm is one of the world’s top suppliers of air filters for passenger and commercial vehicles with over 38 years of experience.
The Joburg facility is the latest in MANN+HUMMEL’s worldwide manufacturing network spanning the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
While the conglomerate already had a sales and distribution centre within our borders, the opening of a full-scale factory underscores its commitment to the southern African market and the African continent as a whole.
It will now be able to assist Original Equipment Manufacturers in reaching their localisation targets.
Localisation refers to the percentage of components within a car that were sourced from domestic suppliers.
The South African Automotive Masterplan seeks to have the localisation rate in locally made vehicles reach 60% by 2035.
9 years in the making
MANN+HUMMEL first entered South Africa in 2016 due to its potential as the largest automotive market on the continent and a key entry point into Africa.
It quickly established a sales office followed by an aftermarket distribution centre servicing the entire sourthern African region.
“The clear vision to manufacture in Africa has now been realized with the opening of the manufacturing plant in Johannesburg,” said Kurk Wilks, President & CEO of MANN+HUMMEL.
“The facility will serve as a strategic hub for sub-Saharan African market as it lays the groundwork for further expansion into Africa.”
Domestic production will allow the business to be more agile to market demands and assist in its goal of becoming the leading automotive filtration supplier in the region.
“This plant in South Africa is a key milestone in MANN+HUMMEL Africa’s business growth strategy and this investment shows our clear commitment to supporting our customers in this market” said Wilks
“Aligned with our ‘in the region, for the region’ approach, regional production of our products offers our customers more competitive and responsive choices offering more value to their customers.”
Scheduled to commence operations in March 2025, the new 3,200sqm factory will be responsible for producing high-performance filters for commercial vehicles, passenger cars, and off-highway and industrial vehicles.
The number of employees will increase as production ramps up to full, three-shift capacity.
Solar power will be used extensively in the day-to-day operations of the plant, and it will also employ the 3R initiatives – reduce, re-use, and recycle – to ensure minimal environmental impact.
“Africa is the world’s fastest-growing continent in terms of population averaging 20 years old. Its GDP growth is predicted to be among the fastest-growing in the world among the next 20 years,” said Cedric Dackam, President & General Manager for the Automotive Aftermarket.
“Thus, we are confident that Africa’s economic importance will continue to grow, and as filtration experts, we will sustainably support this growth. This investment is a clear commitment to our ongoing efforts to expand our footprint in Africa.”
He added the MANN+HUMMEL is consistently examining possibilities for further commitments in other African countries due to the enormous potential that remains to be unlocked.
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