9 Jul 2013

Manufacturing

Can you engage effectively with your employees?

Technology has turned the world in which we live upside-down, says Lia Marus and asks: how can you effectively engage your employees?

Still on the employee front, a mining framework agreement has been signed, unfortunately without the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

The mining sector has been hit by unreasonable wage demands and it seems as though some in labour are oblivious to the damage they are doing to the industry.

No business can afford unreasonable wage demands... something has to give: either the company goes under, and everyone loses their jobs, or it cuts staff and an unfortunate number are out on the street, and/or it takes the mechanised route - and that still leads to fewer jobs.

No-one is saying miners should work for a pittance, but demanding astronomical increases is just plain stupid.

Hoof would have thought of it... 10 top media personalities took to the Twitterverse to help raise funds for the charity of their choice in the #BeTheStud campaign - and they made a difference for charity.

Our tame motoring editor Henrie Geyser is a heady blend of city chic and country charm, so it's no wonder he sees those same qualities in the Volvo CC.

Rod Baker, Content Director

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Weekly top stories

R4.2bn titanium dioxide plant on the cards
[Alistair Anderson] Nyanza Light Metals, a company jointly owned by Arkein International and Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium, said it would build a R4.2bn titanium dioxide pigment production plant in SA, following a favourable prefeasibility study. Read more >>
Hisense R&D centre for Cape Town
P&G pushing its Africa operations
[Zeenat Moorad]

Manufacturing
Japan, SA in automotive industry talks
Collaborative talks between Japan and South Africa on how best to develop the local automotive component manufacturing industry demonstrate the value of having a specific focus on key sectors in order to deliver the optimum impact for local industry. Read more >>


Manufacturing
Retail consumer markets offer promise
[Zeenat Moorad] As the world's second-fastest growing region, Africa's booming economies have caught the eye of multinationals in search of higher yields. The region is topped only by emerging Asia. Read more >>

Hisense R&D centre for Cape Town
Chinese consumer electronics company Hisense is considering setting up a research and development centre in the Western Cape. Read more >>

Combine harvester sales fall 31%
Tractor sales declined by 7.6% to 656 units in June and sales of combine harvesters were down by 31% compared with last year's levels‚ South African Agricultural Machinery Association (Saama) data showed on Wednesday (3 July). Read more >>

Transet's locomotive deal way off schedule
[Nicky Smith] Transnet's controversial R2.6bn contract with a Chinese firm to build electric locomotives is up to six months behind schedule, raising questions about South Africa's preference for doing business with China to advance its Brics ambitions. Read more >>

R17bn for new colleges in SA
The department of higher education and training plans to invest more than R17bn in further education and training colleges, according to Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande. Read more >>

Low production costs keep profits up
[Tawanda Karombo] ZIMBABWE: The Blanket gold mine in Zimbabwe, owned by Caledonia Mining Corporation has recorded a 10.7% increase in second quarter production‚ with experts saying the restoration of certainty in the operating and regulatory environment will provide impetus for growth in the mining sector‚ because Zimbabwe has low production costs. Read more >>

Shopping surges but Mandela still critical
Former President Nelson Mandela's prolonged illness has sparked intense interest in the anti-apartheid icon's life and times with books, shirts and other merchandise flying off the shelves Read more >>

Top retailers, unions to inspect Bangladesh factories
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Seventy top retailers have pledged to improve worker safety and allow inspection of all of their garment factories in Bangladesh within nine months under a pact signed with unions after a deadly factory collapse, a statement said today. Read more >>

Not many changes in corporate SA
When it comes to transformation in corporate SA, good intentions abound, says Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, managing director of Jack Hammer Executive Head Hunters. But, she says: "In reality race and gender transformation are making little headway." Read more >>

P&G pushing its Africa operations
[Zeenat Moorad] Having weathered a financial crisis better than some developed economies‚ Africa‚ and more particularly SA, is the focus for Procter & Gamble (P&G) says Standa Vecera‚ vice-president of South Africa and expansion markets. Read more >>


International

Spanish factories cut output for 21st month
MADRID, SPAIN: Spanish factories slowed output for the 21st straight month in May, official data showed Friday, as demand collapsed in a long recession that has pushed unemployment above 27%. Read more >>

China accuses Tetra Pak of abuses
SHANGHAI, CHINA: China is investigating global packaging giant Tetra Pak for "abusing" its dominant market role, an official said last week. This is the latest in a series of probes aimed at foreign companies operating in that country. Read more >>

HTC's profits slump 83%
TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Smartphone manufacturer HTC said that net profit in the April to June quarter fell by 83% year-on-year, although it was a slight improvement from the record low seen in the previous three months. Read more >>

Firefox launches its cheap new phone
MADRID, SPAIN: A smartphone powered by the Firefox operating system has been launched in Spain. Read more >>


More International


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