The Department of Trade and Industry will be represented by the deputy director-general: industrial development policy development, Garth Strachan, who will speak about the government's vision for the automotive industry. His address will cover how industrial policy frameworks drives this vision, and what change has to occur to increase the South African automotive industry's competitiveness in world markets continuously.
Dr Johan van Zyl will speak on behalf of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). The current NAAMSA president, and president and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors, will present his views on The Automotive Production and Development Programme. He will discuss the change, impact and viability of the target of 1.2 million vehicles to be produced in 2020, and how technology will help achieve that goal.
Where the change in innovation will take us
With the theme of Technology and Change at the heart of the conference, keynote speaker Doug Newcomb will address the topic of "The connected car and the shift from steel to silicon", and will suggest where the change in innovation will take us. Newcomb is a recognised US expert on technology within the automotive industry.
The 2013 Car Conference will be chaired by Barlow Manilal, CEO of the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC). The confirmed line-up of speakers also includes: Dr Brand Pretorius, director of companies; Dr Martin Zimmermann, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa; Oona Scheepers, head: design colour and trim of Volkswagen AG; Sizwe Nxedlana, FNB chief economist; and Jakkie Olivier, CEO of Retail Motor Industry (RMI).
The 2013 Car Conference will offer essential insights to those involved at management level in any aspect of automotive and component marketing, exporting, manufacturing and retailing. These include advertising, vehicle finance, fleet managers and buyers, insurance executives, dealer principals, sales and service managers, human resource managers, shop stewards and other senior staff in the retail side of the motor industry and allied businesses.
The event, which has been convened biennially by South Africa's motoring magazine Car since 1996, is the definitive industry conference for the southern African automotive industry. The conference is fully endorsed and hosted in association with NAAMSA.
For more, go to www.carconference.co.za.
