Newsletter No. 39                                                         13 October 2017

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K-Way factory cuts carbon emissions with solar power installation

In an effort to cut carbon emissions and reduce its environmental impact, the K-Way has installed a solar power plant at its factory in Ottery, Cape Town. The system was installed in August and will help to save 136 tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 35 tonnes of waste, the pollution of 23 cars over a one-year period, or the use of 285 barrels of oil annually.

According to K-Way, on the day following installation 200 kilograms of carbon dioxide were saved, despite it being a cloudy winter’s day. The 83kWp Solar PV system harnesses the sun’s energy to power the factory and produces 125,000-kilowatt hours per year to deliver financial savings whilst reducing the factory’s environmental impact.

Over 250 solar panels have been installed to convert light energy from the sun into direct current electricity. This is then converted into alternating current electricity by three inverters and fed into the factory. The inverters utilise the latest technology to maximise the energy harvested from the sun. Currently, K-Way is embarking on a process to feed excess power to the City of Cape Town grid from the electricity generated on weekends.

In addition to diminishing their carbon footprint through the solar power plant, K-Way has fitted low-energy consumption lighting throughout the factory and has only purchased machinery following careful examination of their energy use. A borehole system has also been installed to feed the factory’s high-use ablution areas, which will save 1.5 million litres of municipal water per annum.

These initiatives complement the company’s lean manufacturing model, through which it continually strives to improve the organisation as a whole. For its efforts, the factory has recently won the LEAN Performance Improvement Award from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster.

K-Way factory general manager, Bobby Fairlamb, shares: “We are incredibly proud that here, at the tip of Africa, we have a world-class manufacturing unit equal to the best anywhere in the world. Waste elimination, continuous improvement and building a healthy culture amongst our people, coupled with continuous training and development at all levels and our customer focus, have been key to our success.”

South African Fashion Week celebrates 20^th year

South African Fashion Week (SAFW), now in its 20th year opens its doors on 24 October 2017 to 53 Autumn/Winter 2018 collections at Sandton City Rooftop, surrounded by a skyline of modern architecture.

More than 10,000 guests, including media and buyers nationwide will be in attendance, to enjoy the show’s schedule, which puts the spotlight on the diversity and innovation of South African designers residing and manufacturing in the country.

Ghana to set up 2^nd anti-piracy taskforce for textiles

Ghana’s ministry of trade and industry will set up a taskforce on textiles on October 11 to address the influx of pirated textiles. The announcement came after a recent picketing action by textile industry workers in Accra over the continued delay in setting up the taskforce to help stop smuggling of fake textiles.

The Textile Garment and Leather Employees’ Union (TEGLU) TEGLU has cautioned the government not to impede the work of the taskforce after it is set up, according to a news portal in Ghana.

A similar taskforce was set up in 2010 with personnel drawn from security agencies, the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Union of Traders Association. That helped curb piracy to some extent, but smuggling increased once the taskforce was shut down.

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Textile industry in Zimbabwe asks government for forex

The Zimbabwe Textile Manufacturers’ Association (ZCMA) has appealed to the government to timely disburse foreign currency to its members to ensure they meet their obligations and remain in business in times of liquidity crisis. ZCMA secretary-general Raymond Huni recently said the textile industry needed urgent intervention to avoid a total collapse.

As the current liquidity crisis continues, the government assisted a few struggling companies to easily access foreign currency. People have resorted to buying foreign currency in the black market at exorbitant rates, thereby distorting market prices. Some are hoarding cash, according to a report in a newspaper in Zimbabwe.

ZCMA appealed to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, and the ministries of finance and industry to consider allocating forex to genuine manufacturers for raw materials that are not available locally.

Zimbabwe’s biggest blanket and linen manufacturer that supplies to the army, hospitals, hotels and schools, and hosiery manufacturers are struggling to get foreign currency to continue in business. This will lead to thousands losing jobs, said Huni.

The government should also consider raising the export incentive from 5 per cent to 25 per cent, according to ZCMA.

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Did you know……..

In the 1500s, fashion designers showed off their clothing by putting it on miniature dolls. There were no such thing as models until 1853.

The first fake eyelashes were invented by Hollywood silent film producer D.W. Griffith, who wanted to enhance his actress’s eyelids. They were made out of real hair.