The International Special Tooling and Machining Association (ISTMA), the global representative body for tooling manufacturing, hosted its 16th World Conference and General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa in early November 2023. The event took place in collaboration with the Production Technologies Association of South Africa (PtSA). Metalworking News was invited to attend both the conference and the All Africa Expo that coincided with the gathering of numerous individuals and industry bodies from all over the world, as well as local manufacturers and suppliers, with the occasion jointly branded as the All Africa Expo ISTMA 2023.
The conference itself hosted a variety of industry professionals as speakers from various sectors of industry and these seminars were specifically tailored to address a range of topics. These included artificial intelligence in manufacturing, smart training solutions, high technology machining, sustainable manufacturing, innovations and applied research to ensure the future viability of the tool and die industry, and the Portuguese example of cooperation and partnerships for competitiveness, amongst others.
Speakers included the likes of Yanesh Naidoo – Innovations Director, Owner and Member of the Board, Jendamark Automation, Prof Dr-Ing Wolfgang Boos, MBA – CEO, WBA Aachener Werkzeugbau Akademie, Prof Justin Barnes – Manufacturing Ambassador, TWIMS and Associate Professor, University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), Manuel Oliveira – Secretary General, CEFAMOL and ISTMA World Secretariat, Michael Kirbach – Director: DMG MORI Aerospace / Die & Mold Excellence Center, DECKEL Maho Pfronten, Markus Heseding – President, ISTMA Europe, Prof Dr-Ing Thomas Seul – President, VDWF e.V. and Prof Natasha Sacks – Professor of Advanced Manufacturing | Department of Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University.
Panel discussions were also led by Bob Williamson – President, ISTMA World. It was announced at the event that South Africa has become the latest member of ISTMA World, which now includes 22 countries as members and more than 8 000 member companies across the world. Delegations from both Zambia and Zimbabwe’s tool, die and mould associations were also invited to attend.
The All Africa Expo provided a pivotal platform for African nations, manufacturers and distributors to showcase their expertise in tooling manufacturing and investment potential. It facilitated exposure for continental tooling producers to show off their tooling technology, tooling houses, and present this to influential industry stakeholders. The event marked the inaugural showcase of Africa’s inventive spirit and pockets of manufacturing excellence, presenting global networking opportunities. While South Africa is unlikely to again see the ISTMA World Conference take place on its shores for some time due to it being held in different locations around the world each time it takes place, the All Africa Expo may become a staple platform from which toolmakers, distributors and other various industry players can come together to not only display their products and capabilities, but to network as toolmakers and suppliers with machine tool manufacturers and suppliers.
Other highlights of the All Africa Expo ISTMA 2023 included high-end technical sessions disseminating the latest production trends and tooling technologies, covering topics ranging from international and regional trade to government regulations and global trading conditions. Regional meetings provided a forum for networking with diverse tooling industry experts and relevant stakeholders worldwide.
Networking
An overall theme to take away from the All Africa Expo ISTMA 2023 was to reinforce contacts and relationships in business. The unique event and exhibition gave suppliers and manufacturers from both the tool, die and mould industries the chance to network extensively with those supplier and end user partners from the machine tool manufacturers and distributor industries to cross the exhibition floor and interact with one another. Having both sides of industry and various other stakeholders present in place made for a unique opportunity to engage in solutions for collaborative manufacturing.
The comprehensive industry exhibition featured distinct segments such as African country pavilions, highlighting market potential, government incentives, and logistical support offered by African nations. Carefully curated displays from African manufacturing companies showcased highly innovative products with rigorous quality standards and technical sophistication. The event also shone a spotlight on African tooling systems manufacturers, underlining the support capabilities of the South African and African continental tooling industry in designing and manufacturing moulds, dies, and advanced assembly systems, as well as tooling. Meanwhile, major international machine tool suppliers presented cutting-edge technologies with established support networks. Strategic international partners were featured as importers of tooling, moulds, and dies, supporting local industries with well-developed and supported supply chains.
An additional focus for delegates was the African Investment Indaba Conference, strategically designed to expose potential investors to enticing opportunities on the continent and to garner support and investment for the growth of manufacturing in Africa. Plant tours of local manufacturing facilities in the Western Cape provided an immersive experience, showcasing the vibrant tooling and manufacturing activities in the Western Cape. Metalworking News was told by a number of people that attended these tours that they were a major hit and well worth the effort. The unique exhibition covered the entire spectrum of manufacturing and tooling, making the All Africa Expo ISTMA 2023 a landmark event in the global tooling landscape.
The Production Technologies Association of South Africa (PtSA), established in 2006, is a membership-based organisation with the mission of promoting, protecting and supporting the collective interests of the Tool, Die, Mould and Special Machining industries (TDM Industry) of South Africa, in order to support the growth and development of all manufacturing sectors.
As part of this mission, the Association has entered into a partnership agreement with government (the dtic), the INTSIMBI Future Production Technologies Initiative, to develop programmes to address the needs of the TDM Industry in order to rehabilitate and grow the industry for the benefit of the manufacturing sector.
The Association offers various programmes and benefits to its members through its own project management and implementation agency. These include improvements in efficiency, competitiveness and profitability of the member companies, as well as ensuring that the required skills are available to the members.
PtSA has a co-operation agreement with the Werkzeugbau Akademie (WBA) in Germany which is the leading world partner of the TDM industry in the areas of consulting, further education and research.
PtSA is a member of the International Special Tooling and Machining Association which gives the members access to a number of international associations and member companies, and also has partnership agreements with a number of national organisations for the benefit of its members.
Training and upskilling programmes include a number of SAQA approved artisan qualifications and training programmes for the tooling industry. PtSA is a provider of toolmaking and machinist training programmes that ensure trained artisans are available to the industry; PtSA has accredited training facilities in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as the base for these artisan training programmes and PtSA short courses are available to its members in order to continuously improve the level of skills within member companies, and in particular with regard to new technologies.
Below are a selection photographs of those that attended the All Africa Expo ISTMA 2023.
Bob Williamson – President, ISTMA World chairs a panel discussion during the conference. From left to right, Manuel Oliveira – Secretary General, CEFAMOL and ISTMA World Secretariat, Yanesh Naidoo – Innovations Director, Owner and Member of the Board, Jendamark Automation, Prof Justin Barnes – Manufacturing Ambassador, TWIMS and Associate Professor, University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and Rui Tocha, General Director at CENTIMFE – Technological Center for the Mould, Special Tools and Plastics Industry in Portugal
On the DMG MORI stand, Michael Kirbach – Director: DMG MORI Aerospace / Die and Mould Excellence Center, Chris Kroeger of Retecon, Mahmoud Aly – Managing Director – DMG MORI Africa and Hans-Peter Neth of Retecon
Gerald Green of Guhring South Africa, Arisoy Sinan, Guhring’s Sales Director Africa, Middle East, India, and Jonathan Green of Guhring South Africa
Warrick Lowther, Jacques Oosthuizen and Allan Conolly of Somta Tools
Aurelio Grech-Cumbo of RGC Engineering with Matthew Parker – SPC Manager at Mitutoyo UK Ltd and Gerhard du Plooy of RGC Engineering
Aurelio Grech-Cumbo and Pieter Keyser of RGC Engineering showed off the GOM ATOS ScanBox Series 5
Aurelio Grech-Cumbo of RGC Engineering with Thomas Kopinitz, Managing Director of Hermle WWE AG and Frank Keller Sales Manager Projects HLS Hermle Systemtechnik GmbH
Johan Neveling, Ray Cooper and Graeme Cooper of WD Hearn with Stewart Lane from Renishaw
Dylan Eva and John Whitehead, both of WD Hearn
Thomas Miczek, Alphalaser’s Sales Manager for Southwestern Germany and South Africa with Gábor Veress of Retecon
Mark Burn of Lead Machine Tools with Peter Bamann of Hwacheon
Gábor Veress of Retecon with Andrea Richina of GF Machining Solutions
Multitrade Distributors’ Johny Hagedorn-Hansen, Jaclyn Hagedorn-Hansen, Pamela Van Jaarsveld and Lombard de Villiers with Tasuku Kaikoh, General Manager from Moldino, Thailand in the middle
Mech-Tech Machine Tool Specialists’ Chris Lotter, Sean Walker of Magnum Machine Tools and Manie Lombaard and Lee-Ann Findlay of Mech-Tech Machine Tool Specialists
Nico Miligan of Unique Welding, Rico van der Merwe of EWN&S Gas and Welding Supplies with Joanne Canossa and Andre Jansen van Vuuren, both of Bystronic South Africa
Mark Burn of Lead Machine Tools with Johan Neveling of WD Hearn