Milestone as FAW builds rep

After only two years, the FAW plant, situated in the Eastern Cape’s Coega Industrial Development Zone, has produced its 2 000th vehicle.

As employees and plant management gathered to celebrate the occasion, high praise and gratitude was expressed, by local and international FAW management, to the workers for maintaining a highly compliant quality production process since the plant’s start up in July 2014.

“With such a large workforce, our aim has been to keep the manufacturing logistics simple, yet thoroughly in line with strict build standards, as well as safety, health and environmental regulations,” says Jianyu Hao, CEO of FAW SA.

“Thanks to a disciplined and dedicated workforce, we have maintained our standards and have even received an international FAW award in recognition of our outstanding quality,” he adds.

FAW Vehicle Manufacturers South Africa is seeing growing returns, despite sluggish markets. This is mostly evident in the steady advance in the number of exports, and the increasing confidence in the FAW brand among local customers.

Less than a year after the plant opened, FAW made a further multimillion-rand investment in a truck bodybuilding facility adjacent to the vehicle manufacturing plant, which includes a fully fledged paint shop.

Hao concludes: “FAW SA remains confident that it made the right decision to choose South Africa as its base for the southern African region. We have become a proud business citizen of South Africa and positively affirm our original assessment of South Africa with the motto – ‘Built in South Africa, for Africa’.”