From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

Automaker BMW South Africa has shared a peek inside its world-class assembly operations in Rosslyn, where it produces the X3, as well as the X3 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles from October last year. Marleny Arnoldi visited the plant.

Marleny Arnoldi:

Having made adjustments worth R4.2-billion to the Rosslyn plant to accommodate for PHEV manufacturing, BMW group plant Rosslyn director Danny Bester says local uptake of the X3-PHEV variant has been strong, with the plant selling about 10% of its PHEV production in South Africa.

In turn, the PHEV units make up nearly 50% of the plant’s yearly production.

Bester says the plant was made to be more flexible and adaptable to effectively respond to customer demands, particularly as the Rosslyn facility is the only production site for the PHEV X3 globally.

The plant’s modular production technique allows for multiple models and drivetrains to be built in a single production line.

Bester tells us more about current production and how the plant was modified.

BMW group plant Rosslyn director Danny Bester…

Marleny Arnoldi:

BMW South Africa and globally have taken a technology-agnostic approach whereby the group does not focus on any one or two e-mobility technologies, rather it caters for a broad range of consumer preferences. South Africans seem to be preferring PHEVs for the moment. Bester elaborates.

BMW group plant Rosslyn director Danny Bester…

Marleny Arnoldi:

With the automotive sector, particularly the components segment, having experienced market difficulties in South Africa as a result of global trade and US tariff turmoil. Bester comments on BMW South Africa’s continued drive to secure a strong local supply chain and improve on its 55% local content rate.

BMW group plant Rosslyn director Danny Bester…

Sashnee Moodley:

Explosives manufacturer BME is on track to soon be able to make explosives using only used oil. Darren Parker tells us more.

Darren Parker:

It will not be long before BME is able to completely replace all the virgin oil used in the fuel phase of its emulsions with used oil within the next few years. This would be a first for explosives manufacturing globally. However, sourcing the amount of used oil needed for this is a challenge.

BME used oil manager Sachin Govender…

Darren Parker:

BME already has an established network for collecting used oil from a national network of suppliers that includes mines, automotive workshops and other industrial sites.

About 150 jobs have already been created through the company’s contracted network of 13 used oil suppliers who operate 16 bulking points nationally, while the broader supply chain of smaller collectors who supply the bulking points supports a about 450 additional jobs.

The company also has used oil suppliers in Zimbabwe and Botswana.

BME used oil manager Sachin Govender…

Darren Parker:

Going beyond used oil, BME is also currently in the R&D phase of figuring out how to incorporate the oil derived from plastic, thereby playing a role in the plastic recycling industry.

BME used oil manager Sachin Govender…

Sashnee Moodley:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy. Don’t forget to listen to the audio version of our Engineering News daily email newsletter.