Davies has lost patience with motor industry companies
Government is taking steps that include possible punitive measures to accelerate the pace of change in the development of black suppliers to vehicle manufacturers
Motor industry companies that don’t help develop black-owned newcomers are risking not only industry incentives but also their own future. A new drive to increase black participation could lead, in extreme cases, to the industry-supported creation of direct competitors to existing players. Significant black involvement in the industry is among the goals of the 2013-2020 automotive production & development programme (APDP), but it has been happening painfully slowly. Trade & industry minister Rob Davies, whose department manages the programme, has repeatedly expressed frustration at the pace of change. Dave Coffey, president of the National Association of Automotive Component & Allied Manufacturers (Naacam), says that out of hundreds of suppliers dealing directly with vehicle manufacturers, only 15 are black owned. Of those, he says, most supply services — for example, the manufacturing of product handbooks — rather than vehicle parts. Now Davies has lost patience. At an automotive c...
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