SAFLIA: What we need is clarity

Cape Town, W Cape, SA - The rules imposed on most footwear manufacturers wishing to restart manufacturing under the government's 'Level 4' lockdown "will discourage most from re-opening", SAFLIA executive director Jirka Vymetal said last week.

"There are a lot of rules and requests that make it difficult," he said. "We understand the request that we rotate workers to make it more fair so that everyone can earn more, but it's not always practical. For instance, most factories would only have 1 Puritan machine (a heavy duty stitching machine) with 1 operator. To a lesser extent, that's true of other specialised operations, like clicking. I think the unions would also understand that."

He said the cost of disinfecting factories, coupled with the high number of cancelled orders and the lower productivity caused by being restricted to 30% of the workforce would discourage manufacturers from opening.

"The biggest problem is clarity," he said. "Many of the new rules are ambiguous, and they need to be absolutely and clearly defined. We understand that we can't just look at the regulations in terms of profit margins, but in the early announcements about restarting retail, for example, there was no mention of footwear, but there was in the announcement about restarting manufacturing. That's since been resolved, but it created needless doubt.

"I think the government should accept that whatever proposals the leather and footwear directorate of the DTIC submits have been clearly thought through, and should implement them. That didn't  happen with the Level 4 regulations."

 

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA - AFD would "very much like to restart" manufacturing, member Fiona Dale said. "The problem isn't manufacturing, it's selling," she said. "We'll  be reaching out to all our customers this week."

She said AFD had raw materials available "and we could start immediately if need be".

She was concerned whether NAMPO agricultural trade shows, in August and September, and important markets for her, would take place.

Most of the operations are done by outside contractors working from their own premises. AFD cuts the components and boxes and dispatches with "one or two" staff, and she wasn't concerned about struggling to meet regulations.

 

Durban, KZN, SA - Angel "has resumed manufacturing in a small way", sales manager Ashley Ramlakan said. So far it is making stitchdown velskoens only for Bata SA.

He said the factory was operating with "well below" 30% of its workers, and was rotating and multitasking those who were working.

He said most retail orders had been pushed out.

Angel's sister company, Reunion Components, is not yet back at work, and is awaiting orders.

"The viability of working this way is a fine line," he said

 

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - We’re manufacturers so we’ve been back at work for a couple of weeks, but with no airlines and no borders we’ll be going home again shortly.  

Hours are 8-3, roadblocks are uninterested and largely wave through, masks and sanitiser required at work - but as more and more videos from doctors and experts in viruses, on global protests and US malfeasance, etc. are widely disseminated, the levels of enthusiasm and belief are dropping.  Most businesses in Bulawayo have re-opened despite still officially being on lockdown.

Zim is a kleptocracy and life here is already challenging enough without a pandemic.  It will take a long time to fully recover.  However, we’re better off than you guys with your unions.  They should come up here for a wake-up call.

 

Durban, KZN, SA - We need a full week to establish the factory as COVID SAFE and remain unsure of an opening date.

Our order book has depleted to 50% of our winter outstanding and summer projections in total, a reality we must deal with.

We are grateful though that the Palm Family and the local communities we support are safe and healthy...this is, above all, most important.