The R200m Foxtec-Ikhwezi black empowerment automotive development in East London’s West Bank industrial area should be in production by November to begin meeting multi-million rand foreign orders.

Company chief executive Pieter Bosch said R62m of the project’s R116m first phase had already been spent. Phase 1 will provide 100 new job opportunities with Phase 2 envisaging a near doubling up of investment and job creation.

Following a four-month delay last year to clear up the purchase of the site from the Buffalo City Municipality, all the stops were pulled out as the company raced to catch up on target deadlines as the 60000m² factory was constructed and essential services were installed.

“We are on target now ... we have 15 German technicians (from the Otto-Fuchs Group) on site overseeing the installation of equipment, tooling up and commissioning of the plant which must start trial runs in June,” Bosch said.

“We’ve scheduled the official opening of the factory for September 15 and then it will be all systems go to meet our first export orders to DaimlerChrysler in Germany by November. We are also, of course, under contract to provide components such as lightweight aluminium suspension struts for DCSA’s new C-Class Mercedes-Benz cars which go into production next year.”

Bosch said the German technicians were giving a spin-off boost to East London’s economy.