Altech opens factory for the manufacturing of digital television set-top boxes in Durban
Africa’s first facility with the capacity to manufacture more than three million television set-top boxes per annum was opened in Durban by Minister of Communications Roy Padayachie in August 2011.
Altech UEC consolidated six buildings on two sites into a single, 13 500 square meter factory at Mount Edgecombe.
With demand for digital set-top boxes (STBs) in South Africa expected to reach more than nine million as the country migrates to DTT, with a further 30 million required for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, Altech CEO Craig Venter said the new factory would drive growth and job creation in line with President Zuma’s economic development targets.
“Our investment in this facility is in direct support of government policy. Not only are we employing people in the factory, but services such as packaging, delivery and installation will create tens of thousands of small business opportunities in the years to come,” said Venter.
“In the process, people will acquire new skills, equipping them for the next wave of ICT innovation and development. The cycle of advancement and wealth creation is potentially endless.”
Rajesh Ramkawal, Minister of Communications Roy Padayachie and Altech CEO Craig Venter
Venter said crucial to South Africa’s Broadcasting Digital Migration Policy was the creation of millions of new jobs country-wide by advancing the local electronics manufacturing sector. “Digital migration creates an opportunity to build a globally competitive export sector that is an objective of the Industrial Policy Action Plan.”
“The economic spin-offs are destined to be huge – from technical support to retailing – while the increased demand for broadcast content, especially regional-based programming, will create more jobs for local content producers and their supply chains,” said Venter.
Venter added that there was a need to resuscitate local research and development and while a South African silicon valley might be far-fetched, poverty could only be eradicated by economic growth which depended on competitiveness.
“In a world where everybody has access to the same technological tools, competitiveness depends on how the technology is applied to harness information and create new knowledge. People and countries who can meet these demands are the ones who succeed,” said Venter.
Venter appealed to government to provide an enabling environment to encourage entrepreneurship with a focus on ICT innovation, as this was the only way to resuscitate local research and development. Venter said the migration to DTT was taking place within the bigger context of growth in the ICT industry in general.
Altech CEO Craig Venter and Minister of Communications Roy Padayachie at the opening of the Altech UEC manufacturing facility
“The building of the factory is not only to gear up for the anticipated demand for locally produced STBs, but also as part of a wider strategy to enable Altech UEC to extend its manufacturing capabilities and remain a world class digital media manufacturing operation,” said Altech UEC CEO, Peter Balchin.
“Aligned to this is the fact that Altech UEC is in the process of evolving into a multi-media global business as the industry matures and converges between broadcast and broadband media delivery.”
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