The Tool, Die and Mouldmaking (TDM) industry is critical to achieve manufacturing competitiveness. In South Africa, the direct tooling industry represents a market of R13 billion per annum, with added maintenance services contributing another R2 billion per annum. There can be no manufacture without the tools to do so, and in order to create a sustainable manufacturing industry, steps need to be taken to ensure that the TDM industry achieves the highest quality and standards.

The tooling industry supports all manufacturing sectors and all manufacturing technologies. These include the automotive, packaging and electronics manufacturing industries.

The South African TDM industry has been in a steady rate of decline after having suffered years of underinvestment in the key components that are needed to sustain it. Reasons for this distress include:

• Skills erosion and job losses
• Critical shortage of artisans, engineers and project managers
• Radical changes in competitive Skills Value Chain
• Technology stagnation due to a lack of recapitalisation
• Loss of capacity
• Loss of competitiveness
• Absence of transformation in TDM industry
• Increasing imports – decreasing exports