Developing marine suppliers in South Africa

Call open for development programme

SOUTH AFRICA: The Aerospace Industry Support Initiative (AISI) has once again launched a call for maritime companies to apply to participate in their Marine Supplier Development Programme which aims to provide assistance to manufacturers and service providers requiring support in obtaining standards and accreditations.

The AISI is managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and is a fully government-funded mechanism to support the local South African aeronautics, defence, space and other sector-wide industries including marine.

The ultimate objective is to integrate the South African industry into global supply chains as well as develop new markets and opportunities through support of relevant standards and accreditations.

Interventions adopted by the AISI provide enabling mechanisms to assist industry to improve its competitiveness, productivity and quality management systems. The ultimate objective is to integrate the South African industry into global supply chains as well as develop new markets and opportunities through support of relevant standards and accreditations.

The challenges associated with obtaining certification have been identified as a factor limiting the participation of some South African marine manufacturers and service providers in potential maritime supply chains.

Interested companies have until the 28 March 2025 to apply to participate and benefit from assistance to comply with marine industry specific standards and accreditations. Assistance can include, but is not limited to implementation, surveillance or inspection, or auditing of systems and processes related to marine certifications.

Identified companies may also receive engineering support for design evaluation or component testing of products that is required for marine certification.

More specifically, assistance may be provided to beneficiaries to obtain marine certifications (including but not limited to classification society certifications with one or more of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) affiliate bodies; other marine certifications such as Type Approval, Compliance to IMO, SAMSA, SABS, CE, IECEx, ABYC; or other marine related certifications).

Although preference will be given to applications supporting the manufacture of components or products, the programme is also open to marine related services. While the AISI is inviting submissions from all types of marine component manufactures, those seeking assistance in accrediting products on the designated list will be prioritised.

These include: