Page 19 - EngineerIT December 2021
P. 19
SPONSORED ARTICLE
have witnessed the growing potential All customers’ goods, whatever their
of this BRICS country, as well as the volume, will be consolidated and
increasing need for local support shipped together, taking advantage
by many customers. South Africa’s of ICAPE Group’s negotiated
market has good potential business transport rates. We will take care of
in mining, industrial, lighting, telecom, the shipment, from the factory to
aerospace and military. Cape Town, the customer inventory, in delivered
where TraX Group is located, is the duty paid (DDP). All our products are
tech hub of South Africa. With this controlled twice, by the QC of the
acquisition, ICAPE Group acquired two factory and by ICAPE Group quality
new entities: ICAPE - TRAX (formerly inspectors, to ensure the best quality
TRAX Interconnect, the PCB factory) of the shipped goods.”
and ICAPE South Africa (formerly TRAX Daniel Dock
Offshore Manufacturing, the technical For local customers, the arrival of ICAPE
trading company). ICAPE – TRAX will a high standard. We are looking Group in South Africa will significantly
serve our customers in prototype, forward to the next chapter of the increase the level of services and
quick turn and small quantity at the story with ICAPE Group as partners, range of products they will be able
start of projects, while ICAPE South and we are excited to see what a to benefit from. Daniel Dock from
Africa will focus on when projects “combined” future is going to bring, TraX Group is extremely happy and
go to mass production. This perfect with the support of a powerful and confident: “ICAPE Group will be able
complementarity will leverage ICAPE well-organised supply chain that can to provide us with good technological
Group expertise and buying power in leverage good pricing and deliveries and marketing support, and the days
factories abroad” from offshore manufacturers. We are of having to “go it alone” will be over.
excited about the investment into the We hope to one day be able to sell
For Daniel Dock, MD of the TraX local manufacturing facility which will our South African-made PCBs on the
Group, this opportunity was a chance cement our position as the leading ICAPE E-Shop. We are also excited
that his company could not ignore: manufacturer in South Africa and Sub- about diversifying our product offering
“From humble beginnings, TraX was Saharan Africa.” with the addition of the CIPEM group
founded in a household garage in of products. In the longer term, we are
Cape Town due to the founding owner It’s an important milestone for also excited about the opportunity of
requiring PCBs for his personal hobby ICAPE Group, entering a new era growing the ICAPE Group brand into
projects. As word spread around so in its development by acquiring neighboring African countries, as this is
did demand, and a manufacturing a business unit and a factory, run the largest potential market for PCBs in
facility was born in 1991. Since by 60 employees. The target is to the years to come.” n
competing with the Far East on price make ICAPE-TraX a real reference
was not viable, the strategy was to on the African continent, and this
reposition TraX for more high-tech will be possible thanks to massive
manufacturing and smaller, quick investments, said Thomas Chea:
turnaround volumes, a strategy still “ICAPE Group will invest in production
pursued to this day. equipment, streamline the factory
organisation, and position the factory
“ICAPE Group is known as a buyer on its best performance segments.
and seller of printed circuit boards ICAPE South Africa will now buy directly
which focuses on ensuring that from Asia, mainly China, and leverage
the quality of its sold products is of ICAPE Group’s big buying power.
EngineerIT | December 2021 | 17