Skills Development and Business

Incubation

For the Love of Platinum

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FACTs on Incubation

Business Incubation is very important in developing and promoting potential businesses. In SA context such incubation drivestransformation, promotes economic inclusion and give a solution to overcome our less progressive past.

There are more than 150 business incubators in SA,More than 48 of these incubators are entities not for profit and are funded by Government through the Seda Technology Program for Dept. of Small Business Development.

Most of the these incubators operate are industry specific, like automotive, jewellery, essential oils and chemicals, manufacturing, renewable energy etc. Their main task is to support potential and small, medium and macro businesses.

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Content

• Introduction

• What does it take to open an Incubator

• Business Incubation as a response to Socio-

Economic-ills in SA

• TPI Objectives and Strategic Implements

• Advanced Manufacturing Initiatives/support

• High Lights: Opportunities and strengths

• Low Lights: Challenges and weaknesses

• Conclusion

Introduction• Skills Development SD: is ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly

carryout complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people

(interpersonal skills).

• Required recourses for SD: Academia, Expects, Information, conducive environment for learning etc.,

• Enterprise Development: is defined as the act of investing time and capital in helping people establish, expand or

improve businesses.

• "Business Incubation: is a unique and highly flexible combination of business development processes, infrastructure

and people, designed to nurture new and small businesses by helping them to survive and grow through the difficult and

vulnerable early stages of development.“

• Business Incubation: To TPI is perceived as planned and well organised platform for access to processes,

infrastructure and resources required for the SMMEs to enter, survive and grow into a highly specialised, important yet

complicated sector called minerals beneficiation.

• We see Incubation as the main key and remedy to dysfunction PGMs beneficiation in SA. The only opportunity to

develop previously excluded population (potential and current enterprises) into the main stream economy with precious

minerals.

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Selection Criteria Based

on the needs for

incubation and desired

impact

Love for minerals beneficiation (PGMs)

Qualification in Mineral Processing namely : Jewellery Manufacturing, Design and Setting

Lately we also look foe chemical engineering, metallurgy and other PGMs beneficiation

qualifications

Portfolio of evidence in the desired application for support

Tax clearance, bank account and management accounts if business already operating.

Model- incubation plans,

TPI Incubation program

6 months pre-incubation, Intro, Setup a business and profile

3 years, maximum incubation support (trade and compete)

+18months post incubation service. ( Commercialise and Sustain)

Stakeholders:

Industry

Academia

Government/ parastates

Civil Society -

(Beneficiaries)

Current: Industrial Development Zones, State Diamond Trader, Sibanye Stillwaters, Academia-

ORBIT Tvet College, all jewellery institutions, Mintek, Productivity SA, MQA Seta, SABTIA, SEDA

STP, Lonmin, NWDC, Independent professionals for HR, Secretary, Risk , Finance Management

and Occupational Safety.

To be sourced- Impala Mines, Northam Mines, DMR, SAPSMR, Brand SA, Department of

Science and Technology, AKAPO Jewellery, Sun International, IDC etc

What does it take to open and run an incubator

Business Incubation as a Response to Economic challenges

1. Less than 10% of the South African population know about SA rare Minerals i.e. Platinum Group of

Metals (PGMS) and their uses and yet Sa is the number 1 producer of the world Platinum,

2. Less than 5% PGMs beneficiation takes place in SA.

3. 90% Influx of imported jewellery pieces in South Africa against 95% raw PGMs (Platinum Group of

Metals) exported and used abroad in Automotive, Health, Electronics and Jewellery.

4. Metal is not easily accessible in South Africa, too much regulations, ( Mine Gate Price and Rand

weakness hinders local beneficiation).

6. Insufficient Skills Development Framework for PGMs processing, i.e. there is no Plat-Smith

Qualification in the Country and Goldsmith are the highest beneficiators of all precious metals.

7. Lack of innovation and technology in terms of machinery and equipment’s hinders scalability and

competition.

9. The industry and government support for PGMS is declining which posses a threat to sustainability

of local beneficiation. SEDA and MQA Seta depreciating support towards beneficiation incubators.

10. Lack of understanding for the trade by regulators and authorities discourages positive outlook.6

TPI BackgroundThe Platinum Incubator Motto : For the Love of Platinum

• Originally known as Seda Platinum Incubator.

• Been in Existence for 10 years based in North West and Gauteng. Incubates Businesses from all over

SA. Has capacitated more than 132 SMMEs with a 40% success rate to date.

• Prepared and developed more than 70 graduates (NQFL 5-7), from all over South Africa, 140 NQFL 3 &

4 candidates from ORBIT Tvet Jewellery Training Programs.

• Predominantly government funded through SEDA Technology Programs an agency , MQA SETA

programs and Private Sector.

TPI Vision:

To become a global training and enabling partner in platinum minerals beneficiation and innovation for

individuals, entrepreneurs and business.

Mission: To partner government and industry to maintain facilities across the country offering-

• Expert trainers in Platinum Group Metal (PGM) jewellery manufacturing and industrial products.

• Best in class equipment for design and manufacture of PGM jewellery

• PGM laboratory facilities for evaluation, preparation and manufacture of PGM based prototypes and

alloys.

• Provide controlled and effective access to PGMs and precious stones

Strategic Objectives/Pillars

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Promoting a

conducive

trading

environment

for Platinum

Commercialise

Beneficiators

Products

Develop

strong and

competitive

PGMs

beneficiators

Industry Applications and Partnerships that work!

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4. Seda Technology Program-Incubation performancemanagement and funding Partner

2. Mintek Production/SMME efficiency support

5. Sibanye Stillwaters, SMME commercialization partner

1. Lonmin Sponge Sponsor to stimulate PGMs consumption

3. MQA SETA, Program funding and Skills Development partner

Advance PGMs Manufacturing with

Mintek• Mavuno Technologies:

• Mr M Mavuso is in a

process of manufacturing

an Auto Catalyst, now

incubated at TPI

• Our first official Industrial

Application SMME to be

supported.

• Genuine Metals Innovation

Innovative Entrepreneur that

saw a niche in the

manufacturing of Church

utensils and cooperate

gifts with Precious metals

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Partnerships joint achievement with Orbit TVET.

2016 Italy 2 Year Exchange Program

24 Candidates from all over SA and Jewellery Training

Institutions 4 from TPI mentorship where 2 from Orbit

entry level Qualification NQFL 3. 1 Goldsmith From

Orbit TPI qualified in 2018

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Sya now on Pre-incubation program and part time

contract as a skills support bench worker at TPI

His overall turnover is +R12 000pm

Partnerships achievement

Lulu Khesa Creations• NQFL 3 at ORBIT Tvet into incubation, -

NQFL4 and now PGMs beneficiators Turnover

of +R 28 000 Per quarter

• Makes Accessory products with Leather and

metal e.g. Belts, shoes, bags etc.

• A winner of a number of jewellery design and

manufacturing Afro-centric Competitions.

• Now has a market and being profiled on the

Sun City Wall of Fame, to be one of the

SMMEs to start trading in Sun City on the TPI\

Sibanye \ Vuma Consulting\ Sun International.

• One of the many success stories for the

ORBIT TPI collaboration

Thuto Jewel• TUT B Tech Graduate (NQF L6),-TPI

incubation, - TPI Mentor- PGMs beneficiators

(Turnover of +R 40 000 per Quarter.

• Has been featured in the NWD Province Sales

mission in Serbia with the office of the MEC

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Our Incubator Required Engagements In Order to succeed:

Constantly improving funding and support structured according to SA needs for local beneficiation.

Constantly improving relations with private sector especially mining houses, larger cooperates in investments &

industrial applications conglomerates.

Joint ventures and collaboration geared at educational marketing, value enhancement and sustainability of SA

PGMs Beneficiation, especially at school level.

Stronger relations with government, regulatory bodies and community serving authorities to jointly advocate for

PGMs & application

Recapitalization of equipments/machinery for efficient and effective beneficiation e.g. analyzing machines &

prototyping.

In conclusion:

• I would like to appeal for more support that will take SA Skills development to Industry 4.0 and investment that will make our economy sustainable with highly compete business owners and work force. Let incubator do their beat in this pursuit.

Conclusion