A dream come true for a former employee of Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) when he became a supplier to his former employer.
With the support of Volkswagen’s B-BBEE Initiatives Trust and the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) Equity Equivalent Programme, Morgan Waterboer, co-owner and managing director of MCR Plastics, is now part of Volkswagen’s supply chain.
“I worked for VWSA from 2002, in the Quality Assurance division, but almost 17 years later I saw a gap in the market,” said Morgan, whose injection moulding company started supplying door covers and a fuel filler module for the popular Polo built at VWSA’s Kariega plant in 2022.
Morgan runs his company alongside his wife Edwina, who has been handling the finances and is currently running the HR function. “We are a small team, with four permanent employees and one consultant on board,” says Edwina.
MCR Plastics received bridging finance of R7.5 million from the B-BBEE Initiatives Trust when the company was just starting up. “Their support has been great, and it has enabled us to grow. It’s not easy to start a business, but the support was very comprehensive. VWSA’s excellent team also supported us in getting the necessary processes in place.”
Through the AITF programme, they also received funding and assistance with certifications and were invited to SA Auto Week in 2022, where they could interact with stakeholders across the industry.
“Since 1996, I have dreamed of being a business owner,” says Morgan. “My proudest moment was when we loaded the truck with our very first delivery; that was a happy day for me.”
The Trust was formed by VWSA in 2016 with the mandate of driving transformation in the South African automotive industry by investing in black-owned suppliers and offering post-investment support to these companies. VWSA has also been involved in the AITF – an organisation working with South Africa’s OEMs towards transformation in the supply chain and dealer network – since 2020.
“The support to MCR Plastics served as a valuable case study between the Volkswagen’s B-BBEE Initiatives Trust and the AITF, resulting in close collaboration between the entities to provide a solution that was customer-focused and ensured that the timing prescribed by VWSA was met,” says Neeraj Kessery, CEO of the B-BBEE Initiatives Trust.
A vehicle dealership has been fined R200 000 for contravening sections of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by refusing a consumer’s request to cancel his vehicle purchase transaction two days after the purchased vehicle’s engine seized.
On Thursday, 27 March from 18:30, Creative Rides will be offering six of the most iconic BMWs of all time at its auction, which is taking place at its showroom in Main Road, Bryanston.
Nissan and Premcar have launched the Navara PRO-4X Warrior – a vehicle purpose-built for the most demanding on- and off-road conditions South Africa has to offer.
Advertisement
Advertisement
You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
Unknown
A vehicle dealership has been fined R200 000 for contravening sections of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by refusing a consumer’s request to cancel his vehicle purchase transaction two days after the purchased vehicle’s engine seized.
On Thursday, 27 March from 18:30, Creative Rides will be offering six of the most iconic BMWs of all time at its auction, which is taking place at its showroom in Main Road, Bryanston.
The crime stats for quarter three of last year (October to December) were recently released, and although vehicle related crimes show a decrease in most areas, it still remains very high, says MasterDrive. Other areas, however, saw increases, including the carjacking of business-owned vehicles.
