President Ramaphosa today officiated the launch of the Hesto Harnesses manufacturing facility in KwaDukuza.

As part of an investment oversight drive in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, President Ramaphosa today officiated the launch of the Hesto Harnesses manufacturing facility in KwaDukuza.

During the launch, President Ramaphosa was joined by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Siboniso Duma and local leadership.

The new 35 000m2 state-of-the-art Hesto facility is one of five capital investment projects which resulted in a commitment of over R1.4 billion by Metair to support the expansion and localisation of the new Ford Ranger.

In partnership with Yazaki Corporation, Hesto employs world-class manufacturing skills and processes to produce wiring harnesses and instrument clusters for supply to South African based, automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers, Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan, and recently added, Ford.

The new facility will produce wiring harnesses for the latest Ford Ranger and Isuzu models, which will be sold locally and abroad, and has created over 4000 employment opportunities in the region, more than doubling Hesto’s youthful staff complement which boasts 70% female representation.