Monday 27 October 2008
costs: €40 including lunch & sundowners
08:00 – 17:00
- High Tech Tour
- Agri-processing Tour
- Manufacturing & Engineering Tour
- Creative Industries Tour
- Services & Development Institutions Tour
17:30 – 19:30
Table Mountain Sundowners
The Western Cape, South Africa has a population of 5 million, and GDP of $30billion, and is globally recognized as a leading region for Cluster-based Economic Development. The region has a highly diverse economy, underpinned by a base of traditional resource and manufacturing sectors, while also enjoying a highly sophisticated service and knowledge economy, that is reflected in a wide range of niche sectors. Supported by regional and local government, the region boasts more than 20 sector-specific cluster initiatives, and a deep base of supporting institutions and cluster-generated institutions. The Cluster tours will expose delegates to many of these dynamic institutions and world-class examples of cluster-based economic development, providing the process, history and lessons behind the successes (and failures!!).
The tours will all take place on Monday 27 October 2008. A special presentation on the history of the Western Cape Cluster programme and institutional economic development architecture will begin at 8.30 – 9.30 for all delegates. The tours will all leave promptly at 9.30 from the front of the Cape Sun hotel, and will end with Champaign Sundowners on the top of Table Mountain via the Cable Car.
TOUR 1
High Tech Tour (ICT Bio-tech, Tooling, Satellite Technologies & Advanced Materials)
The province has a small but dynamic set of innovative clusters, supported by 5 universities and centres of higher education. The tour will begin by visiting the 10-year old Cape IT Initiative (CITI), that has been at the forefront of drawing the regions software industry together, with a focus on growth, international marketing and emerging enterprise support. Delegates will visit the “Bandwidth Barn” that is arguably one of the worlds most successful IT incubators, with more than 70 tenants, and with more than 180 companies having been resident in the Barn over its 7 year life.
The tour will then visit “Calling the Cape” and be exposed to the conditions under which the region has created more than 20,000 jobs over a 5 year period servicing both offshore and domestic clients. The tour will also visit Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU), the agency responsible for tourism marketing and events co-ordination, and learn of some of the initiatives, institutions and branding that have contributed to the region being billed as one of the top 10 places to see before you die.
The tour will also visit the Cape Bio-tech Trust (CBT) mandated by the South African government to take forward the regions bio-tech sector, and be exposed to the lessons learnt from 6 years of building a nascent bio-tech sector, as well as the international centre for vaccine research. A visit to the University of Cape Town will introduce delegates to the Cape Initiative in Materials and Manufacturing (CIMM) that has as its primary goal the linkage between manufacturing related services and solutions offered across the regions 4 tertiary institutions.
TOUR 2
Agri-processing Tour (Wine, Aqua-culture, organic producers, co-operatives and state-led research and development laboratories)
The Western Cape economy is underpinned by its export-oriented agricultural sector, that has deep linkages though all aspects of its economy, from logistics to finance to food and beverage processing. Many of its sectors are export-driven and have highly sophisticated world-class producers leading the sector. This includes its deciduos fruit industry, rooibos tea and beverage sectors and strong integrated wine industry.
The tour will begin at the Department of Agriculture that boasts Elsenburg College a 100 year old Agricultural research and education facility. Elsenburg and the Department are located 30mins from the City Centre in the heart of the wine region. A presentation on the regions agricultural economy and government approach will be given, that will outline some of the unique features of the province. This will include presentations by the South African Aqua-culture Institute (SAAI) and the Rooibos Council both newly established cluster initiatives.
The tour will move to the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) the national R&D centre where some of innovative products and research will be highlighted such as the efforts to establish a fledgling aqua-culture industry and the development of new cultivars. This will include a presentation by “Agri-export” a not-for-profit body established to promote small scale and emerging exporters.
Finally the tour will end with a visit to and presentation by the South African Wine and Brandy Trust (SAWBT), that is a well established cluster initiative, that promotes research, strengthens network alignment and promotes the region internationally. Delegates will have an opportunity to visit the picturesque town of Stellenbosch that is the traditional heart of the wine industry, with a wine tasting at one of South Africa’s oldest estates.
TOUR 3
Manufacturing & Engineering Tour (Clothing and textiles, Marine Engineering and Port Logistics and Tooling)
The region still boasts a significant traditional manufacturing sector that is grappling with the effects of globalization and is re-inventing itself into niche focused, and internationally competitive lines. The tour will begin by a visit to a large vertically integrated clothing factory, that has been part of the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster (CCTC) that is focused on firm level benchmarking and upgrading. The factory will demonstrate the approach to advanced forms of world class manufacturing methodologies and the challenges of applying these in traditional manufacturing environments. A presentation by Clotex and the Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC) the first fashion cluster in Africa, will reflect how the local clothing industry is moving up the value chain and adapting to a fiercely competitive global order.
The tour will then visit the port of Cape Town, where the local ship repair and engineering sector are targeting the new niche of the servicing of the burgeoning oil and gas industries off Africa. The tour will encompass the development of specialized repair facilities reflecting the role of the South African Oil and Gas Alliance (SAOGA) and Cape Ship Repair (CS) Initiative in servicing oil and gas related vessels. The tour will reflect some of the challenges of balancing a world class tourism facility with the Cape Town Waterfront Development, one of the most successful Waterfront Developments internationally with a working harbour encompassing ship repair, fishing and container facilities.
Finally the tour will visit the Western Cape Tooling initiative (WCTI) and advanced tooling factory highlighting the challenges of maintaining and defending an industry under severe competition, with an aging workforce. The tour will also encompass a visit to the Dedicated College Tooling Centre, with a full outline of the regions attempts to rebuild its skills base in toolmaking.
TOUR 4
Creative Industries Tour (Craft, Music, Local Economic Development and Film)
Cape Town is becoming renowned as a Creative City, and boasts the internationally recognized Design indaba conference and expo on an annual basis with an attendance of more than 20,000 international and national delegates. The creative industries tour will begin with a visit to the Cape Film Commission (CFC), that has been in existence for close to 10 years and has assisted in putting Cape Town on the international film map as a low-cost and varied location. The CFC will reflect on its efforts to balance both the promotion aspects of the industry with the need to develop its local filmmaking capabilities.
The tour will then move to the Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI) that employ more than 20 staff in support of the wide-spread and varied craft industry. The CCDI has established an international reputation for its highly focused offering to the various elements of the craft industry, effectively balancing support for individual informal crafters at the bottom end of the poverty scale, to internationally recognized craft-based companies employing several hundred employees, and exporting the bulk of their products. Delegates will visit the CCDI centre including the “Gift Warehouse” initiative focused on targeting the corporate gift market, and -the Fablab, an MIT-inspired facility housing the latest rapid prototyping facilities focused on high-end design.
Finally the tour will engage with the newly established Music Cluster (the CapeMIC), the Visual Arts Network (VANSA) and the Performing Arts Network (PANSA) with demonstrations as to the initiatives to promote the creative industries as serious economic drivers in the region’s sectoral offering.
TOUR 5
Services & Development Institutions Tour (Trade & Investment, Tourism, Call Centres & ICT)
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Costs: €60 including teas and lunch
9:00 – 12:30 Cape Sun Hotel
Course Co-ordinator: Ifor Ffowcs-Williams
An action-packed half-day introduction to clusters will be offered by the internationally renowned cluster expert Ifor Ffowcs-Williams and will include a star-studded line-up of guest speakers from around the world. The course is a must for all government officials, cluster practioners, and economic development specialists. The focus will be on the theory and principles behind clustering, with the emphasis on the “how to” in terms of leading cluster initiatives, and developing regional cluster programmes.
13:30 - 17:30 Cape Sun Hotel
India: The Dancing Elephant: Prof Amit Kapoor and other presentations from India
Pan African Competitiveness Forum (PACF) - Report from 1st PACF in Addis Ababa
Latin-American Session
