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KSA

KSA Update

January 2023

he KSA recently wrote an article
for LinkedIn to try and highlight
Tthe challenges our industry
is facing in the face of monumental
loadshedding. We would like to share this
article with you.

Adjusting to the new norm - the impact of
loadshedding on the kitchen industry and
how we need to adjust.
Loadshedding has had an impact
on all of us, but few more so than the
manufacturing sector. The South African
kitchen industry has had to fight for
survival over the past few years, and if
we are going to see it remain intact, then
consumers, developers and industry
professionals are going to have to embrace
a change in attitude and become far more
flexible.
The massive loadshedding, particularly steps to have generators or solar installed All kitchen companies reply on their
in Gauteng, not only has an impact on in their factories, this is costly and can suppliers for materials, components and
the manufacturing process of a kitchen, only power a percentage of the machinery off-site production. Over the past few
but also the design (lack of power for needed and for limited time periods. The months we have seen this supply chain
computers and WIFI) and installation too massive costs to install solar and the ever harshly hampered due to import issues,
(lack of power for tools on site). Other rising cost of diesel are also prohibitive for rising costs of transport, strikes, and the
manufacturers linked to the kitchen smaller businesses. On site the impact of war in the Ukraine. Loadshedding has
industry like stone and surface fabricators load shedding continues. A simple solution added to these challenges. Basic logistics
are similarly affected. - a generator on each site? The cost for a are hampered due to traffic lights being
You might say that any business worth company to have a generator on each site out, and stock processing is slowed
its salt should be able to put facilities in they are working on is untenable. A kitchen down due to computers being offline. All
place to offset this impact, but most kitchen company can be operating on multiple sites these small issues accumulate, and have
companies in South Africa are small to at any one time, and unless they drastically an impact on the company's ability to
medium enterprises with niche skill sets that increase their costs to the customer, deliver a finished kitchen in a specified
are in short supply. While most have taken facilitating this is an impossibility. timeline. While the customer has paid

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