CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 2, 2016 | Page 30

“ This needs to go ahead . We are hopeful that no other hurdle will stand in the way .”
An artist ’ s impression of what the exterior of the velodrome at Pietermaritzburg ’ s tech hub could look like .
facilities of its industry partners , will be the site for high-level R & D and postgraduate training related to the aviation industry . In this way , the enterprise will ensure the production of high-level skills , necessary for the development of a sustainable innovative industry .” DUT has a host of other research activities that have relevance to an aviation-related tech hub , such as a biocomposites nanotechnology research group , a strong instrumentation group , a large IT programme , and an embedded systems group . Another of DUT ’ s intended key contributions at the tech hub — and one that would surely appeal to innovators — said Prinsloo , would be the creation of an R & D ecosystem that provides the infrastructure for controlled , safe and secure management of all aspects of intellectual property rights , such as the registration and protection of copyright and patents . DUT would also monitor for KZN data related to the science and technology development ecosystem such as : - patents and designs registered by KZN entities and individuals ; - ratio of registered professional engineers to the population of KZN ; - gross expenditure on R & D as a proportion of provincial GVA ( Gross Value Add ); - percentage of academic staff with PhD qualifications . While Gengan assured Capital that DUT — as one of the initial prospective tenants — was still on board , we were unable to get comment from DUT at time of going to print .
Africa ’ s centre for aviation manufacturing
One of the other initial tenants who did assure us that they were still involved is ADEPT Airmotive . This Durban-based manufacturer of general aviation ( GA ) engines produces an engine range that is the only GA engine in its class in the world that is able to run on unleaded fuel , said its CEO Richard Schulz . “ General aviation faces a massive restriction on growth and activity , as almost all GA activity requires leaded fuel — and this
28 | Issue 2 | Capital

“ This needs to go ahead . We are hopeful that no other hurdle will stand in the way .”

is becoming more expensive and less freely available globally ,” explained Schulz , adding that legislation aims to ban the sale of leaded fuels and that there is presently no medium-term alternative fuel for GA aircraft . “ The potential of the ADEPT engine range to create the opportunity to establish KZN as a significant centre of aviation manufacturing , training and related activities — and indeed to be the epicentre of GA manufacturing in Africa — is real ,” Schultz maintained when Capital first spoke to him . “ The availability of newtechnology engines will drive new airframe development , and we have experienced keen interest from overseas and local manufacturers who see advantages in relocating some or all of their manufacturing activities to the hub . This has exciting implications for the region .” When we spoke to Schultz again in late 2016 , he confirmed that his company still intended to be a part of the tech hub development at Pietermaritzburg Airport .. “ It is still our intention to have Airmotive Technology — which will carry out advanced research and development , and market support , sales and servicing — at the Pietermaritzburg facility ,” he said . “ This will be a prestige facility , and will be benchmarked against best aviation practice .” “ I am in discussion with other aviation airframe manufacturers to also be a part of the cluster [ at Pietermaritzburg airport ],” he added .
It must happen
Melanie Veness , CEO of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business said that “ the development at Pietermaritzburg Airport is important for our city and business community ”. “ It will create employment , raise the city ’ s profile nationally and abroad , and will no doubt bring myriad benefits to other industries in the city — especially those located in the adjacent industrial area of Mkondeni ,” she pointed out . “ This needs to go ahead and we are hopeful that now that the EIA is complete , no other hurdle will stand in the way of this tech hub becoming a reality .”