S. Africa: Incubator Sews Seeds For Platinum Jewelry Growth
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RAPAPORT… SOUTH AFRICA: Cedric Lesele believes that he has at last found his professional calling in the jewelry industry. The 32-year old student of the Orbit FET (Further Education Training) College is already a qualified hairdresser and has tried his hand at a number of other professions.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jewelry manufacture is not as different to hairdressing as you might think. They both have to do with design,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says without breaking concentration on a casting model assignment. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But this is it for me. My dream is to have my own jewelry company.”<\/p>\n
Lesele is a native of South Africa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s platinum mining capital, Rustenburg, and was accepted into Orbit FET at the beginning of 2007 as one of 18 students who make up the first intake at the college.<\/p>\n
Five months into their three-year course to become platinum jewelry manufacturers, the school\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s management believe that Lesele and his peers are already on their way to reaching their dreams.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The aim is to develop entrepreneurial ability among the students, so that they can eventually develop their own businesses,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Gordon Freer, center manager at the Seda Platinum Incubator, which initiated the college\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s establishment.<\/p>\n
The Seda Platinum Incubator aims to help young entrepreneurs develop platinum-related jewelry businesses by providing services and support such as marketing and project management skills as well as manufacturing services, to which they would otherwise not have access.<\/p>\n
The incubator is overseeing the course lectures and content at the college during its first two years, after which Orbit will run independently while continuing to act as a feeder system to the incubator.<\/p>\n
One Stop Platinum Shop<\/p>\n
Seda (Small Enterprise Development Agency) received the boost it was seeking earlier this month when Orbit, which it recruited to run the training program, was cleared as an accredited services provider. That decision will allow the school\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153learners\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to become interns of the incubator during their studies, giving Seda\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s management the model they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been aiming for \u00e2\u20ac\u201c where the learners can put their skills to practice while giving them a closer look at the trials of starting a new business.<\/p>\n
Freer hopes the students will eventually be able to transition from being incubator employees to starting their own private businesses.<\/p>\n
The Seda incubator currently provides services to six such small businesses, five of which are \u00e2\u20ac\u0153virtual,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or off campus, with the latest recruit as the first to set up shop at the incubator\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Rustenburg premises. The incubator has space for up to 15 tenants and Freer admits its current location may not be big enough to accommodate its expansion plans. He envisages the center becoming a one-stop-shop to provide design, manufacture and packaging facilities for platinum jewelers.<\/p>\n
Beginning With Beneficiation<\/p>\n
The incubator was started by the Platinum Trust – which was formed to address the beneficiation opportunities in South Africa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s platinum environment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and subsequently supported by the Seda Technology Program – which seeks to contribute to South Africa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s economic growth through technology transfer and business incubation. It was through the beneficiation drive to create spin-off industries around South Africa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rich minerals sector, that the idea to establish the Seda Platinum Incubator developed.<\/p>\n
South Africa is the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s largest producer of platinum, the large majority of which – like the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s other raw materials – was historically exported to create a foreign exchange stream for the country during the Apartheid years.<\/p>\n
Recognizing the potential to create jobs in the sector beyond mining, the South African government has been overhauling its mining legislation to allow the local economy to further benefit from the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s raw materials in sectors such as jewelry design and manufacturing. The diamond industry also benefited from these reforms with the recent creation of the State Diamond Trader, which will oversee diamond exports and ensure that at least 10 percent of the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rough stones are cut and polished locally.<\/p>\n
Although the restructuring of the diamond industry is still in its infancy, management at the Seda Platinum Incubator believe they have found the right formula to achieve their beneficiation goals. While they are cautious not to deviate from their mandate \u00e2\u20ac\u0153to build platinum jewelry businesses,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d they have recognized the potential to partner with other industries to enhance the beneficiation process.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is the only dedicated center looking at platinum and group metals in the country,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Freer notes. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is talk about establishing a diamond college in Kimberley, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve already approached the stake-holders there to arrange possible lecturer and student swaps.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want is to have them teach how to cast and finish metals and alternatively we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to teach how to cut, polish and finish diamonds,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he adds.<\/p>\n
Creating a Market<\/p>\n
Getting this far, however, has been a long process and Freer explains that the incubator was careful to ensure that there exists a sufficient market for high-end platinum jewelry before embarking on its plans. As a result, it initiated the Djadji brand of jewelry to test the market, outsourcing its manufacture and development.<\/p>\n
Having successfully sold the Djadji jewelry, the incubator decided to take its involvement to the next level. In August, it launched the new Djadji jewelry collection which for the first time included contributions from the Orbit students.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The idea is that the students will be responsible for more of Djadji\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manufacturing as their skills develop,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Freer says.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the students are helping make other collections of jewelry, including those of the incubator\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tenants, and it is expected that their involvement will increase when they become employees.<\/p>\n
Building Businesses<\/p>\n
Freer stresses, however, that the aim is not to grow the incubator\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s employee base, and as the world eyes South Africa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s drive to diversify its minerals industry, the incubator is careful to keep its mandate well defined and its activities in line with the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s beneficiation goals. Freer is confident it has the right formula to achieve these goals.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a shortage of skills in terms of platinum design and manufacturing. The bigger challenge, however, is to keep the skills we have in the industry,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our job is not to create jobs in the incubator. Our job is to grow our tenants\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 businesses.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
RAPAPORT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
S. Africa: Incubator Sews Seeds For Platinum Jewelry Growth Diamonds.net, NY RAPAPORT… SOUTH AFRICA: Cedric Lesele believes that he has at last found his professional calling in the jewelry industry. The 32-year old student of the Orbit FET (Further Education Training) College is already a qualified hairdresser and has tried his hand at a number […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[411],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n