Platinum jewellery manufaturing small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) with their eyes set on international markets will have their businesses assessed to determine their readiness to take on international markets.
Emerging platinum jewellery manufacturers from the Seda Platinum Incubator (SPI), South Africa’s first platinum beneficiation centre, will form part of a group of 50 enterprises in jewellery and crafts, agro business, carpentry and tourism who will be evaluated.
Evaluation of SMMEs will form part of the two –day workshop, organised by the SPI and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (seda) taking place at Orbit FET College in Rustenburg, North West, on the 18th -19th March 2008.
Exporting offers great potential for SMMEs to improve economies of scale and create employment.
“Exporting is not something any business can jump into. A carefully thought out export strategy is crucial to make that decision. This workshop and evaluation of each individual enterprise lays the basis for such strategy,” says Brent Laarman, SPI Business Development Manager.
The evaluation will focus on the enterprise’s business model and growth phase, services and products offered, production processes, demand, promotion of products and their current potential to explore international markets.
The result of the assessment will inform the SPI of the type of intervention needed to prepare the targeted SMMEs for export and the drawing up of an export plan that will lead to the business’ aggressive participation in the export market.
SMMEs have previously participated in a number of export opportunities but have not always benefited as much as they could have. Laarman adds, “Our SMMEs need a lot of preparation for the export market, especially in platinum jewellery manufacturing, where skills are as rare as the metal itself. The workshop will not only serve to identify and prepare potential exporters among SMMEs, but also help us identify gaps and opportunities that exist for future export growth.”
Issued by: Caron Communications
Busi Ziqubu, 011 487 2931
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On behalf of seda Platinum Incubator
For more information contact Gordon Freer on 0822559644 or Brent Laarman on 084 250 2129
