Three streams of specialist workshops will make up the afternoon programme at the Hypermobility 2020 virtual conference which takes place on Wednesday, November 18, following a plenary session in the morning which will consist of keynote speakers and three panel discussions.

This important conference is endorsed by naamsa and will be powered by AutoTrader, a leading automotive portal focussing mainly on the buying and selling of vehicles.

Delegates will be able to choose which of the sessions are most relevant to their needs. The first round of 45-minute workshops will take place from 14h00 and the third will end at 17h00. There will be 15-minute question-and-answer sessions at the end of each workshop so that delegates can participate meaningfully in discussing each speaker’s presentation.

The topics for the first found of workshops are:

• Gauging supply chain risk in volatile times and how digitalisation can drive transformation initiatives, thereby ensuring enhanced supply chain efficiencies.
• Digitalisation and information technology advancements have led to a drive towards automation of production and a push towards Industry 4.0, but is the South African economy ready for smart reindustrialisation?
• Next generation insurance claims processes and seamless supply chain integration.

The topics to be covered in the second round of workshops, starting at 15h00 are:

• How additive technologies are transforming component manufacturing and will lead to the development of specialised micro-factories for the production of custom parts, while the automotive industry is expected to move away from general mass production towards customisation.
• Logistics and mobility are intertwined in a world of digitalisation and decarbonisation. Therefore, there is a need to overcome traditional barriers to ensure that logistics, mobility (i.e. personal and public transport), infrastructure and freight handling work together to ensure “intelligent” future orientated solutions.
• The future of auto-body repair.

The three topics to be handled in the final workshop sessions, starting at 16h00 are:

• Potential stumbling blocks to the future of mobility and South Africa’s readiness for Future Mobility.
• Sustainable personal and future public transport solutions designed around climate-friendly, healthy, economical and affordability solutions and the role of electric vehicles in urban mobility solutions.
• Is micro-mobility a passing trend of an essential mobility solution?

Each of the sessions will have experts speaking on the various subjects to ensure a comprehensive and well-rounded informational and learning experience for the delegates.

The first half of the Hypermobility Conference 2020 will deal with various topics which are relevant to the local motor industry, especially when looking to the future.

This will include an industry roadmap delivered by Mikel Mabasa, the CEO of naamsa, who will also introduce the various workshops in the afternoon.

H.E. Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, will be the first keynote speaker, discussing the way in which the Government will stabilise, stimulate and protect the South African motor industry in these turbulent times in view of its importance and position as the largest vehicle manufacturer on the African continent.

The importance of the export market to the sustainability and future of the local motor industry is a hot topic which will be discussed by Neale Hill, Managing director of the Ford Motor Company of Southern and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The “new normal” is the latest catchphrase for doing business post-COVID and here the topic will be interrogating the economic outlook for the local automotive industry as demand collapses and exports wane, with predictions and forecasts of the likely way forward.

Then there will be three discussion panels.

The first, to be hosted by Dr Martyn Davies of Deloitte, will look at the role of the African Association of Automobile Manufacturers (AAAM) in the expansion of the automotive industry across the African continent and the impact of the African Free Trade Agreement in this regard.

The second panel, which will be hosted by Leo Kok, of Panthera Media, will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Future Mobility Solutions. Confronted by the two crises of the pandemic and resulting economic fallout, how will the automotive industry respond and will the drive towards autonomous, connected, electric and shared mobility be disrupted?

The third panel discussion, to be hosted by Gary Scott, the CEO of Kia Motors South Africa, will look at Mobility Transformation. It will consider how shifts in consumer expectations and mobility needs will transform the industry as well as the future role of dealerships in automotive retailing.