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Small businesses in Cape Town can now sign on to take part in the City-funded Productivity Efficiency Programme which has a proven track record of assisting SMMEs in boosting their bottom lines and retaining jobs. Read more below:

One such enterprise is Mervyn Gers Ceramics, a Paarden Eiland-based manufacturer that was visited this week by Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos. The organisation currently employs 48 staff members and produces around 9 000 bespoke ceramic tableware items every month.

The company participated in the six-month programme funded by the City and administered by Productivity South Africa. 

‘The programme aims to identify and improve inefficiencies in the business. Productivity SA does this by going on site and meticulously assessing various aspects of the organisation, from their financial records to operations and in doing so, identifies areas that can be improved or refined,’ said Alderman Vos. 

The results that were achieved by Mervyn Gers Ceramics’ participation in the programme can be seen in their key performance indicators, namely, that on-time deliveries increased from 51% in February 2022 to 68% in March 2022, and throughput (the amount of material or items passing through a system or process) increased from 38% in March 2022 to 66% in June 2022. 

‘Last year, 18 such small businesses were supported by the Productivity Efficiency Programme. Following the assessment by Productivity SA, the SMMEs are given a detailed enhancement strategy. By implementing these plans, these 18 businesses were able to retain 588 jobs. I strongly encourage Cape Town’s SMMEs to utilise this programme and learn how to innovate and streamline their processes and systems,’ said Alderman Vos. 

To find out more about this and other enterprise support programmes, contact the Business Hub on 021 417 4043 or business.support@capetown.gov.za.

Issued by The City of Cape Town