The Association for the Physically Disabled (APD) is breathing new life into Nelson Mandela Bay’s textile manufacturing sector while creating employment opportunities for both able-bodied and disabled individuals.
After 18 years of operating a manufacturing space at its North End premises, the non-profit organisation (NPO) has expanded with a new high-capacity textile facility.
APD Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Director, Cecilia Fourie, highlighted the decline of textile factories in the region and stressed the importance of passing on sewing and needlework skills to future generations.
Last year, the APD secured the National Casual Day merchandise contract, producing 47,000 T-shirts and 30,000 caps.
All items were assembled, printed, packaged and dispatched within three months, demonstrating the facility’s efficiency.
“The factory embodies APD’s mission of maintaining a 50/50 disability-to-able-bodied workforce ratio,” said Fourie. “The facility produces a range of products, including PPE workwear, school uniforms, corporate jackets, golf shirts, T-shirts and retail garments, working on orders received from clients while ensuring quality output.”
The main purpose of the new facility is to create sustainable employment, starting with 60 staff members and 17 trainees, with a goal of reaching 200 jobs within one to two years.
With plans for a second factory, APD projects employing around 300 people over the next three years.
“We are reviving the textile industry, and the retail sector wants to support local,” Fourie shared.
Last year, the NPO celebrated 85 years since its founding with the launch of two legacy projects, including the Motherwell Disability Hub, aimed at empowering the community through skills training, support services and sustainable opportunities.
Bernadette Mattheus, a trainer at the facility, said it was rewarding to see the growth in young people: “I was given the opportunity to train young people, which I love. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how they grow and progress from where they started.”
Clinton Kay-Clark, Head of Manufacturing, shared the vision for the new facility with the PE Express.
“My relationship with APD dates back to 2020, when I was head of manufacturing at Prestige Clothing, which is part of TFG,” he explained.
Kay-Clark, who started working at APD in February last year, explained that assembling a team was the priority.
“We brought in young graduates and someone experienced in garment construction to work with both disabled and able-bodied individuals. We moved in by July, trained staff and purchased new equipment, and TFG has now given us our first five orders.
“We have a multi-business approach and actually manufacture PPE for the agricultural sector, as well as other corporatess, and we have the pageant component. To have all that multifacility that started a year ago, it is phenomenal what we have achieved in such a short period of time.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.