Local glass manufacturer, Consol, successfully expands their premises with the assistance of the Red Tape Reduction Unit.
The glass manufacturing industry plays an important role in the South African economy, given our extensive wine production and export market, amongst many other reasons. The story below captures the impact of how a local glass manufacturer was assisted with improving the efficiency of their business with the help of the Red Tape Reduction unit, who’s focus is on making it easier to do business in the Western Cape.
Consol Glass Manufacturer - a giant in the industry needing our help
Consol glass has been operational since 1944, adding a great contribution to our economy. Consol was recently acquired by Ardagh Group - information on the transition can be found here.One of the challenges experienced by Consol, was to expand their operations using a vacant piece of land previously used for rail access. It was their vision to develop a warehouse on this vacant piece of land, which would enable them to run the business more efficiently.
The barrier to acquire land needed by Consol Glass
Thomas Shaw, Executive of Supply Chain at Consol Glass, enquired about purchasing the land at the City of Cape Town (CoCT) and was advised that the sale of the rail reserve was not allowed. However, in the past, portions of the land could be sold off to abutting owners in order to ‘straighten’ the boundary of the property. Unfortunately, the request to buy parts of the rail siding was not supported by the City’s Transport department.
Consol then reached out to the Head of Department of the Department of Economic Development & Tourism, who then connected the business to the Red Tape Reduction unit for assistance with unblocking red tape, to aid the purchasing of a small portion of the rail servitude to build on Consol’s vision for expansion.
How DEDAT supported Consol Glass to create more jobs by reducing red tape
On 30 September 2021, Red Tape Reduction unit official, Cindy Rose, contacted the City of Cape Town to enquire on information related to the decision that Consol was not allowed to purchase the land, whereas other entities were allowed to in the past.
The City was willing to lease the land to Consol, with the condition that it would be reinstated to its original state if it was needed for rail purposes in the future. While Consol appreciated this offer, there was a preference for purchasing the land. Cindy Rose maintained engagement with the City’s Transport department
Despite slow feedback from stakeholders (CoCT & Transport department), regular communication from the RTR official with the Transport department proved to be invaluable! By the 3rd November 2021, the City advised that they had no objection to the sale of the land. Within less than 2 months, the RTR Unit was able to assist Consol Glass in unblocking a very valuable piece of land that will help grow the revenue and business model of Consol Glass.
Through the Red Tape Reduction Unit’s commitment to assisting with red tape barriers faced by businesses, Consol Glass was able to expand their business operations by building another warehouse on the property.