October 6 2026 16:00
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
The Western Cape is no longer simply a regional manufacturing hub. It has become one of South Africa’s most dynamic centres for industrial investment, technological innovation and business growth, attracting organisations looking to improve productivity, strengthen supply chains and embrace smarter ways of working.
From advanced manufacturing and agro-processing to logistics, marine manufacturing and renewable energy, businesses across the province are investing in technologies that improve efficiency while creating more resilient operations. This changing landscape is opening opportunities for technology suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers that want to build their presence in the Western Cape.
A marketplace shaped by industry
Recognising these opportunities, Montgomery Group Africa will launch the inaugural Cape Industrial Technology Exhibition (CITE) from 2 to 4 March 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The strong response from industry is providing an indication of the appetite for a dedicated Western Cape industrial technology marketplace, with 71% of available exhibition space now sold.
CITE has also secured Red Rocket and Pinnacle Welding and Safety as sponsors, with the City of Cape Town as host City.
“Businesses are no longer looking at technology in isolation,” said Charlene Hefer, Portfolio Director at Montgomery Group Africa.
“Today’s investment decisions increasingly consider efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and operational resilience together. We developed CITE to reflect that reality by bringing complementary technologies and suppliers together in one marketplace designed around the needs of the Western Cape,” she said.
The exhibition builds on the proven success of the KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE), which has served South Africa’s industrial community for over 40 years. That experience provides a strong foundation for creating a dedicated industrial technology marketplace for companies doing business in, or seeking to expand into, the Western Cape.
Why exhibitors are committing to CITE
The decision to exhibit at an inaugural event is a considered business investment, particularly when companies are committing marketing budgets and resources months before the doors open. For those already signed up for CITE, their reasons for participating provide useful insight into where they see opportunities in the Western Cape and what they want to achieve from the new exhibition.
For Red Rocket, a sponsor of the inaugural event, CITE provides an opportunity to take its energy offering directly to industrial and commercial customers rather than relying solely on energy-specific exhibitions.
“Rather than attending another solar show, we want to be at market-specific events where we can speak directly to industrial and commercial customers facing real energy challenges. The Western Cape is an important renewable energy market, and CITE gives us the opportunity to engage with businesses looking for practical ways to reduce energy costs, manage increasingly volatile tariffs, and future-proof their operations,” said Dejean Nicholson, Head of Sales at Red Rocket.
Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions is approaching the inaugural exhibition from a similar long-term perspective, with the Western Cape offering opportunities across manufacturing, food and beverage, water and wastewater, and chemical processing.
“We viewed participation in CITE as a strategic investment rather than something to observe from the sidelines. The Western Cape is one of South Africa’s most dynamic industrial regions, and being involved from the inaugural event gives us an opportunity to strengthen our presence, engage directly with industrial decision-makers, and build relationships with customers and partners from the outset,” said Ranko Seitei of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions.
A region built for industrial opportunity
The Western Cape’s diversified industrial base creates opportunities across a wide range of markets. Manufacturing, agro-processing, marine manufacturing, logistics, renewable energy and associated industries all depend on technologies that can improve productivity, reduce downtime, manage resources more effectively and support increasingly sophisticated operations.
For industrial technology suppliers, this means the opportunity is not confined to a single sector. Equipment, automation, instrumentation, processing technology, fluid handling, tools, materials handling, warehousing, and industrial software can have applications across multiple Western Cape industries, giving suppliers scope to reach customers beyond their traditional markets.
“CITE is intended to bring those suppliers together with engineers, plant and operations managers, procurement professionals, technical specialists and business owners involved in evaluating and purchasing industrial technology. The face-to-face environment also gives prospective customers an opportunity to ask detailed questions, compare approaches and discuss the practical requirements of their own operations,” said Hefer.
Extending the industrial conversation
CITE will be co-located with Securex, extending the marketplace into complementary areas including security, occupational safety and health, fire protection, and facilities management. For exhibitors, that broader environment can create conversations with decision-makers whose responsibilities increasingly overlap.
Instacom, which originally signed up to exhibit at Securex Cape Town before the focus of the event expanded to include CITE, sees the broader industrial marketplace as an opportunity to engage with businesses beyond its traditional security audience. The company already operates across security, facilities management, occupational health and safety, industrial operations, and other technology-driven sectors.
“CITE gives us the opportunity to connect with a much broader range of businesses and decision-makers across the Western Cape’s industrial market. For us, exhibiting is not simply about having a stand. It is about meeting customers face-to-face, understanding their operational challenges, and demonstrating how technology can improve communication, workforce safety, operational visibility, and accountability,” said Karin Koen, Marketing Manager at Instacom.
A technology introduced to improve productivity, for example, may also have implications for safety, security, facilities or operational risk. Likewise, a visitor arriving with one particular operational challenge may discover technologies elsewhere in the marketplace that address another part of the business.
Building momentum towards March 2027
“With 71% of exhibition space already sold, a growing group of suppliers has made the commercial decision to participate in the inaugural event. That early commitment gives companies still considering CITE a clearer indication of the industry’s response to the new Western Cape marketplace,” said Hefer.
Companies interested in exhibiting at the inaugural Cape Industrial Technology Exhibition are encouraged to secure their preferred stand positions while suitable space remains available. Visit www.cptindustrial.co.za for further information on exhibiting at CITE 2027, or contact the CITE team to discuss stand and sponsorship opportunities on dijan.vandermerwe@montgomerygroup.com or mariaan.wessels@montgomerygroup.com
alistair@propertyflash.co.za
