How manufacturing SMEs are funding Industry 4.0 on their own terms

South Africa’s manufacturing sector contributes close to 11% of the country’s GDP[1] and was one of only three industries to add jobs in the first quarter of 2026[2], yet output has contracted for two consecutive quarters[3]. The small to medium enterprises (SMEs) working to modernise out of the current slump struggle to access the manufacturing finance they need to put smart technology on the factory floor – and for many, that gap is widening, not closing. Manufacturing finance provider Lula product manager Koreshini Pillay addressed the funding reality of Industry 4.0 at Manufacturing Indaba in July.

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