Gqeberha-based Jendamark Automation won technology innovation of the year for its Odin Manufacturing software at the Africa Tech Week Awards in Cape Town on Thursday.
This is the second award for Jendamark after it was named technology company of the year at last year’s ceremony.
Innovations director Yanesh Naidoo said the award, judged by an independent panel, served as a confirmation that the manufacturing technology developed by Jendamark was meeting a real need for small to medium enterprises.
“Last year, the award was about our company, this time it’s for our products, so it’s a massive win for us,” said Naidoo.
For South Africa and Africa to prosper, he said, a focus on building a strong manufacturing-based economy was needed.
“That’s why we developed Odin Manufacturing – to help digitise and improve production efficiencies, and create opportunities for the massive human capital that we have in our country and the continent.”
Jendamark’s Odin Education division, which creates the tech infrastructure to bridge the digital divide in underprivileged schools, was also named a finalist in the ed-tech category.
“Although they may seem unconnected, we created Odin Education to help transform the education sector, so that young South Africans can be ready to take on this manufacturing challenge amid the rapidly accelerating pace of Industry 4.0 technologies,” Naidoo said.