A third-generation South African electrical products manufacturer is rolling out AI and semi-robotic production lines while protecting every permanent role and every position held by a differently abled employee — challenging the global narrative that AI-driven manufacturing automation must lead to job losses.
Lesco, a local producer of electrical and consumer products, recently launched semi-robotic production lines that will lift output by between four and 10 times depending on the line, while preserving the company’s existing workforce structure. The company sources 45% of its workforce from differently abled organizations, support groups, schools and vulnerable communities across South Africa — and those positions have been ring-fenced as part of the rollout.
Lesco manufactures switches, sockets, adapters, extension cords and similar electrical products, supplying retailers including Clicks, Build It, Builders, Makro, Buco, Mica Hardware, Cashbuild, Game, Chamberlains and Leroy Merlin, as well as products for Balwin Properties.
“These are retailers that are playing a key role in ensuring that locally made products, created by an inclusive manufacturing operation, reach every South African household,” said Group CEO Jonathan Shapiro. “They should be celebrated for sourcing their products so purposefully — by doing so, they are promoting job creation in such a critical sector of our society.”
Shapiro said the company’s approach reflects a deliberate choice to position itself differently from industries currently culling jobs in pursuit of efficiency gains. “Industrial innovation in South Africa should always be underpinned by an ethical commitment to inclusivity. We are proud to confirm that we are evolving with today’s technological advancements, without displacing the vulnerable workers from our country’s differently-abled community,” he said.
Lesco is a family business that began in Shapiro’s father’s garage and now employs more than 300 people. The company hopes that the integration of AI and automation will also inspire young people from the differently abled community. “By introducing AI and automation into the workstream, we’re sending a powerful message that disability is not a barrier to mastering the world’s most advanced technologies,” Shapiro said.
Lesco has partnered with Glen Oaks Academy in Kensington for several years to place students from the school in its work readiness programme. In 2026, those students will be exposed to manufacturing and automation systems at a scale the company has not previously deployed.
The new production line is engineered to surpass global standards and aims to double Lesco’s manufacturing capacity from 5 to 10 million units annually. While the World Economic Forum predicts that automation could displace 92 million roles by 2027, Lesco is positioning its semi-robotic model as an alternative path. “Automation doesn’t mean fewer jobs, it means different jobs,” Shapiro said. “We made a deliberate and strategic choice to implement a semi-robotic system rather than full automation. We want to show other businesses that you can innovate to be globally competitive, without sacrificing your social responsibilities.”
Lesco’s investment in its workforce extends beyond the assembly line. All supervisors are required to undergo sign language training to ensure seamless communication with deaf employees. By June 2026, the factory will introduce an on-site occupational therapist and dedicated social worker to support its differently abled staff. A new partnership with a major non-profit organization will also create an additional 40 jobs for members of South Africa’s differently abled community.
The company is a member of Proudly South African, the not-for-profit advocacy campaign promoting local manufacturing and economic revitalization. Eustace Mashimbye, CEO of Proudly South African, said Lesco’s model offers a template for the broader sector. “The long-term sustainability of local companies hinges on their ability to remain globally competitive in a trade environment that is fiercely competitive. The attainment of this requires agility and the discretionary adoption of smart technologies that can be incorporated in the production cycle to enhance efficiencies and reduce input costs,” he said. “The investment by Lesco provides a masterclass of the human face of technology: it demonstrates how new age technologies can be integrated in the production process to improve productivity while sustaining their human capital.”
Mashimbye said local production allows Lesco to maintain quality control while supporting other South African players in its value chain. “As the only manufacturer in the country capable of producing these high quality and trusted products on home soil, Lesco supports the country’s economic sovereignty, it generates employment opportunities, facilitates ongoing skills development and can support work readiness programmes for our youth,” he said.
The company holds SABS, ISO-9001 and SMETA accreditations covering quality, ethics and working conditions.
“Progress does not have to come at the cost of the vulnerable,” Shapiro said. “While the future may be semi-robotic, it will also always be fully human. By balancing world-class standards with a fierce loyalty to the marginalised communities of South Africa, we hope to demonstrate that the most powerful component in any electrical product isn’t the copper or the plastic, it’s the person who made it.”
