We exist because buying a production line from China should not cost an African manufacturer a year of headaches.
CISH — China Industrial Service Hub — is a Johannesburg-based industrial engineering and delivery company. We design, source, build, install, and maintain production lines for manufacturers across Africa, with one commercial and technical accountability structure from supplier selection to field support.
Why CISH works — in numbers, not adjectives.
Four things make a production-line project from China actually land in an African factory. We built the company around all four — and we can show the proof for each.
Delivered, not theoretical
20+ working lines across 8 African countries. We are judged on lines that reach rate on a real factory floor — not on a catalogue or a freight quote.
One signature, not three vendors
CISH signs as Principal Contract Signatory. One contract replaces a separate freight forwarder, customs broker, and installation contractor — and we carry the supplier risk, on purpose.
Engineers who live where you do
Field engineers based in South Africa — an engineering team that includes ECSA-registered specialists — on your floor in 24–72 hours, with a spare-parts buffer held in Johannesburg. Not a WeChat reply from Shenzhen.
Priced for year ten
30+ years of combined China–Africa industrial experience, and a deliberate bias toward the long relationship. We are still answering the phone in year eleven, when most agents have moved on.
The options most manufacturers face — and why none of them are good.
Option A — Buy direct from a Chinese supplier
Cheap on paper. Expensive in reality. Language, specification, contract risk, freight, customs, and after-sales all sit with you. You discover the gaps after the deposit is paid.
Option B — Buy through a generic agent or trading company
Smooth on the front end. Hollow on the back end. The agent's incentive is the deal, not the running line. When something breaks, they don't have engineers.
Option C — Buy from a European OEM
Excellent engineering. Frequently over-spec'd for your throughput and priced for a European factory's economics. Service still depends on a flight from Hamburg.
Option D — CISH
A single Principal Contract Signatory with engineering on both ends. Your contract is with CISH South Africa — not with the Chinese supplier. We carry the supplier risk. One contract replaces the need for a separate freight forwarder, customs broker, and installation contractor. One project lead. Spares in Johannesburg. Engineers who live where you live. No disappearing in year two.
The clients who usually get the most value from CISH.
Manufacturers buying from China for the first time
Teams that understand the opportunity, but do not want to learn hard project lessons through deposits, missed FATs, and weak after-sales support.
Operators who need one accountable partner
Businesses that do not want to manage separate contractors for sourcing, controls, installation, and support when one integrated delivery structure would reduce risk.
Factories expanding under real operating pressure
Plants adding capacity, replacing aging equipment, or entering a new line category where time-to-stable-output matters as much as purchase price.
Clients who care about long-tail support
Manufacturers who know the project is not over when the machine ships, and who want field engineering, spares, and upgrade support to exist after the first year.
How it works: one contract, seven stages, zero hand-offs.
The same sequence on every project — from the first call to the spare on the shelf. You always know which stage you are in, and who is accountable for it.
Consult
A free 30-minute call. You talk, we listen — no sales pitch.
Feasibility
Capacity model, layout, and a realistic budget range before you commit.
Design
P&IDs, schematics, and automation architecture — reviewed in English and Mandarin.
Source & Build
Audited suppliers, contracts signed by CISH, FAT witnessed in China before money moves.
Install
CISH engineers on your floor — not a third-party contractor.
Commission
Cold → hot → SAT, until the line runs at rate.
Maintain
Operator training, spares buffer in Johannesburg, remote and on-site support.
The people behind CISH.
Frank Guo
Technical Strategy Expert
20+ years in hardware and software design. Expert in IoT, smart hardware, and industrial systems.
Gary Mumford
Systems Architect
30+ years in electronics and software design. Specialises in IoT system architecture.
Alice Lee
Procurement & Logistics Manager
11+ years managing global supply chain. Mandarin-native. Runs all China-side supplier relationships.
Mosa Lebombo
Industrial Automation Specialist
Qualified Millwright. N Diploma in Electrical Engineering. Certified Siemens Programmer. 10+ years in ceramic manufacturing and mining automation.
Roedolf Grib
Industrial Electrical Expert
10+ years in industrial electrical installation and factory wiring. Specialises in production-line electrical commissioning, control-panel wiring, and factory floor power distribution across South African manufacturing sites.
Not taglines. Specifics.
We sign as the Principal Contract Signatory — not as an agent
CISH is the entity you can hold accountable. Your contract is with CISH South Africa. We sign with the Chinese supplier separately and carry that risk — it does not pass through to you. This is not an introduction or a referral. It is a delivery contract with a South African legal entity.
One team across two continents
Our China office handles audits, FATs, and drawings in Mandarin. Our SA office handles PM, design review, installation, and service in English. Same project lead from kickoff to year-five service.
Engineers live in South Africa
Commissioning, breakdowns, and upgrades done by engineers who can be on your floor in 24–72 hours — not flying in from Shanghai.
An engineering company, not a trading company
We design lines. We write PLC code. We commission processes. We are accountable for outcomes, not just deliveries.
Long-tail commitment, by design
We price for a 10-year relationship. We are still on the phone in year eleven. Our peers price for the deal — and that's why they disappear in year two.
Not slogans. Things we have seen go wrong and organised ourselves to prevent.
These are the operating beliefs behind how we scope projects, choose suppliers, and stay involved after commissioning.
A line that arrives on time but never reaches throughput is a failed project.
Documentation in a language your team can't read is not documentation.
Buying the cheapest machine is almost always the most expensive choice.
An OEE dashboard nobody looks at is theatre.
A maintenance contract that always invoices and never visits is theft.
A supplier who won't visit your site after the warranty year is not a supplier.
What manufacturers want to know before they work with us.
From our engineering team.
Why South African production line projects cost 40% more than the quote
The three most expensive gaps in China-to-South-Africa production line imports — and what each one actually costs.
How to import a production line from China to South Africa
The full 12-stage sequence, timeline and landed-cost breakdown — the guide behind the LinkedIn article.
Direct OEM, sourcing agent, or turnkey partner: how to choose
The decision framework behind CISH's three engagement models.
Want to talk about a real project?
A short call is usually enough to tell whether your project needs sourcing help, hybrid design, turnkey delivery, or just a reality check before you commit budget.