Vela Footwear — Implementation Roadmap
The phased implementation roadmap, with key milestones from financial close and the approximately sixteen-month pre-operational build through commissioning to the volume ramp.
Section 9 · Business Plan
Implementation Roadmap
The phased implementation roadmap, with key milestones from financial close and the approximately sixteen-month pre-operational build through commissioning to the volume ramp.
Vela moves from financial close to full production run-rate over
roughly thirty months. The first sixteen months are pre-operational —
construction, plant installation, recruitment and certification — after
which the plant commissions and the commercial ramp begins. The roadmap
below sequences the critical-path activities, dependencies and
milestones that govern the build.
Phasing
Phase 1 — Funding and setup (Months 0–3)
Financial close and satisfaction of conditions precedent, land
transfer and statutory approvals, company formation and governance
establishment, and the start of detailed engineering and factory design.
This phase converts committed funding into the legal and design
foundation for the build.
Phase 2 — Construction and fit-out (Months 1–13)
Site works and building construction, installation of utilities,
effluent handling and services, and factory fit-out and flooring.
Building completion at around Month 10 is the gating milestone for plant
installation.
Phase 3 — Plant and equipment (Months 4–16)
Procurement and shipping of plant (a long-lead activity started
early), installation of sole injection-moulding and cutting / stitching
lines, ERP and IT deployment, and commissioning with trial runs. Plant
commissioning at around Month 16 marks the transition from build to
production.
Phase 4 — Recruitment, certification and market (Months 2–16)
Senior management and operator recruitment, skills training, SANS /
ISO 20345 and SABS product certification, supplier onboarding, brand
development and the negotiation of anchor contracts and retail listings
— all timed so that certified product and committed offtake are in place
as the plant comes online.
Phase 5 — Production ramp (Months 16–30)
Pilot production in the safety segment, the Year-1 commercial ramp,
and capacity expansion toward full run-rate. First commercial despatch
at around Month 18 begins revenue generation.
Critical-path milestones
| Milestone | Target | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Financial close | Month 0 | Funding committed; conditions precedent satisfied; build authorised |
| Building complete | Month 10 | Enables plant installation; gates the equipment phase |
| Plant commissioned | Month 16 | Integrated lines proven; transition from capital to operating phase |
| First commercial despatch | Month 18 | Revenue begins; working-capital cycle activates |
| Full run-rate | Month 30 | Year-5 capacity of ~2.19m pairs per annum achieved |
Dependencies and float
The critical path runs through building construction into plant
installation and commissioning. Plant procurement is started early
(Month 4) precisely to remove long-lead equipment from the critical
path, so that installation can begin immediately on building completion.
Certification and recruitment run in parallel with construction so they
do not delay first despatch. The principal schedule risks are
construction slippage and equipment-delivery delay, both of which are
addressed in the risk analysis.
the funding requirement
Because both term facilities carry a two-year capital grace period,
modest construction delays are absorbable. However, any slippage that
pushes first commercial despatch materially beyond Month 18 would extend
the pre-revenue period, increase capitalised interest and draw harder on
the working-capital facility. The plan’s cash headroom — the R85 million
revolving facility and R9 million DSRA — should be read as the buffer
against exactly this risk, and lenders will test its adequacy.
Confidential — this business plan is provided to prospective investors and lenders for evaluation purposes only and may not be reproduced or distributed without the written consent of Vela Footwear Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd.