Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Reatures Reporter
INDUSTRIES are very important in the modern economic activities of man. The economic development of any country is decided mainly by the industrial development.
Industries are the main features of modern civilisation and they provide the necessary materials and employment opportunities.
Industrial development has had an important role in the economic growth of countries such as China, the Republic of Korea (Korea), Taiwan Province of China (Taiwan), and Indonesia. Along with accelerated growth, poverty rates have declined in many countries.
In that vein, Bulawayo industries are thus upbeat about re-establishing the city as a regional leader in manufacturing quality products as they prepare to tap into the regional opportunities through collaboration and networking with other Southern African Development Community (Sadc) industries set to converge on the upcoming 7th Sadc industrial week.
A total of 150 companies from the Sadc region are expected to participate in the 7th Annual Sadc Industrialisation Week, which will run from 28 July to 2 August 2024 in Harare.
The decade -long economic challenges in Zimbabwe, stretching from 2000 to 2009, saw the economy shrinking to its lowest ever due to the impacts of illegal sanctions imposed by the West. Industries were closing, services sector firms either shutting down or downsizing due to viability challenges.
The agricultural sector was not spared either and virtually every firm was operating below sustainable capacity.
The adoption of the multi-currency regime and an improvement in policy implementation, particularly with the advent of the Second Republic, among other factors, have seen the economy regaining strength.
The majority of firms that had closed reopened with agricultural boom and mining firms anchoring the economy. Bulawayo, the industrial hub of Zimbabwe has been enjoying a recovery of manufacturing firms.
Sunday News together with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce visited various companies in the City recently who expressed confidence that the investment that they have channelled towards their retooling and recapitalisation exercise has not only enhanced their production but improved the quality of products that are now competitive on the regional, continental and global markets.
National Foods group operations executive for the southern region, Mr Phawulani Ngwenya said the group has invested US$6,5 million in an automated mill in Bulawayo, which guarantees better constituency in quality, increased production capacity from 240 to 300 tonnes per day making them ready to take on the regional markets.
“We bought the new plant from Switzerland; it’s top-end technology. As National Foods, we want to assure other nations that import from South Africa that Zimbabwe can compete in that space and we can export to South Africa as well,” he said.
“Our Gloria brand has been so dominant in Zimbabwe and we believe we have the potential to take the brand to Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
He said there is nothing holding them back as the AfCFTA is giving them the opportunity to expand their route market.
“We were not consistent in terms of quality but we have gone through a lot of quality changes through automation of the plant.
“We now have good, strong quality and any barrier would be how ambitious we are, but as National Foods we are very ambitious,” said Mr Ngwenya.
Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) Zimbabwe Limited’s managing director Mr Albert Sigei said they have made major investments in the past with the last major one being the Harare factory in 2018 where they invested US$82 million to build it.
“While the Harare investment might have been the mega one, we have also been putting capital expenditure to the tune of US$5 million to US$10 million for projects of a varied nature, mostly to do with ensuring that our equipment is in top shape and also ensuring that we have the necessary production improvements in order to follow the requirements of the market.
“We have been able to come through in terms of sustaining the requirements of the market and Zimbabwe has been growing. The market size is about 1,8 million tonnes and that has gradually grown over time,” said Mr Sigei.
Turning to the industrial week, Mr Sigei said it is a good opportunity for Zimbabwe as a country to not only showcase what it has in terms of industry, service and resources but to really look at what other people are doing in order to position itself and prepare to tap into regional opportunities.
“We are moving into an area where the regions are opening up; we are becoming more interconnected. Rail and roads are being built from one part of the continent to the other. As this happens, this means there is going to be much bigger flow of goods with much ease,” said Mr Sigei.
Another local industry, Direct Publishers Printmedia’s director Mr Bradley Beale said in the last nine years, they have recapitalised the entire book printing plant to the tune of US$2 million to modernise their operations.
He said the retooling of their equipment is imperative to trying to stay competitive in the region. “The specific areas we have retooled are the printing presses and binding equipment, the pre-press (design) equipment as well as the digital side for short run work.
“Our recapitalisation and retooling efforts increase book printing capacity in the region. With the upcoming industrial week, collaboration and networking with Sadc countries for potential supply contracts will help re-establish Bulawayo as a regional leader,” said Mr Beale.
He said the week will further offer opportunities to suppliers in allied industries supplying the printing sector with raw materials and increase export opportunities and foreign currency generation.
“Our hopes would be to find new markets and clientele to grow our business volumes and access to new technologies that we can implement into our production facility,” said Mr Beale. @nyeve14
Bongani Ndlovu