Online Reporter
Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco) in Manhize area near Mvuma which is already saving the country about US$500 million annually on the steel import bill, is expanding its range of products to include production of cement.
According to the company’s production manager, Mr Wilfred Motsi, production of cement is set to start in October and the target is to produce 400 000 tonnes annually.
He said the blast-furnace slag which is a by-product of steel manufacturing, will be used to produce the cement.
The production of cement by Disco is a welcome development given that it is coming at a time when demand for cement is very high as a result of big infrastructure projects that are being implemented across the country.
The country’s major highways are undergoing massive rehabilitation while local authorities are revamping their road networks.
The major roads being worked on include the Harare-Beitbridge Road which is almost complete, the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road where work has just started and plans are at an advanced stage to start work on the Harare-Chirundu Road.
Construction of bridges and dams are also underway across the country and housing development is in full swing in the different towns and cities. All these projects require large amounts of cement and as such we want to commend Disco for this timely decision to expand into cement manufacturing.
Disco is already producing 9 000 tonnes of steel products per month, thereby saving the country the much needed foreign currency.
Zimbabwe has been spending an estimated US$1 billion annually on steel imports which are mainly steel bars which are now being produced by Disco. The wide range of steel products being produced by the company include pig iron, steel billets, hot wire rods, steel balls, deformed bars and in October it starts producing cement.
Zimbabwe is fast regaining its status as a leading steel producer in the region and Disco’s target is to produce five million tonnes annually. During the first phase the company intends to produce 600 000 tonnes a year and then increase it to 1,2 million tonnes in phase two.
The target for phase three is 3,2 million tonnes which will be increased to five million tonnes in the final phase. The country’s steel industry which was adversely affected by the closure of the Redcliff- based Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (Zisco), is back on track and indications are that Disco will soon be one of the giant steel producers in sub-Saharan Africa.
The revival of the steel industry is key to Zimbabwe’s modernisation and industrialisation.
Disco which has so far created 2 000 direct jobs and has a potential to create 10 000 jobs when operating at full throttle, is already producing more than enough steel products to meet local demand hence it has started exporting to Zambia, South Africa and Malawi. Most of the employees are locals from Manhize and surrounding areas.
What is very encouraging about Disco is that it is not only substituting imports but is also a leader in upholding high occupational health and safety standards that has seen the steel producer recording zero fatalities since it started production four years ago. The company, a subsidiary of Chinese global investment group, Tsingshan Holdings, is one of the Second Republic’s signature projects that are transforming livelihoods.
The national Social Security Authority (Nssa) said for the past four years that Disco has been in operation, it has not recorded a single death at the workplace. Nssa has commended Disco for upholding high occupational health and safety standards.
What is obtaining at Disco should be emulated by other companies so that we reduce fatalities at the workplace.
We want, at this juncture, to applaud Disco for not just creating thousands of jobs but also ensuring that its employees work under a conducive working environment.
The company has invested a lot of resources in occupational health and safety hence it has recorded zero fatalities since it started operating.
Disco has demonstrated that it is possible to drastically reduce fatalities at the workplace and as already stated, other companies should learn from this giant steel producer.
We want to once again commend Disco for expanding into cement manufacturing in response to the country’s high demand for cement as a result of ongoing major infrastructure projects.
