Local firm courts Austrian investor

of pipes to the industrial market and is already an agent of Hobas products locally.
DRH chief executive Mr George Mavezha yesterday said the two-feeder manufacturing plant would produce about 600km of pipes of various dimensions per year.
“Plans are at an advanced stage to set up the plant and the owners of the manufacturing rights (Hobas) have shown their willingness to invest in the country,” he said.
“Once all the procedures have been followed, we will begin working flat out because our target is to have the plant working by the end of the year. Remember there are investment rules to be followed and we are working flat out with relevant authorities to adhere to these rules.”
Mr Mavezha said the plant would produce glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) pipes to the local market which are durable.
The pipes are set to replace metal pipes, which are common in Zimbabwe.
“This is a new technology that is coming into Zimbabwe and the pipes are for water and sewer as well as irrigation and process lines for industry.
“They have a long lifespan but the main advantage is the pipes easily withstand biogenic sulphuric acid that often occurs in larger sewer pipes and they are resistant to UV light,” he said.
He said DRH was in negotiations with several local authorities.
“We have talked with various local authorities, including Harare, and they have all expressed their willingness to use the pipes. Various industries will also have an opportunity to use this new technology in their piping system.
“Demand is on the rise as many people are also constructing houses,” he said.
He said apart from promoting local industry, the plant would also create employment for local engineers. “We want to deal with the problem of always relying on other countries. We have been importing the pipes for years and now other countries should buy from us,” he said. A local engineer, Mr Chamu Mhuka, said GRP pipes had good technical properties and a serviceable lifespan.
“If you look at the Pungwe water pipeline, these are the types of the pipes they are using. The biggest advantage of these pipes is their friction co-efficient does not change and I think they will be of great value to Zimbabwe,” he said.
Hobas also provides complete solutions for cooling water systems of thermal power plants or for acid regeneration in steel pickling lines.