PPC in $25 million upgrading exercise

Senior Business Reporter—
PRETORIA Portland Cement (PPC) Zimbabwe has in the last four years invested about $25 million in upgrading its clinker plant in Colleen Bawn as it moves to improve operational efficiency. PPC Zimbabwe managing director Lekula Njombo told Business Chronicle the investment was focused on installing a grate cooler as well as upgrading the clinker loading and transport system.

“We recently acquired a replacement loco to improve our loading efficiency. We’ll be upgrading our crushing plant in the next year and some dust abatement equipment.

“All the capital expenditure on the various projects since 2010 amounts to approximately $25 million and is aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the plant,” he said.

Clinker is a dark grey nodular material made by heating ground limestone and clay and the nodules are ground up to a fine powder to produce cement, with a small amount of gypsum added to control the setting properties.

Njombo said the upgrading exercise would improve cement supply on the local market and cater for exports to regional countries.
Zimbabwe’s cement companies have a combined annual capacity of 1.6 million tonnes. Larfage and Sino Cement produce 400,000 and 250,000 tonnes respectively.

Commenting on limestone deposits in Colleen Bawn Njombo said: “Colleen Bawn has adequate limestone to support our future developments for now. The reclaiming of limestone has been done professionally and with due care to ensure sustainability of the operation”.

He said the investments made so far have started paying dividends through increased efficiencies. “The plant is now capable of producing more clinker, however, limited to demand,” he said.

In 2013, the cement producer announced that it would before the end of this year start constructing a $200 million cement plant in the north-eastern part of the country in Mutoko and Harare.

As part of its expansion drive, the company also intends to construct a clinker production facility with a grinding plant near Harare and Tete in Mozambique.
The projects are expected to boost output to 1,2 million tonnes annually with about 250 direct jobs being created with additional 100 supporting jobs and many more downstream.