Pretoria Portland Cement sales grow 3pc

Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S leading cement producer, Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC)’s sales grew three percent in the first half of the year despite the challenging macro-economic environment.
PPC Zimbabwe general manager in charge of sales and marketing Roger Steyn said his company’s performance remains on an upward trend.

“The volume of sales in the local market has grown in a challenging economy and we have seen some growth in the last six months compared to the same period last year,” he told Business Chronicle.

“Our local sales are in the region of about three percent. The previous year has been better because of the economic environment but the increase is still there and three percent might not sound a lot but when you talk of hundreds of tonnes, it does.”

Steyn, who spoke after the company’s Yakhani/Vaka and Win Promotion draw in Bulawayo last Thursday, would not be drawn into giving the actual sales figures for the period under review as he did not have them offhand.

He, however, said last year’s total sales were 650,000 tonnes adding:

“Our big focus is on improving customer service. We think customer service is vital in the challenges we are facing and that’s exactly what we’re doing. In terms of quality we already have it but we will be focusing on the quality of service and also ascertaining the sales figures.”

Steyn said PPC Zimbabwe recently embarked on an upgrading exercise to enhance product quality and customer service.

The grand draw saw winners from across the country drawn from the retail sector and individuals that bought the company’s products walking away with prizes such as forklifts and residential stands in areas of their choice.

In March this year the firm launched a state-of-the-art palletiser and plastic cover wrapping machine. The palletiser, which is automated, is the first of its kind in the country’s cement industry used to pack cement bags onto a pallet in a neatly designed unit.

In the past, PPC Zimbabwe was using the stern loading system, which was the firm’s old system installed in 1997.

PPC Zimbabwe is one of three major cement manufacturers in the country.  Others are Lafarge and Sino-Zimbabwe, a joint venture between Chinese and Zimbabwean investors.

The firm operates in central Sadc.