Sino-Zim Cement completes plant upgrading

Midlands Correspondent
CEMENT manufacturing company, Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company has upgraded the technology at its plant in a bid to enhance production and reduce dust emissions into the atmosphere, the company’s general manager (administration), Derrick Moyo, has said. Moyo said the plant renovations were being carried out in three phases and the just completed first phase cost $4,1 million.

He said the new technology would boost production at the cement company to about 700 tonnes per day.

“We refurbished the cement mill, the rotary kiln as well as upgrading, renewing and automating ancillary equipment,” he said.

Moyo said the latest technology would help the cement company reduce emissions that pollute the environment.

Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company, which is about 30km outside Gweru,  was at one point fined by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for allegedly polluting the environment.

“The completion of the upgrade on the rotary kiln will now see the company improve on its energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint. The modern high temperature bag filter system will see the company significantly reduce its dust emissions. This is a major consideration to the company as it seeks to be environmentally friendly,” said Moyo.

He said Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company would also retrench 59 workers as some of the plant’s manual interventions would be eliminated in areas that had been automated.

Moyo said the refurbishment and upgrading of the Sino-Zimbabwe Cement Company plant resulted in the plant becoming high-tech.

He said the plant’s demand for manual manpower had been significantly reduced while the requirement of highly technical staff had increased.

“In line with this development the company is retrenching 59 of its employees. The company will, however, engage an additional 54 artisan level technical staff to cater for the increased requirement for technical skills. There may also be other staff employment on fixed term contract basis to cater for other ad hoc requirements,” said Moyo.