Proplastics invests $9m in upgrading operations 

Courtney Matende Midlands Reporter
Proplastics Limited has invested $9 million in upgrading its operations in the past four years as it targets both the local and regional markets.

Addressing delegates at the official commissioning of the company’s Gweru branch, the Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Larry Mavima said the retooling of the company is creating new performance efficiencies that will directly benefit the customer.

He said the opening of a new Gweru branch is going to create employment for people in the city and province.

“The opening of this branch in Gweru is a welcome development for us and we commend you for spreading your tentacles. I am told you have invested over $9 million in the past four years in upgrading operations and we commend the company for the constant improvement which is resulting in it becoming a leading provider of plastic fittings. Your entry into the foreign market is commendable as it is good for the country to earn foreign currency,” he said.

Proplastics chief executive Mr Kudakwashe Chigiya said his company’s turnover in terms of exports at the moment is sitting just slightly under 5 percent saying, “With respect to the total turnover for the business we are talking of about $25 million.”  “We are world class manufacturer of pipes and fittings. We have two manufacturing facilities branches located in Harare, one in Bulawayo and the new one that we are opening now in Gweru. The pipes are for various applications such as irrigation, water and sewer reticulation, mining, telecommunications and building construction.”

Mr Chigiya said at full capacity they will be employing about 400 employees.

“We have an installed capacity of about 12 000 tonnes per annum and at the moment we are running at about 6000 tonnes per annum because demand is fairly subdued because of the unavailability of mainly capital or disposable cash for either individual corporate or industries to partake projects,” he said.

Mr Chigiya said his company’s strategic vision is continued expansion to tap into the local and regional markets.

“Going into the future we don’t look at ourselves as just Zimbabwean manufactures we want to be competitive regionally, we also want to import to countries such as South Africa at the moment we are only importing into Zambia and DRC,” he said.