WRITTEN BY CHRISTOPHER DAVIES
With PPC Zimbabwe having celebrated its centenary in 2013, director of business development and corporate strategy Gavin Stephens sees no reason why the company can’t keep trading for another 100 years.
HERE’S TO 100 MORE YEARS
PPC ZIMBABWE HAS REASON TO CELEBRATE
In a rapidly changing world that is constantly evolving, just how
has PPC Zimbabwe managed to prolong and maintain its success
throughout the years?
“I would say it is our consistency and quality,” says Stephens. “We
are a recognised brand, known for being the best in the country and
conforming to various international standards.”
However, there is no room for complacency at PPC Zimbabwe, as
evaluating processes and continuous improvement are of the utmost
importance.
“We have a system which is aimed at involving employees at all
levels of the company. This includes assessing their performance,
learning from mistakes, how to move forward and suggesting ways to
improve in the future,” asserts Stephens.
PPC ZIMBABWE
“We are a Zimbabwean company, we have been here 100 years, we know our market, our production facilities are the most modern in Africa and we continue to invest in them,” Stephens proudly boasts. “We will be here for another 100 years with confidence.”
Gavin StephensIain SheasbyNjombo Lekula
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HistoryPPC Zimbabwe traces its roots back to a factory 15km east of
Bulawayo that was established in 1913. Known as Premier Portland
Cement, the company’s product went on sale a year later and before
long it was exporting goods to Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and the
Belgian Congo.
Sales figures of 3,000 tonnes a year early on began to increase
thanks to a rise in the construction of dams and a demand for cement
during the Second World War. Even though more facilities were
established to meet capacity requirements, a dip in
sales during the sixties forced PPC to become more
efficient. A joint-holding company between Premier
Portland and Rhocem rationalised production and
United Portland Cement (Unichem) was born in
1965.
As the years rolled by, so did sales figures, with
capacity increasing throughout decades of successful
operation. Like any other company, PPC Zimbabwe
has experienced numerous triumphs and times of
hardship, but its position in the market 100 years
after inception is testament to the organisation’s
commitment to quality.
“We have celebrated our
centenary year with customers,
service providers and staff at
events in Bulawayo and Harare,”
cites Stephens. “Next month
is the 50th anniversary of our
brand name Unicem too, so
this celebration will reflect our
confidence in Zimbabwe. Since
1913, we have come through
recessions as well as ups and
downs, but we are still here.”
At the end of last year,
PPC Zimbabwe also received
its indigenisation certificate,
complying with government
law that requires 51% of a
Tatanga is an engineering and construction company based in the Town of Kwe Kwe. It is located midway between Zimbabwe’s two major cities of Bulawayo and Harare. Established in 1954 as a family enterprise [AA Midgley (PVT) Ltd.] , the company grew into one of Zimbabwe’s leading engineering and construction firms. Clarity acquired the AA Midgley assets in 2007 with a vision of future growth fueled by Zimbabwe’s imminent resurgence.
Tatanga has the experience, expertise, plant and equipment to provide first rate construction, civil & structural engineering and equipment hire services. It is ideally placed to participate in a wide range of planned infrastructure projects as Zimbabwe’s economy re-ignites, particularly in the mining sector where Duration Gold, another Clarity company, will provide a secure flow of underpinning contracts.
Tatanga Civil & Structural Engineering
00 263 (0)55 22481/3 and [email protected]@tatangaengineering.com
PPC ZIMBABWE
LAYMACK SECURITY SERVICES 22 Soudan St, GwandaPO Box 24 Colleen BawnP: 0284 25460 0773 627 149 0775 045 615
PEACE OF MIND AND SECURITY OF PROPERTY
Laymack Investments (Pvt) Ltd prides itself to be associated with such a giant and dynamic conglomerate like Portland Holdings-Zimbabwe Ltd. Our symbiotic and cordial business relationship with PPC spans for more than seven years. These years of efficient and effective business extention under the PPC flagship has seen both entities not only growing in leaps and bounds, but moreso, constantly being reborn.
In this context, Laymack Investments (Pvt) Ltd takes this opportunity to congratulate Portland Holdings (Pvt) Ltd on the achievement of 100 years of quality cement production.
help enhance income and improve health as well as several sports
activities. CSR is nothing new to us as a company.”
Developments for the industry and PPC Zimbabwe
Since Zimbabwe adopted the dollar, the cement industry has
enjoyed a solid recovery and good growth. During the country’s
hyper inflation period, cement sales dropped to 400,000 tonnes a
year compared to an industry high of 1.1 million in 1999. But with
numbers now back on track, Stephens believes PPC Zimbabwe is
well-positioned to take advantage of future expansion.
“Looking at our competition, they are reaching their capacity
constraints.” he notes. “While we have enjoyed a growth in market
share, we still have an extensive capacity.”
The ability to maximise volume has been made possible by a recent
investment at the company’s Bulawayo plant, with capacity growing
from 650,000 to 1.1 million tonnes. Loading and dispatch operations
have also been improved thanks to a $6 million injection of funds.
Three years ago, PPC Zimabwe spent $20 million at its Colleen
company to be given to native shareholders. “We are in the process
of implementing this ahead of the competition. It will give the
community and employees shares in the company,” says Stephens.
EmployeesEven though PPC Zimbabwe recognises the importance of
employee satisfaction, with remuneration above the national
average for the industry, the company’s workforce receives several
additional benefits.
“Staff on-site are provided with housing, clinics and free medical
schooling,” reveals Stephens. “We also offer a comprehensive HIV
program that guarantees access to antiretroviral drugs to any
employee and his or her family.”
Although Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become big
business for corporations around the world, Stephens says reaching
out to the local people and wider community has always been of
great significance to PPC Zimbabwe.
“We have quite a long history over the past 100 years of being
involved in our community which has seen us take part in a number
of activities,” he says. “We have various agricultural projects that
PPC ZIMBABWE
From one world class leader to another… we salute you.
Afripack the leading African supplier of Paper and Woven Polypropylene cement sacks is proud to be associated with PPC Zimbabwe. From all of us to all of you congratulations on a century of business in Zimbabwe.
We are exceptionally proud of our partnership and association and look forward to the next 100 years at your side. May it go from strength to strength.
Sisonke
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PPC ZIMBABWE
Bawn factory and is planning on
increasing volume further still
with a $3 million project in 2013.
The possibilities for
expansion do not stop there,
as Stephens explains: “We are
in the process of exploring the
possibility of a new plant and this
is quite advanced. We would hope
to see progress on the ground
by next year. Looking ahead, we
see demand for cement growing
and outstripping the installed
capacity, hence the decision to
look at a new facilities.
“We are also looking at North
East Zimbabwe because we want
to be closer to the Harare market
and spreading our operations
across the country more evenly.”
The future
During the cement industry’s
difficult period when shortages
were common, consumers
were forced to buy whatever
they could find. However, since
its recovery, PPC Zimbabwe
recognises the importance of
customer service.
“We need to change the
previous mindset and become
more customer focused,” notes
Stephens. “We are engaged in
extensive market surveys, we
try to understand our clientele
better and want to become
more customer orientated. This
project is well underway and is
being conducted by our sales
department.”
Looking ahead, despite an
uncertain political and economic
outlook, PPC Zimbabwe is
confident it can carry on its
success in the future. “We
see continued growth and
demand for cement and are well
positioned to take advantage of
this ahead of the competition.
We are bullish about the future,
regardless of circumstances out
of our control,” Stephens signs
off.
TEESTON ENGINEERING t/a PRODUCT (Pvt) Ltd (Formerly a Division of Hubert Davies)
Teeston Engineering t/a Product (Pvt Ltd) known simply as Product, is an established engineering equipment/consumable supplier and services provider which has been operating in Zimbabwe for over 20 years.
After sales service provision includes excellent on-the-spot service, expert advice, and fully equipped workshops for equipment service and repairs as well as providing fully qualified mobile field service technicians who attend to customers throughout Zimbabwe. With our wide interaction with engineering and related support personnel in the Zimbabwean Industrial landscape, we are a common port of call involved in offering cost effective solutions to applications covering diverse sectors of the country’s economic activity areas.
HARARE 84 Kelvin Road SouthGraniteside, Harare, ZimbabweTel : (04)753243/754192/2932460Email: [email protected] 11 Carlisle Rd, Belmont Bulawayo, ZimbabweTel; (9) 887110/887111/885501Email: [email protected]
Endeavour Magazine | 93
PPC ZIMBABWE
00263 979 241
WWW.PPC.CO.ZA/ZIMBABWE
www.littlegatepublishing.com
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