Challenges

Competition from cheap imports and, in some cases, substandard imported pipes and fittings from South Africa and the Far East has caused unfair competition as the company cannot match on pricing.

“We still have ageing machinery in our factory which compromise manufacturing efficiencies as replacing the tools has proved difficult on the background of tight financial space in the economy.

He recommended that the government create a conducive environment that enables banks access long-term and reasonable priced lines of credit.

Then there are power outages that have negatively affected output as it is associated with abnormal losses and expensive production runs should the company resort to use heavy-duty back-up generators.

It was recommended that power generating capacity be increased in the long term and scheduled load shedding be adhered to so that the industry can schedule production accordingly.

Meanwhile, speaking during the commissioning of the plant, Proplastics CE Kudakwashe Chigiya, said positive change will happen not only in the Plastics Manufacturing Industry, but also the region at large.