The country’s largest shoe manufacturer Bata Zimbabwe is
set to expand its line of production to include safety shoes by mid month as
the firm seeks to contain the country’s trade deficit by substituting the
import product through producing it locally.
The story of Midlands’ development agenda is incomplete
without narrating the success story of the shoe producing giant which today
stands as the largest manufacturing company in the province judging by the
number of workers in the manufacturing sector.
This shoe manufacturing company seems to have found its
lost mojo as it now boasts of employing 1 300 permanent employees, over 200
more than it used to employ early 2017.
According to the company’s managing director Mr Ehsan
Zaman, the firm is on the verge of breaking new grounds that could save the
country millions of dollars in forex once a financial deal is finalised.
“We have been given the go ahead to launch the next phase
of our expansion drive. We intend to launch the new line by mid-year once we
finalise a half a million dollar loan with our financiers. We want to purchase
a safety shoe injection machine and a direct injection machine which will be
the first of its kind in the country,” he said.
Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Larry
Mavhima who was on a familiarisation tour of the firm expressed government’s
commitment in assisting local companies in their development visions.
“We have a situation where we lose millions in forex
through importing products that we can produce locally. This has to stop as
capacitating the local companies can mean a difference in terms of preserving
our servings. We will work on our part as government to ensure that you realise
your vision,” said the Minister.
Going forward, the shoe manufacturing company seeks to
refurbish and acquire an additional boiler and a compressor as it seeks to
increase efficiency.
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