Sino Cement Zimbabwe is setting up a brick and tile manufacturing unit in Gweru, Zimbabwe at the cost of US$20mn
The cement producing company is a subsidiary of China National Materials Group Corporation (SINOMA), which is administered by the Chinese government.
Sino Cement managing director Wang Yong told journalists on the sidelines of a visit to the plant that the setting up of a brick manufacturing unit is the first phase of a three-phase expansion plan that will cost nearly US$50mn in total.
“We are diversifying as a company and we have a new project under which we want to make use of a by-product from limestone extraction, shell, which is usually quarry on the outer layer of limestone. We want to utilise this by-product to start making bricks,” he said.
According to Yong, the brick manufacturing unit will create about 200 jobs for the local population and will produce about 60mn bricks annually. He added that construction of the first phase of expansion is expected to be finished by mid-2016. Yong said, “Construction on site is likely to take less than a year and we are expecting to start making bricks by June next year if everything goes according to plan.”
The cement manufacturing plant is currently undergoing refurbishment, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
