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.

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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.

 

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Endeavour Magazine | 93

PPC ZIMBABWE

00263 979 241

WWW.PPC.CO.ZA/ZIMBABWE

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