Zimpapers Logo

Michael Tome Business Reporter

PIPE manufacturing concern, Proplastics says it is looking at setting up a chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) producing plant for the production of domestic and industrial liquid-handling pipes.

The factory will be established in Harare in the coming financial year.

Proplastics chief executive officer Mr Kuda Chigiya said his company had initiated CPVC availability in the country through imports, but had long-term plans to set up the plant locally.

As a key market player in the pipe manufacturing industry, Proplastics indicated that it was introducing the product to replace the traditional use of steel and copper piping for hot and cold water conveyancing.

This is in line with the growing calls for the use of environmentally-friendly materials.

CPVC is a thermoplastic produced by chlorination of polyvinyl chloride resin and is significantly flexible, engineered with the ability to withstand higher temperatures of up to 95 degrees Celsius. The product has some insulation properties that allow soundproofing at the same time inhibiting heat loss.

“We have introduced CPVC for cold and hot water systems in households and industrial liquid handling, an area which was dominated by the use of copper and steel, we intend to take the manufacturing process aboard and start producing the product here in Zimbabwe,” said Mr Chigiya.

The company indicated that it was presently importing CPVC as a finished product with a capital outlay of between US$800 000 and US$1 million to cater to the Zimbabwean market.

In terms of financial performance, the company indicated it met its first-half target in US dollars, indicating that its volumes sold in foreign currency in the period grew to 76 percent of total income as the firm continues to craft measures to prop-up foreign exchange generation.

“We have reached 76 percent foreign exchange in our sold volumes in the half year to June but we aim for a better ratio, since this business requires 100 percent of its raw materials imported into the country.”

Chief quantity surveying technician in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Mr Lovemore Muzhanye lauded Proplastics for consistent efforts in diversifying product offerings on the local market to match global standards and trending architectural trends.

“I   applaud   Proplastics on   its relentless drive for expansion, continuous improvement, and having ingenious modern engineering solutions based on ‘Industry   4.0   Smart   Manufacturing’ approach,” said Mr Muzhanye.

Proplastics Zimbabwe successfully commissioned its automated mixing plant at its Harare manufacturing facilities in December 2020 and in 2021 opened a new factory complex spanning over 5 300 square meters for the manufacture of PVC and High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) pipes and related fittings. To expand its product portfolio, in April this year the company launched a new 5 00mm diameter PVC in line with its growth strategy.