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Heather Charema in CHEGUTU
Norton-based tile manufacturer, Sunny Yi Feng Tiles (Zimbabwe), will this month open a tableware production plant which is expected to employ 500 people in Chegutu District.

The title manufacturer is already operating three factories that are making tiles, printing cardboard boxes for packaging the tiles and logistical support.

The company has since increased tile production from 25 000 to 35 000 square metres per day and has already started assembling machinery to start tableware production this month.

Sunny Yi Feng (Zimbabwe) vice managing director Mr William Gung told The Herald during a tour of the tableware plant recently that 70 percent of the employees working in the plant will be women.

“We are going to open the tableware plant this month, and we have already started training employees,” he said.

“About 500 people will be employed at this tableware plant, with 70 percent being women. We have decided to employ more women for this particular plant because women are patient and efficient and they put maximum attention on designing and shaping things. We are looking at producing side plates, mugs and soup plates, among other varieties of tableware. A group of 100 workers is currently undergoing training at this plant.”

Mr William said the production would start as soon as the assembling of production machinery was complete.

“The production machinery has already arrived and we have started assembling the machines so that production kicks off as soon as we complete,” he said.

“We expect to be selling the tableware and exporting to our clientele in surrounding countries. Countries that have been purchasing our products include Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. We are looking forward to signing contracts with Botswana, DRC and Namibia so that we also export both the tiles and tableware to them.”

Sunny Yi Feng uses new generation, highly computerised equipment, and plans to invest in an industrial park where everything required in the construction process, except steel and cement, would be found.