Zimpapers Logo

The mould that is used to make 5 000-litre containers

Christopher Farai Charamba : Features Writer

Water woes that have plagued Harare and other parts of Zimbabwe have forced residents to learn to be more conservative with their water management. Others have had to invest in boreholes, wells and buying water as a way of getting their requirement of the vital liquid In addition to other water sources citizens have also had to rely on containers of varying sizes to store their water. As the shortage situation has continued over the years, some people have thought it best to invest in tanks that can hold thousands of litres of water as a means of water storage.Where there is a demand for a product there in turn must be a supply and a social entrepreneur ready to provide the service.

Young entrepreneur Mr Andrew Makahamadze is one such businessperson who realised a gap in the market and is trying to fill it.

Two years ago, Makahamadze sought to quench the demand for water tanks. His company Gad Holdings manufactures and sells 5000 litre water tanks from their plant in Southerton, Harare.

“When the water shortages started, I realised that there was obviously a need for water and water harvesting. There was a big opportunity in the market that I felt could be filled and so I decided to venture into the water tank industry,” he said.

At the time he started his company Mr Makahamadze realised that there were not a lot of local manufacturers of water tanks. This gave him confidence and made his decision to enter the business a little easier.

“A lot of the water tanks that were in Harare were coming from South Africa. At that time there were not a lot of local manufacturers and so I thought this would be a good opportunity as we would be able to price better than our competitors.

“I did the requisite market research as I wanted to gauge the viability of this new business venture and the results looked good,” he said.

Encouraged by his feasibility study, Mr Makahamadze decided to take the plunge.

Workers show the finished product

“Once I had all the information, I purchased a 5000 litre water tank plant from China and began production.

“The plant that we got is 5000 litre mould. We then pour in Rota Flow plastic powder and heat up the mould using gas. As it is being heated the machine uses electricity to rotate to evenly distribute the power.

“Once the plastic has melted and formed the shape of the container the gas is turned off and the mould is cooled. After about one hour and 15 minutes we have a finished product that is ready for the market,” he said.

Mr Makahamadze said that his company currently only produces the 5000 litre models because they are the popular ones among customers.

“A 5000 litre tank costs $430 and while I was doing my market research I discovered that this was the most popular of the lot. For a small family, 5000 litres can last a month or more depending on usage and I think this is why most people choose this model.

“Another factor that makes it popular is the weight. A 5000 litre tank has enough weight to allow proper flow of water to your household meaning you can shower properly or have no problem flushing your toilet,” Mr Makahamadze explained.

With the growth of his business Mr Makahamadze has said that they would like to expand the range of water tanks they manufacture to include 2 500 litres and 10 000 litres.

“Currently we are producing on average eight tanks a day. As we continue to grow I am sure we will add other size tanks to our portfolio.

“A major boost to our production capacity is the fact that we have had a good supply of electricity. Before when we used to experience power cut problems this would affect our business. While we rely on gas to heat up the mould, we need electricity for the mould to rotate.

“If the electricity goes during the manufacturing process then that tank automatically becomes a reject,” he said.

Despite the difficult economic environment Zimbabwe finds itself in, Mr Makahamadze’s business has experienced relative growth in the two years he has been operating.

As a small to medium enterprise his business has been able to employ 12 people who assist in the manufacturing and sales process.

“As an SME it has been difficult for us because people here tend to frown on indigenous businesses and prefer foreign companies. We have however been gaining customers from individuals and companies looking for tanks to store water.

“Water tanks have become an important feature in the design of homes and as such we get referrals from people who drill boreholes as well as architects and builders.

“In order to grow however we are definitely going to need more help. The government has been making an effort to support SMEs but what we need is for banks to play a bigger role in helping us to grow our businesses.

“Banks need to engage SMEs and hear the challenges we face. Aside from access to funds at reasonable interest rates, a huge problem we face with banks that needs to be fixed are the charges which are ridiculously high,” he said.

Mr Makahamadze urged other SMEs to continue to take persevere despite the difficult conditions and environment they were experiencing. He said it was important for SME owners to realise that they cannot do everything alone and if they want to grow they must seek help and employ the right people.