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Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
Kwekwe-based coal and coke producing company, ZimCoke will resume production next month, a development which is likely to breathe life into Zimchem Refineries which has been finding the going tough due to a shortage of raw materials like coke and coal.

Zimchem is operating at 5 percent capacity owing to the shortage of raw materials like coke and coal

Zimchem management said they were getting raw materials from a Chinese firm in Hwange

In his keynote speech during the commissioning of ZimCoke at Ziscosteel plant recently, Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said ZimCoke is expected to provide sufficient feedstock to the struggling company.

“A further consequence of ZimCoke’s direct investment will be the creation of the capacity to provide sufficient feedstock to bring the associated company, Zimchem Refineries back into full production.

“This company will produce up to 20 products including materials for road construction and repair, creosote, cattle dip, raw materials for paint manufacturer and other products in common use by local industry and mining,” said Minister Ndlovu.

At full throttle, ZimCoke is expected to produce 800 000 tonnes of coke a year for the local and regional markets valued at US$360 million.

Zimchem acting general manager Mr Tendai Shoko said ZimCoke is expected to be the major raw material supplier.

“At the moment we are getting one of our raw material, tar, from a Chinese company in Hwange which is only giving us 400 tonnes of crude tar against capacity demand of 4000 tonnes per month. So ZimCoke is going to meet the bulk of our demands meaning we are not going to import anything,” said Mr Shoko.

He said, in addition to the tar refineries pant, the company is set to revive its benzoyl refinery which was not being fully utilized since 2012 due to shortage of raw materials.

“So all our plants are going to receive inputs form ZimCoke and we are going to beneficiate that raw material for our local market which will in turn benefit the road construction, timber processing and chemical processing industries,” he said.

Zimchem produces a variety of products that benefit the timber processing, road construction, local authorities, chemicals manufacturing among other sectors.

At full capacity, the company is expected to employ about 150 employees but currently has about 55 workers.