Livetouch Investments has commenced cement production at its 410,000tpa capacity plant in Redcliff, Zimbabwe, a senior company executive said.
Managing director Dongning Wang told The Sunday Mail Business that the US$34m plant had started operations and has the second biggest production capacity of all local cement producers.
Livetouch’s production is currently being distributed to potential customers to give the potential consumers a feel of the quality of the products.
"This is only phase 1, which is 85-90 per cent complete. Major aspects during this phase were setting up the plant and related facilities to get it running," said Mr Dongning.
"We are now negotiating with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development for limestone deposits. Under Phase 2 we will set up another factory close to the deposits to produce clinker, a key ingredient of cement.
"Right now we are buying (the clinker) from other producers, but we hope one day we can produce (the clinker) ourselves," Mr Dongningadded.
Phase 2 of the projects is planned to be much bigger than the initial investment and should get underway in 6 to 9 months after deposits are secured.
Livetouch Investments becomes the third major cement producing company in the country after forerunners PPC Zimbabwe, Lafarge Zimbabwe and Sino-Zimbabwe.
PPC, which is produced from Bulawayo and Gwanda doubled its production capacity to 1.4Mta after recently commissioning a new plant in Harare, its third in Zimbabwe. afarge has a cement plant in Harare while Sino-Zimbabwe’s also has a plant in Gweru .
Zimbabwe currently consumes about 1.14Mta of cement, says the local paper.
