HARARE – Pretoria Portland Cement Limited has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Sinoma Overseas Development Co. Limited to improve efficiency and expand clinker and cement production at its Zimbabwe operations.
The agreement sets out cooperation on two fronts that is the short-term improvements to efficiency and output at PPC Zimbabwe’s existing plants, and a feasibility assessment for building a new integrated cement plant in the country.
PPC CEO Matias Cardarelli commented that, “Our ‘Awakening the Giant’ turnaround strategy continues to advance across the group. This includes particularly the Zimbabwean operations, where we believe there are additional, and significant, opportunities to be unlocked internally, together with exciting potential for future growth.
“Like we recently did in South Africa, it is now time to work with Sinoma Overseas to improve efficiencies at our current plants and to seriously assess the feasibility of the construction of a new integrated cement plant in the country.”
PPC described the MoA as of key strategic importance, citing its position as the leading cement producer in Zimbabwe and growth in the construction sector. PPC Zimbabwe’s cement sales and results have increased over the past two years, and the company said it is now preparing for the next growth phase.
“We are looking forward to working with Sinoma Overseas, which is the world’s leading integrated solutions provider for cement technology, equipment and engineering services, and being able to benefit from their vast experience and expertise,” said PPC Zimbabwe Managing Director Ndima Rawana.
“Collectively, we aim to improve efficiencies and production levels at our current assets and potentially establishing new clinker and cement production capacity in Zimbabwe,” Rawana said.
Sinoma Overseas will provide technical and engineering expertise to support efficiency gains at current operations and to assess capital expenditure and investment requirements for any new plant. PPC said any potential projects in Zimbabwe will be assessed strictly in line with the group’s capital allocation framework and remain subject to internal and external investment hurdles and approval processes.
The deal aligns with PPC’s group-wide “Awaken the Giant” turnaround strategy, which focuses on unlocking internal value and pursuing value-accretive projects to deliver sustainable profitable growth.
PPC is a leading supplier of cement and related products in Southern Africa. Sinoma Overseas is a unit of Sinoma, a global provider of integrated solutions for cement technology, equipment and engineering services.
