Private land developer and construction company Zimbuild Property Investments has expanded its operations with the setting up of a plant to manufacture Inverted Rib Box (IBR) roofing sheets.
IBR is an angular trapezoidal fluted profile sheet with a bold appearance which makes it both attractive and practical.
The setting up of the US$200 000 plant comes at a time when the country has recorded phenomenal growth in the construction industry.
Zimbuild MD Rufaro Manzungu said the setting of the Gweru plant was meant to match the growing demand of building materials buoyed by the current construction trajectory.
“Zimbuild has expanded its roofing business by adding more machines for IBR rolling and bending among other machines that produce IBR,” Manzungu said.
“We have invested US$200 000 into state-of-the-art Inverted Rib Box (IBR) equipment to manufacture roofing sheets that are designed for use on all types of buildings including residential and commercial at our Gweru plant.”
Manzungu said the diversification into IBR roofing sheets came after realisation that a myriad of people were buying most of their building materials outside the country.
“We are setting up this plant so that we save foreign currency from importing the IBR sheets from South Africa and elsewhere,” she said.
“That forex will be used for other things that benefit the government and its people.
“As Zimbuild, we have noted with great appreciation the surge in property development in the country.
“We are in the construction boom and not only has the Government needed these sheets, but corporates and individuals who are enjoying the construction boom.”
Zimbuild Property Investments has over the years turned out to be a major player in the construction industry.
The company has been responsible for advancing the process of urbanisation in the country, particularly in the Midlands province.
Manzungu said they were targeting communities the Midlands, Matabeleland North and South provinces before expanding the market to across the country.
“We have programmes in Bulawayo, Hwange, Gwanda, and Gweru among other places and this plant is within proximity of our projects as well and that will cut production costs by more than a quarter,” she said.
She said the plant would create jobs at the same time growing the local construction industry.
“Zimbuild is well known for land development and as a contractor who is participating in national projects across the country, we have a role to play in developing the country,” Manzungu said.