ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange-listed Delta Beverages is investing $11 million towards the upgrading of its Chibuku plant in Bulawayo, which is expected to be operational by May this year.
BY TARISAI MANDIZHA
The new plant was being imported from German and is expected to increase Chibuku Super production in Bulawayo to 330 000 litres per hour. Currently the plant produces 1,5 million litres per month.
Speaking during a tour of Delta Beverages’ Chibuku Super plant in Chitungwiza yesterday, production manager Joseph Takayindisa said Bulawayo was currently not producing Chibuku Super.
He said the city was getting the product from Harare.
“We are doing refurbishments in Bulawayo and we will be putting in place a new line that should be able to produce 15 000 bottles per hour which would be commissioned in May 2015,” Takayindisa said.
He said Delta Beverages last year commissioned a new line in Chitungwiza, which produces 450 000 litres to augment the other line which was producing 150 000 litres.
Chibuku general manager Mark Mudimbu said the Chitungwiza plant was not able to meet demand and is currently operating at 65% to 70% capacity utilisation. He said by the end of the year, the plant would achieve up to 90% capacity utilisation.
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“We are currently producing 4 000 hectolitres per day, but we are working on the services that support production, which are electricity, water and cooling capacity,” Mudimbu said.
He said Delta Beverages would increase production to 6 000 hectolitres to service the whole country.
Delta Corporation is a broad-based company with interests in beverages (manufacturing and distribution) and the agro-industrial sectors.
It is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and is one of the top quoted companies in terms of market capitalisation.
Its beverage business manufactures and distributes lager beer, traditional sorghum beer and sparkling soft drinks.
