Turnall unveils Ravenna concrete tiles

Published: 21 July 2014

MINISTER of Industry and Commerce, Honourable Mike C Bimha, officially launched the Turnall Ravenna Concrete Tiles and Pavers at an event held at the group's premises in Southerton, Harare last month.

Officially launching the Ravenna Concrete Tiles and Pavers on June 23, 2014, Minister Bimha, who was the guest of honour, lauded Turnall for their milestone achievement saying it resonated well with the company's vision of becoming a preferred supplier of all building and construction materials in Zimbabwe and the region.

Minister Bimha went on to urge the private sector to be proactive, innovative and dynamic in response to challenges in the business operating environment in order to remain viable and continue to contribute to the fiscus.

"Government is aware of the tight liquidity position in the market, the limited lines of credit, the inconsistent power supplies among the plethora of challenges that have contributed to the retardation of industrial recovery and growth.

"We will strive to create a conducive environment for businesses to be sustainable in their various operations in order to produce quality and affordable products and create employment for the growing nation," he said.

Minister Bimha said Turnall's decision to diversify and increase its revenue streams through this new venture in addition to its traditional fibre-cement business is highly commendable and welcomed by Government.

Turnall has mastered the art of fibre-cement production during the past five years and this is why it took the deliberate decision to diversify into concrete tile and pavers production. The company is equipped with the technical know-how and expertise that is needed to manufacture any roofing and related products.

Faced with the huge housing backlog in the major towns and the need to assist the country meet its Millennium Development Goals, Turnall took the bold step to venture into concrete tile business. It scouted for suitable and appropriate tile manufacturing plants around the world and such equipment was found in Italy, a country renowned for producing modern tile manufacturing plants and has also supplied similar plants in the region, including South Africa.

Turnall uses the latest technology in tile manufacturing, a Vortex Hydra Concrete Coloured Roof Tile Plant. The Vortex Hydra Concrete Tile Plant's main features include an automatic batching and mixing system, automatic production and curing, a ridges production line and automatic packing and strapping system. The plant has the capacity to produce up to 40 tiles per minute and has an output of 15 000 tiles in an 8-hour shift, which means it has the capacity to produce 45 000 tiles in a 24-hour shift. The rotary rack system is unique with a lot of advantages over the traditional curing chambers.

The automatic production line makes the "Double Roman" and "Venetian" tile profiles. It is also capable of producing ridges and other special trim tiles for roof finishing.

To this end, Minister Bimha congratulated Turnall management for being visionary and dynamic by growing this fibre-cement business to a diverse entity which now boasted of not only AC products, but also concrete roof tiles and pavers under one roof.

He said this timely strategic move would enable Turnall to fully participate in the medium to high cost housing market segment in Zimbabwe and beyond.

After Minister Bimha's keynote address, the Turnall board members, employees and invited guests, were taken on a guided tour of the Ravenna concrete tile plant which was running at the time. The Minister, accompanied by the chairman, Mr Nkala unveiled the plaque and officially launched the tile plant.

The gathering was entertained by the amazing SHEQ Ambassadors and was also treated to a sumptuous meal and refreshments before winding-up the programme of the day.
- The Herald

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