Goldstar Sugars Harare plant reopens

White Goldstar sugar from the Goldstar Sugars Harare plant is expected to be released onto the market this week, following the upgrading of the plant, which began in August last year.

Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche, who toured the upgraded plant last week, accompanied by National Social Security Authority General Manager James Matiza, has congratulated Starafrica Corporation on resuming the production of white sugar at the plant.

The plant has been upgraded through the installation of modern refinery equipment procured from India with financial assistance from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), the company's largest shareholder.

The plant has been upgraded to a total maximum production capacity of 600 tonnes of high quality sugar per day. Previously its capacity was 350 tonnes per day. The plant is now undergoing its final commissioning phase.

Normal production and the release of Goldstar white sugar onto the market in improved packaging has been targeted for this week, the Minister was told.  

The plant upgrade brings with it new sugar refining process technologies which are positively benchmarked against global industry best practice in terms of productivity indicators relating to operating efficiencies, processing loss control and the quality of the sugar produced. This should result in significantly reduced production costs.

"With the new plant we will produce sugar that meets the requirements of all market segments and is of a world class quality," Starafrica Corporation Refinery general manager Marvellous Sibanda told the Minister during the tour.

"The plant is now automated and is run from a computerised control room (SCADA system) which will make it easier to detect operational problems within any section of the upgraded plant and to resolve them with minimal loss of time," he said.

Starafrica Corporation chief executive Dr Sam Mushiri added that the plant now had more than adequate capacity to meet the needs of its customers.

"Beverage bottlers and other manufacturers, who are our biggest clients, were importing sugar while the plant was being upgraded. Now that the plant is back in production, with improved quality and availability, there is no need for our manufacturing customers or any other segment of the market to import sugar anymore," Dr Mushiri said.

Whereas the old technology produced four grades of sugar, the new technology enables the plant to produce only one sugar grade, namely premium white, which is the highest grade for all segments.

The upgraded plant also reduces water usage by close to 45 percent through water reclamation and recirculation techniques. Coal usage will also be reduced by around 15 percent through the use of modern heat recovery technologies.

The Quality Assurance Laboratory was upgraded during the process to ensure that product and process quality standards are not compromised.

"In the packaging plant, we upgraded the building facilities and replaced packaging equipment to meet stringent beverage bottlers' sugar grade requirements," Dr Mushiri said.

Sugar destined for household consumption –  The Goldstar Sugar Brand – will now be reintroduced on the market in new improved packaging that meets customers' and consumers' expectations, he added.
Mr Matiza commented that, as the major shareholder, all that NSSA expected was a good return on its investment now that production was resuming.