News / National
SA firm to recruit Ex-Zimasco employees
20 Jan 2016 at 05:22hrs | Views
SOUTH Africa-based firm, Portnex, which took over operations at the Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company (Zimasco) following a $12 million lease agreement, has started recruiting employees.
A majority of them are former Zimasco workers.
The recruitment exercise will pave way for the commissioning of furnace Number 1 at Zimasco's west plant in Kwekwe mid next month.
Portnex director, Johann Horne, said his company had also started operations outside Zimasco's claims.
"Portnex is using other claims outside of the Zimasco claims for the commissioning of the first furnace, but will probably use their claims for the second and third furnaces.
"We aim to start the furnace during the first two weeks of February. We're in the process of interviewing possible candidates for all our necessary human resources needs as per our designed structure, with a focus specifically on ex-Zimasco employees," he said.
Resuscitation of the three furnaces will see the new investor recalling 800 former Zimasco workers back to work.
Despite the plummeting chrome prices on the international market which have affected many chrome players in the country, Horne said their operations would be viable through cost optimisation.
He said: "Portnex has strengthened its position to remain as agile and innovative as possible while going back to basics and building our business models on first principles. This has enabled us to optimise costs as well as the value in use of materials, processes and services and the subsequent optimisation of sales revenue, enabling us to remain competitive in this difficult market."
The company exports ferrochrome to various European markets. At full throttle after the commissioning of the three furnaces,
Portnex targets to process 240,000 tonnes of raw chrome per annum which translate to 100,000 tonnes of ferrochrome over the same period.
The company is a global reductant-supplier to a number of consumers of a broad spectrum of carbon products and its operations have expanded to include the marketing of strategic commodities such as chrome ore, ferrochrome, thermal coal, lean coal, anthracite, coking coal and metallurgical coke.
The company also has a presence in Turkey and last year offered consultancy services to Hwange Colliery Company Limited.
A majority of them are former Zimasco workers.
The recruitment exercise will pave way for the commissioning of furnace Number 1 at Zimasco's west plant in Kwekwe mid next month.
Portnex director, Johann Horne, said his company had also started operations outside Zimasco's claims.
"Portnex is using other claims outside of the Zimasco claims for the commissioning of the first furnace, but will probably use their claims for the second and third furnaces.
"We aim to start the furnace during the first two weeks of February. We're in the process of interviewing possible candidates for all our necessary human resources needs as per our designed structure, with a focus specifically on ex-Zimasco employees," he said.
Despite the plummeting chrome prices on the international market which have affected many chrome players in the country, Horne said their operations would be viable through cost optimisation.
He said: "Portnex has strengthened its position to remain as agile and innovative as possible while going back to basics and building our business models on first principles. This has enabled us to optimise costs as well as the value in use of materials, processes and services and the subsequent optimisation of sales revenue, enabling us to remain competitive in this difficult market."
The company exports ferrochrome to various European markets. At full throttle after the commissioning of the three furnaces,
Portnex targets to process 240,000 tonnes of raw chrome per annum which translate to 100,000 tonnes of ferrochrome over the same period.
The company is a global reductant-supplier to a number of consumers of a broad spectrum of carbon products and its operations have expanded to include the marketing of strategic commodities such as chrome ore, ferrochrome, thermal coal, lean coal, anthracite, coking coal and metallurgical coke.
The company also has a presence in Turkey and last year offered consultancy services to Hwange Colliery Company Limited.
Source - chronicle
