News / National
Datlabs embarks on $4,5m upgrade
05 Dec 2018 at 00:35hrs | Views
PHARMACEUTICAL and personal care products manufacturer, Datlabs Limited, has embarked on a $4,5 million plant and equipment upgrade as it seeks to improve operational efficiency.
Briefing Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister Raj Modi who was on a tour of some of Bulawayo companies yesterday, Datlabs chief executive officer Mr Todd Moyo said: "We require $4,5 million for plant and equipment upgrade and so far we have sourced about 50 percent of this amount which we are already spending on upgrading of our tablet factory as well as buying new equipment from India. We now need about $2 million for the upgrading of the LVPs (Large Volume Parenterals) factory."
The tablet factory is earmarked for commissioning before Christmas. Mr Moyo said part of the money raised so far was from the company's own resources as well as allocation from Government.
He said like any other company, his company was adversely affected by the prevailing foreign currency shortages.
Mr Moyo said his company did not benefit from the $6,7 million that Government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe recently disbursed to pharmaceutical companies. He said the company urgently needs money to upgrade the LVP (Large Volume Parenterals) factory which at the moment is not operational.
"It is supposed to manufacture drips (LVPs) and has a capacity to produce 1,8 million units a year and 1,1 units are for Government health institutions," said Mr Moyo.
He told Deputy Minister Modi that his company had exported its personal care product to Zambia and was assessing the new market's response.
"Our products are mainly found in pharmacies but we also supply health institutions and recently we were manufacturing Carbamazepine, which is used at mental health hospitals.
"We had actually stopped upgrading the factory so that we could manufacture those (drugs for mental health patients)," he said.
On the personal care products division, he said the company used to manufacture products for Tiger Brands, which later pulled out and decided to manufacture in South Africa.
"We later talked to them and they gave us the green light to manufacture and start our own brand. This is the brand you see now on the local market."
Briefing Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister Raj Modi who was on a tour of some of Bulawayo companies yesterday, Datlabs chief executive officer Mr Todd Moyo said: "We require $4,5 million for plant and equipment upgrade and so far we have sourced about 50 percent of this amount which we are already spending on upgrading of our tablet factory as well as buying new equipment from India. We now need about $2 million for the upgrading of the LVPs (Large Volume Parenterals) factory."
The tablet factory is earmarked for commissioning before Christmas. Mr Moyo said part of the money raised so far was from the company's own resources as well as allocation from Government.
He said like any other company, his company was adversely affected by the prevailing foreign currency shortages.
Mr Moyo said his company did not benefit from the $6,7 million that Government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe recently disbursed to pharmaceutical companies. He said the company urgently needs money to upgrade the LVP (Large Volume Parenterals) factory which at the moment is not operational.
"It is supposed to manufacture drips (LVPs) and has a capacity to produce 1,8 million units a year and 1,1 units are for Government health institutions," said Mr Moyo.
He told Deputy Minister Modi that his company had exported its personal care product to Zambia and was assessing the new market's response.
"Our products are mainly found in pharmacies but we also supply health institutions and recently we were manufacturing Carbamazepine, which is used at mental health hospitals.
"We had actually stopped upgrading the factory so that we could manufacture those (drugs for mental health patients)," he said.
On the personal care products division, he said the company used to manufacture products for Tiger Brands, which later pulled out and decided to manufacture in South Africa.
"We later talked to them and they gave us the green light to manufacture and start our own brand. This is the brand you see now on the local market."
Source - chronicle
