8th December 2003

Tariq Iqbal, Bamburi Special Products general manager, chats with Ravi Mysore and Gerald Valle of Bureau Veritas during the presentation of an ISO 9001:2000 certificate to Bamburi Cement subsidiary company, which now becomes the first local concrete paving block manufacturer to receive an internationally acknowledged quality certification.

Bamburi Special Products produces a wide range of concrete paving blocks, under the BamburiBlox brand and is a member of the Concrete Manufacturers Association of South Africa.

Gerald Valle Bureau Veritas’s Resident Product Manager presents an ISO 900:2001 certificate to Bamburi Special Products General Manager Tariq Iqbal in the presence of the certification body’s regional Chief Executive Ravi Mysore and Henry Ondieki, Bamburi Special Products’s Support Services Administrator.

The company becomes the first local concrete products manufacturer to receive an internationally recognized quality certificate, after a fifteen month stringent procedure, supervised by InterSoft, A Nairobi-based independent quality auditing firm.

ARM now ventures in SA

Athi River Mining will expand its cement clinker plant at a cost of Shs700 million.
The Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) listed company also disclosed that it will open a subsidiary in South Africa and its lime manufacturing plant in Tanzania will be commercially operational in January 2004.

This project is expected to provide 250 jobs earnmarker for skilled Kenyans.
The company said in a statement that it is set to implement a world-class environmental management system at the plant.

ARM has already applied for the coveted ISO 14000certification for environmental management at the cement plant.

As part of its strategic alliance building, ARM has also agreed to sell 33 per cent equity in its Tanzania subsidiary to Tanga Cement Limited.

“This sale will generate US$1 million for ARM Kenya and will also enhance our network in the Tanzanian market,” says Pradeep Paunrana, MD of ARM. The new plant will be commissioned in 2006 when a major growth in domestic cement consumption is expected. The reduce cost of production and increase capacity the plant is likely to double ARM’s turnover to Shs2.2 billion.

The new clinker plant will have major positive economic implications for Kenya. Out of the 250 new jobs that will be created, a significant number will be mechanical, chemical and electrical engineers and the balance will see skilled workers being employed in a factory production environment.

ARM will also be investing in new training course that will see an acceleration of skills transfer to employees.

“We will be creating plenty of spin-offs for the local economy and expect to see employment opportunities increasing in parallel industries like transport and distribution most importantly the micro-economies of local industry will benefit from the increase in consumer spending,” said Paunrana.