Bata invests K3.5bn in gumboots machine

Bata invests K3.5bn in gumboots machine
Written by Fridah Zinyama
Monday, March 02, 2009 7:41:49 AM

Zambia Bata Shoe Company Plc has invested about K3.5 billion in a state-of-the-art multipurpose gumboots machine which can produce about 2,000 boots per day.
And Vice-President George Kunda has said Bata Shoe's listing on the Lusaka Stock Exchange was a clear indication of the company's intention to remaining a major player in the economy.

During the commissioning of the Zambia Bata Shoe Company gumboot machinery at its head office in Lusaka on Saturday, Bata Shoe Company chairman Thomas Bata said the company had shown resilience and innovation for it to survive, considering the fact that it had operated in Zambia for the past 72 years.

“We are grateful for the conducive business environment that this government has continued to create for us,” he said.

Bata expressed happiness that the shoe company had shown remarkable innovation in its product design as witnessed by the improvement in the different products that were being made.

And Vice-President Kunda said the new equipment that Bata Shoe Company had invested in would allow it to produce 2,000 industrial gumboots per day, translating to about 500,000 boots per annum.

“Bata Shoe Company has remained a major player in the country's economy by providing affordable products for its different target markets,” said Vice-President Kunda.

Meanwhile, acting commerce minister Kenneth Konga, who is also energy minister, said the government would continue to offer the necessary co-operation and maximum support to ensure that the company continued to grow and prosper in its operations, especially this time when the world was experiencing the global meltdown which had exerted massive pressure on the world economy.