Nust to host conference on Zim Asset

22 Feb, 2015 - 00:02 0 Views

The Sunday News

THE National University of Science and Technology will host an international conference on Manufacturing Processes, Systems and Operations Management with the hope to revitalise the manufacturing sector and as part of supporting the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation.

The conference, that will be held in Victoria Falls from 23-24 March, will tackle two important aspects of Zim Asset — value addition and beneficiation and poverty eradication.

Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha will be the Guest speaker.

Other speakers will include Dr Khumbulani Mhlophe an economist and Mr Davison Norupiri a businessman and deputy president of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce.

The conference will be held under the theme: “World Class Competitiveness and Sustainability in the Global Market for manufacturing organisations in Africa.”

The chairperson of the organising committee, Engineer William Goriwondo, said the conference would bring together researchers and captains of industry to discuss problems that the manufacturing sector is facing and offer solutions.

“The conference supports two main pillars in the Zim Asset initiative. Value addition and beneficiation is critical to a nation like Zimbabwe because it is no secret that Zimbabwe is endowed with vast mineral resources. These resources are being exported in their raw or semi-processed form. This does not create wealth for the nation but the countries in which value addition is done are benefiting,” said Eng Goriwondo.

“Discussions at the conference will focus on strategies to attain world class competitiveness for the manufacturing sector. This will mean the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe will be involved in maximum value addition in a competitive way. The principles that the researchers will present are to be tested with what has been transpiring on the ground since captains of industry will be in attendance. Home grown research solutions will resolve our problems. Improved performance of the manufacturing sector has a benefit on poverty reduction.”

Eng Goriwondo added that participants from South Africa, Botswana and Zambia have expressed interest to be part of the conference, as over 20 papers for presentation at the conference have been received.

Presenters from the manufacturing industry, he said, have also submitted their expression of interest to present papers during the conference.

In line with the high production costs faced by industry that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Dr John Mangudya, raised in his latest visit to Bulawayo, Eng Goriwondo said the conference would dwell much on how industry could make use of research and encourage the adaptation to latest technology in the industry that reduce production costs.

“The conference is critical at this time for the country because the nation is hoping to revitalise the manufacturing sector that had succumbed to economic problems. More so, we have realised that there has been polarisation between industry and academic institutions. This conference will try to bridge that gap. Institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe are doing research because they have the time and the human resources, industry on the other side may be using outdated technology not properly researched because they are chasing production targets.”

“Our industry is seemingly shying away from advanced manufacturing technologies and probably this is because of lack of knowledge or ignorance. A networking platform will increase the awareness of all industry players. It will utilise the human resources that resides at research and academic institutions in Zimbabwe.”

Some of the themes to be presented on include world class manufacturing principles and systems, manufacturing and sustainability, corporate governance, capacity/capital utilisation and raw material production.

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