Dunlop Zimbabwe Extends Factory Shutdown

Botswana based publication The Business Diary reports that a shortage of raw materials has prompted Dunlop Zimbabwe to extend its annual shutdown period, and this decision has led to unrest amongst the company’s workforce. The Apollo Tyres South Africa owned company was scheduled to re-open its factory on January 11, however company officials say production will now commence on February 11 – provided it has obtained the necessary raw materials by that time.

In a press statement, Dunlop Zimbabwe managing director Kennedy Mandevani said he did not expect the situation to continue beyond mid-February. “We have finished stocks that we are intending to liquidate into cash so that we can purchase the required raw materials, production will only resume on February 11,” he said.
 
The shutdown’s extension has, says The Business Diary, created uncertainty amongst the workforce at Dunlop Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo factory. When a representative from the publication visited the site, workers expressed concerns about their future.  “The situation today is exactly like the last time they sent us off,” product support office Kenneth Mulenga told The Business Diary. “It started off as a minor shutdown and the next thing we were off loaded onto the streets. The future will remain uncertain until we are recalled, but you can bet that it is not all of us who will be here when that happens.”

Indeed, Mandevani himself voices concerns about the extent to which cheap imported tyres are affecting the company’s viability. “Cheap tyre imports have seriously impacted on our business,” he said.