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Mr Busisa Moyo

Kiyapili Sibanda, Business Reporter
THE Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) has advised companies to adopt a lean manufacturing model that promotes quality output while reducing costs and ensuring competitiveness.

Lean manufacturing is a systematic method of eliminating waste within a manufacturing system for efficiency purposes.

The system takes into account waste created through overburden and unevenness in workloads.

Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president Mr Busisa Moyo said lean manufacturing was an efficient technique to eliminate waste or reject and increase areas that are valuable to customers.

“Customers do not need boxes for cooking oil, for instance. They just need the product and the boxes become waste that is thrown away. So we are trying to get rid of waste in the manufacturing sector and increase competitiveness. The same applies to quality,” said Mr Moyo.

The CZI president said the proposal was being well received and more companies were willing to adopt the model.

“The process has been received well by our entire membership and it is just a matter of time before more companies show interest. The response is very positive and we hope the attitude will remain the same,” he said.

Mr Moyo told Business Chronicle that lean manufacturing was focused on getting the right things to the right place at the right time and right quantity to achieve perfect work flow.

“Lean implementation is, therefore, focused on getting the right things to the right place at the right time in the right quantity while minimising waste and being flexible and able to change. These concepts of flexibility and change are principally required to allow production levelling,” he said.

Mr Moyo further added that the model has worked well for other countries and it is important for local firms to adopt it.

Last year, some of CZI members adopted lean manufacturing following the engagement with the Lean Management Institute of Africa based in Cape Town with a view to promoting productivity, competitiveness and quality.

Also, the local manufacturing sector has been constrained owing to high costs of production, high staff costs as well as high competition on the international market.

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