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Mernat Mafirakurewa Business Editor
“THE zeal to be my own boss inspired me to form my own company”.
These were the bold words of electrical components manufacturer and engineering firms Leaford Electric Rewinds, technical director, Orphan Bhiza.
Bhiza is a qualified electric power engineer who used to work for a leading engineering company in Bulawayo from 1997 to 2003.
Thereafter he decided to use his vast expertise and experience to start his own company which has grown in leaps and bounds to become one of the major players in the engineering industry.

Bhiza is well versed in power distribution transformer and industrial welding machine manufacturing as well as electric motor rewinding.

Leaford Electric Rewinds is a wholly indigenous-owned Bulawayo company that was officially incorporated under the Companies Act in December 2003 and started operating as a manufacturer and supplier of engineering services in January the following year.

Bulawayo has long been known as the industrial hub of Zimbabwe and sub-Sahara Africa with engineering firms being the major backbone of the city thanks to companies such as the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Engineering Company, Hubert Davies, Radar Metal Industries, F Issels among others.

Some of these companies have either relocated to Harare or folded – a move that has crippled Bulawayo’s economy. However, the demise of big engineering entities in Bulawayo led to the birth of a number of indigenous engineering firms to fill the void and Leaford Electric Rewinds is one of them.

“I am a firm believer in the indigenisation ideology and it’s through this belief that I decided to be my own boss as I think one should be a master of his or her own destiny in life,” Bhiza told Business Chronicle at his premises in the Belmont industrial area.

“When I left where I had been employed for six years I knew I was going to make it because I am also a firm believer that through perseverance and proper business practices one will always prosper,” he added.

Bhiza said through concerted efforts by government and various stakeholders, Bulawayo would reclaim its industrial hub status.
“I am very optimistic that Bulawayo will rise but there is a need for government, the business community and various stakeholders to put their heads together and seek a lasting solution.

“Of course government should take a lead in recapitalising struggling firms as well as luring investors into the city because the revival of the other industries such as manufacturing and textile will further boost our business,” Bhiza said.

As part of growing its business concern, Leaford Electric Rewinds opened another branch in Harare in 2011 and later introduced a specialised Engineering Division last year.

The Engineering Division offers engineering services such as boiler making, plant engine servicing, onsite generator servicing, plumbing, fabrication and welding as well as electrical installation.

Through its Electrical Division, the company does onsite service of transformers and oil sampling tests, oil purification and maintenance, service and maintenance of switch gear, manufactures welding machines (both industrial and domestic) transformer and welding machine repairs, generator rewinds and supply (including installation and service onsite).

The company has a staff complement of over 20 which includes two seasoned engineers with over 15 years of experience in the transformer manufacturing and electric motor rewind industry.

“Over the past 10 years we have managed to manufacture and supply the Zimbabwe Transmission and Distribution Company Western region with more than 1,000 power distribution transformers. We also managed to supply the Rural Electrification Agency with more than 2,000 transformers as well as individual customers from various parts of the country,” Bhiza said.

He said just like any other company in the country, Leaford was feeling the pinch of the liquidity crunch prevailing in the economy.
“The challenges we are facing at the moment are related to the constrained liquidity availability in the country. Most of our clients are failing to make prompt payments due to cash flow problems and as such it also impacts negatively on the day-to-day running of our business.

“We import some of our components, that’s the reason we only manufacture as per order. Our lead time is very short because the idea is to satisfy our clients through providing a perfect and durable product suffice to say that we are also keeping abreast with the latest technology meaning we are moving with times,” said Bhiza.

He said in line with complementing the country’s economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), the company intends to offer farmers and miners a 20 percent discount for repairing their electrical and engineering components as well as doing the same for each product purchased.

“We are looking forward to giving irrigation farmers and mining houses a 20 percent discount when they bring their products for repairs or when buying any of our apparatus. We are in the process of approaching farmers’ unions to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect.

“We are quite aware that government has premised the recovery of the country’s economy on an improved performance of the agricultural and mining sectors thus we have to play our part in ensuring that this is achieved and as an indigenous company we definitely have to be involved,” Bhiza said.

The company has also been a prominent participant at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and Mine Entra as part of its marketing strategy to enhance its business.