East African Breweries subsidiary, Central Glass Industries plans to invest KES 570 million to refurbish its 18-year-old furnace.
Managing Director James Karegi said the upgrade would make the furnac…
East African Breweries subsidiary, Central Glass Industries plans to invest KES 570 million to refurbish its 18-year-old furnace. Managing Director James Karegi said the upgrade would make the furnace more energy efficient and increase production capacity from 100 to 130 million bottles a year. “Through the investment, the company will also install a glass forming equipment to enable the firm produce more varieties of glass products, ranging from pharmaceuticals jars to beer and soda bottles,” Karegi said 24 August 2005. The work is expected to take 10 weeks. Karegi said that in the recent past the firm has experienced growing demand for its products in African markets. “Right now, we are exporting 50% of our products,” he said. The company exports to Uganda, Tanzania, the Great Lakes Region, Zambia and Indian Ocean islands, among others. In West Africa, he said, Central Glass Industries enjoys significant business in Cote de“Ivoire. He said more recently, the firm has also made inroads into Angola and expects further increases from the latest expansion as new clients are gained from the Southern Africa region. The firm“s Operations Manager, Mr Shadrack Karemu, said the process of rebuilding its market reach was intricate and called for proper planning. He said at the end of the new refurbishment exercise the plant would reduce its energy consumption by 20%.