SIMBA RUSHWAYA
Bus manufacturer AVM Africa is set to increase its capacity utilization after they entered into a deal with an international company City Card which will see the company re-open its Msasa branch in Harare.
AVM Africa, which has a pedigree on the continent for supplying quality vehicles, is angling to get back to its former glory as the company used to manufacture buses for export markets in several countries across the continent.
City Card chief executive officer Ngonidzashe Matsenga said they wanted to create 1 000 jobs on the market through the deal.
“We want to help retool local transport and in this case AVM with its capacity utilisation from 5% to 100%. We are looking at creating at least 1 000 jobs first before increasing to 3 000 as operations expand.
“Our goal is to export some of the bus units and at the same time manufacture buses for the local market with prospective clients expected to pay 30% of the products, while the rest of the payment is done in 12 months,” said Matsenga.
Government banned importation of buses in the 2017 budget to give opportunity for the motor industry to grow.
Currently, AVM Africa produces two buses a month but its partnership with City Card has activated prospects for growth. AVM Africa is one of the few plants in the world where chassis are manufactured in the same factory with bus and truck bodies.
