Page 20 - Issue 27

20 Business

Bokomo launches new product

and reveals new plant

The showcasing of a proudly meal, Bokomo white bread/brown committed to service excellence,
Botswana product ,in the form of bread flour, pure sugar, Champion continual production of the best
“Champion Sorghum is an endeavor sorghum and samp among other products and ensuring a responsible
we see as immensely valuable and are products. Bokomo also supplies 650 business mandate .We are equally
proud to encourage. “This was said product lines of Pioneer Foods including committed to the government’s
by the Vice President, His Honor Mr. Liquifruit, Lipton ice tea, Bokomo transformation agenda of the Botswana
Slumber Tshogwane at the launch of the Weetabix, cornflakes and many more. Economy.”
product and the milling plant. He went
on to applaud the Bokomo team for this Mr. Werner, the Managing Director of
Bokomo told the media and invited Operational Aspect
initiative as it resonates well with what
very aware of our social responsibility of Bokomo Sorghum
the government is currently setting as delegates there present that, “We are
a vision for Batswana. The economy
is set to move from resource based to towards the achievement of national Milling plant
more knowledge based as well as slowly objectives and therefore the growth
move from a medium to high income of the Botswana economy.” On that Bokomo acquired a sorghum milling
economy. note he highlighted how Bokomo plant worth R8, 5million from Roff, a
has contributed to food security by company based in Kroonstad South Af-
“The new milling plant is surely to not partnering with BAMB and the Ministry rica. Roff specialize in milling machines,
only contribute to reduction of the food of Agriculture and Food Security, spares and maintenance. Speaking
import bill but is set to also improve they have built a new warehouse and to Engineer Magazine at the Sorghum
food and nutrition security both at invested in state of the art production milling plant the operations manager
household and national levels. This will facilities i.e. a full mix plant and a Mr. Jaco Venter revealed that, “due to
surely contribute positively towards sorghum plant. the roller and hammer mill set-up, the
economic growth”. He said plant gives you options to either pro-
Statistically according to Mr Werner, duce coarse or fine sorghum meal and
In 2003 Bokomo got a humble Bokomo has created 800 jobs from of varying granularity”
investment of 40 million pula to start an initial 200 showing steady increase
operations and today 17 years later of 300%.They have also invested in The operator of the milling plant is an
they have an insurable value of P360 labor development and up skilling industrial engineer by profession and is
million pula. The company has won ,performance management and under training to be a qualified miller.
multiple awards and they are set for development of their workforce so as In an hour the plant produces four
greater heights as Botswana’s largest to maintain international standards. In tonnes. “At the moment the machine
manufacturing and distribution terms of compensation their minimum runs a day shift but can run 24 hours
Company. Just like most success stories wage is twice the government’s depending on sales demand.” said Jaco.
Bokomo has also ventured into other regulated wage. There are two packing lines next to
not so viable business ventures, nipped the mill packing sku’s from 2.5-10 kg.
them and ventured to other things. The Bokomo has also significantly taken The mill is plc controlled, and with the
company acquired Ace poultry (2004) part in the growth of Botswana. The SCADA you always have an overview of
Richmark poultry and Palapye poultry company has reinvested 80% of its what is happening in the plant. The en-
farm between 2012 and 2015 but by profits back into operations locally. They tire plant is also started and controlled
2017 they disposed of the chicken and also support SMEs locally by using local from the SCADA.
egg venture to focus on what now most transport, packers, maize and sorghum
people find synonymous with the brand. produce from local farmers and other The milling plant took one month to
From a manufacturing perspective the services such as security and cleaning. be assembled (it was manufactured
company produces White Star maize In his remarks Mr. Werner ended by offsite, and only assembled here)
saying, “Team Bokomo remains fully
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Issue 27 - May /June 2020 www.engineerbw.com