For more than 50 years Turnall Fibre Cement (Pvt) Ltd has been a regional market leader in the manufacture and supply of fibre cement products made from select quality Chrysotyle Asbestos.
Some important dates in the growth and development of our Company and the establishment of the Asbestos Cement industry in this country.
| 1943 |
Alfred Porter - a dynamic Australian who was both an engineer and entrepreneur - a specialist in the field of AC saw the great potential of starting the industry. All basic materials were locally available - an important point as World War II prevented the importation of building materials from aboard. Porters Cement Industries was under way and the Harare Works produced its first AC sheets, which were |
| 1945 |
Porters commenced manufacture of Concrete Pipes. |
| 1947 |
An additional Concrete Pipe plant opened in Mutare (later closed as part of the rationalisation programme). |
| 1948 |
Construction under way in Bulawayo for a Sheeting Plant. Site originally the Indaba Mine, and before that the "Near By". |
| 1949 |
Bulawayo produces its first AC sheets. |
| 1950 |
Head Office expands - a second storey added. |
| 1952 |
Mutare Works also expanded and also started producing sheets. |
| 1953 |
Turnall & Newall, bought “Alfie" Porter out, and over the next few years introduced modern techniques, and expertise, and built new offices and laboratories. |
| 1955 |
Decision taken to manufacture AC pressure and sewer pipes in Bulawayo. New Pipe Plant and factory planned and production commenced a year later. |
| 1960 |
Further expansion of Harare office block. The tempo of activity of AC marched in chase with the building industry during the active Federal period, and 5 years later in the post UDI boom. |
| 1962 |
Bulk cement silos that were once at Kariba installed at both Harare and
Bulawayo. |
| 1970 |
New Sales and general office accommodation opened in Harare to keep pace with the increasing expansion. |
| 1973 |
An attractive "Turnall" Ware Sales Office opened in the garden setting of the Harare Works. |
| 1974 |
Bulawayo Sheeting Plant re-commissioned. |
| 1976 |
New Staff Change Rooms, Canteen and First Aid accommodation and covered warehouses built at both Bulawayo and Harare Works. |
| 1977 |
A second sheeting machine built and installed in Harare. |
| 1979 |
Plans to increase production by modification to the Pipe Plant in Bulawayo approved. Expenditure to top $1 000 000. |
| 1992 |
Brand new sheeting line purchased from Lamort, France installed at Harare factory as the third sheeting line.Total investment $25m. |
| 1996 |
Environmentally friendly fibre treatment facilities were installed at both Bulawayo and Harare Factories.
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| 1997 |
Bitumen coating facility for pipes was installed at Bulawayo factory. |
| 2000 |
Commissioned Sheeting Machine No.5. Weigh batch mixers were also installed. |
| 2001 |
Upgrading and renovations done to staff change rooms in compliance with ILO Convention 162 . |
| 2002 |
Certified to an integrated Quality and Environmental Management System (ISO 9001:2000QMS and ISO 14001:1996 EMS) by SABS.
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| 2003 |
Certified to OHSAS 18001 : 1999 Occupational Health and Safety Management System by SABS (The first company in Zimbabwe) |
| 2004 |
Introduced a computerized Enterprise Resource Planning System at both Harare and Bulawayo plants. |
| 2005 |
Completed Automation of two of the four active sheeting machines one each in Harare and Bulawayo.
Introduced a computerized Manufacturing System and an On-Key Planned Maintenance System.
Successfully completed the conversion of ISO 14001: 1996 Environmental Management System to the EMS 2004 version.
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| 2006 |
To integrate all the certified systems and others such as the Social Accountability Standard (SA 8000) and the HIV / AIDS proactive response in the world of work based on the ILO Code of Practice on HIV / AIDS into a single System and eventually a Turnall Exellence Business Model).
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The area of the Harare Works is 4 hectares (10 acres) and at Bulawayo 6.8 hectares (17 acres).
There is not an Industrial, Agricultural or residential area in the Country that does not have one or more of the Company's many AC products in use or on display.
Livingstone House, in Harare is one of the prestige buildings where AC played an important role with the unique sun shields fitted in 1961, Aquaducts or Canal Linings were first laid to bring water from the Mazowe Dam to the nearby citrus Orchards, and many thousands of meters of pressure piping were laid when the Triangle Sugar Estates were being developed.
Every town, rural and mining community has its large scale housing accommodation schemes and AC products will continue to provide an inexpensive and weatherproof covering for these dwellings. Infact, wherever you look around you there is AC - it's seen in all the best places.
Alfred Porter would no doubt have been very pleased with the way his brainchild has grown up and developed in the space of less than 56 years.
