Zonda Tec, Shantui Outdoor Modern Equipment
…For Mining & Construction Sector
By; Gifty Arthur
Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, a leading automobile company into sales of Light and Heavy-duty equipment and vehicles, together with its partners, Shantui Ltd, a Chinese construction equipment maker, have outdoor their newly assembled mining and construction equipment for the Ghanaian market.
The Heavy-duty machines, which were officially unveiled yesterday Monday, April 15, 2024,at a ceremony in Tema, were assembled here in Ghana at the company’s assembling plant.
The event, which was aimed at providing clients and organizations the best state-of-the-art machines for the construction and mining industries, was graced by Ghana’s ambassador to China, Dr Winfred Nii Okai Hammond.
Equipment showcased at the ceremony were, bulldozer SD 22, Bulldozer SD 32, DH 46C3, Motor Grader SG 21B6, Road roller SRD 13C6, Excavator SE 220LC, Excavator SE 370 LC, Excavator SE 750LC, Payloader S5505, among others.
Shantui Machines Trusted
Speaking at the event, Managing Director (MD) of Zonda Tec Ghana, Yang Yang, said as leader of an assembling plant, she can vouch that the Shantui brand, is trusted and it is the reason why her company, had agreed to go into partnership with them.
“As Managing Director of Zonda, I always emphasize that if I represent a company from China, the product must be the best so I am confidently announcing to everyone that our Shantui products, they are the best. You can never find a bulldozer from China which is as good as Shantui. That is why our Ghana bauxite big box, Dr Ofori is choosing Shantui.”
She was confident that, the various heavy-duty machines which were all assembled in Ghana, can compete with any brand on the market and come up tops.
Knowledge transfer
As part of the collaboration, Shantui imported about 10 of its engineers from China to ostensibly train staff with the necessary technical knowledge.
This knowledge transfer, Ms Yang, said will go a long way to help their Ghanaian staff, to become bosses on their own in future and train others, while making some decent income for themselves and families.
She said, the firm with time has developed to become like a learning hub, where many are trained to become great technicians.
“Shantui has dispatched nearly 10 engineers to Zonda to help us to do the assembling and in the meantime train our staff. So that is why I say that Shantui when they come to Ghana to assemble, it is not only doing assembling, but they are transferring technology to Ghanaians. If today you ask any of our Ghanaian worker inside the assembling plant, you don’t call them labourers, you don’t call them workers, you call them technicians,” she said.
The Zonda Tec boss said, “I always tell people, technician is a valuable word. Zonda, we are like a university, we put practical skills inside Ghanaians. Today, when we recruit Ghanaians once they have small basic knowledge for machineries or trucks, once we put them inside our assembling plant for one or two years, they can come out and work as masters”.
“They can train other people in the market so in the future, those technicians who come out from Zonda, are going to earn big money in Ghana so that is the value we bring to Ghanaians,” she added.
Testimonies
The boss of Ghana Bauxite Company (GBC), Dr Isaac Ofori Poku, who was full of praise for work done by MD of Zonda Tec said, he resolved to purchase all of the mining company’s machines from Zonda, so that she can expand to employ more Ghanaians and pay taxes to better the economy.
“I met with my sister Madam Yang who is the CEO of Zonda Tec and the beautiful work that she has done, I became even ashamed as a Ghanaian that she is trying to assemble these.
So, I said no I would partner my sister to make sure that I buy every equipment from this company so that she can also expand her business to attract our younger brothers, other people who have come from the university and other institutions who are home and we know how unemployment is a disturbing situation in this country”.
“And it doesn’t take the private sector to create employment. We the private sector have to come in to make sure that we absolve a lot of our people into employment to be able to make sure that we reduce the unemployment rate in the country and make sure that people become self-employed”, he added.
Even though the relationship between Zonda Tec and GBC is young, Dr Opoku said, his outfit as indicated earlier has been buying its machines from the company for some time now and already, they have about 300 of such with the wholly owned Ghanaian mining company.
“As we are talking now, we have ordered 200 trucks, we have bought 70 trucks from them already so we are moving to over 300 and you can look around, we just ordered them and they are going to support GBC,” he said.
According to him, this support will go a long way to ensure that the company employs and trains more of Ghanaian workers and also pay the necessary revenue for the growth of the economy.
Equipment Pool
Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, the Special Assistant, Wisdom Edem Gomashie, commended the contribution of Zonda Tec to the mining industry and the Ghanaian economy.
According to him, government is in the process of establishing equipment pool in the various districts where mining is done and prayed that the company, would come onboard to lead.
“One time, a small-scale person wanted to buy an equipment and they came back to the ministry that Zonda is asking them whether they have a license and I was very happy. Because many a times, people don’t care about the environmental impact of mining activities. So, I was happy when Zonda was requesting whether they have a license to undertake responsible mining activities. So, minister is happy and wants them to continue in that same. Currently, government is thinking of establishing equipment pool in the various mining districts to support small scale mining activities. I am sure, Zonda will partner government and lead this initiative”.
Praises
Mr Gomashie, who himself is a mining engineer singled out for praise, Zonda Tec commitment to ensure that companies and individuals who come to their facility to buy these equipments, have the license from the ministry to go to the field.
This action by the company, he said if encouraged, will help to ensure that miners who storm communities with these machines do so with the right permit or license.
He said government and for that matter the Deputy Minister, acknowledge this initiative by Zonda Tec and tasked the media to join and encourage other firms to emulate the line of the company, to protect the country’s land and water bodies.
Mr Gomashie challenged the media to highlight the activities of the company so that the public can be well informed on where to get the best.
Ambassador’s testimony
Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Dr Nii Okai Hammond, said it was encouraging to see how Ms Yang, continue to raise the company and expand it within these past few years.
The diplomat who visited the company before he took office in China said, “When I came here the first time this thing did not exist. This whole place was just an empty place and she told me, she took me up to the top the fifth floor and said see that place it is going to be our assembling plant. So, I was expecting that in 5 or 10 years it will… but in about a year and half it’s already there”.
Dr Hammond underscored the importance of investing in technologies.
“We should look out for people who are helping to boost our economy by engaging our young ones, providing them with jobs, building their capacities. Very often, I tell people it is good to do trading but I believe in investments that bring technology, that bring the financing, build the capacities of our people, that help to bring more value chains because along value chains you create more jobs, you add value,” he advised.
He urged the Ghana Bauxite Company to work hand in hand with the Zonda for mutual benefits.
He also tasked Zonda Tec to continue the good work and play their role as a partner to Ghana’s development and honour their obligations and ensure communities where they operate, the people benefit in a form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Established in Ghana in 2013, Zonda Tec Ghana deals in Chinese manufactured equipment including, Sinotruck, CIMC, Liugong, Forland, Wuling, as well as other construction machinery.
The company’s product range includes; oil and water tankers, tipper trucks, LPG tankers, semi-trailers, concrete mixers, flat beds, low beds, pay loaders, road rollers and backhoe loaders.
Source: Anchorghana.com
