AVM Africa to Assemble and Manufacture Tractors in 2016

Posted on : Friday, 4th December 2015

ZIMBABWEAN coach assembler AVM Africa says it will venture into assembling and manufacturing tractors in 2016 starting with 400 units.

CEO Musanhi said this followed a partnership with a local company owned by the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA), which is set to sign a billion-dollar agreement with a Chinese firm to set up a plant in Zimbabwe. Musanhi said the 400 units will be the first of more to follow.

"We will be the first in Zimbabwe and it will go a long way in revamping the agricultural sector. Zimbabwe has been relying on the importation of tractors but we will be making them and for a start it will be 400 units," he said. Musanhi said the tractors will be priced at almost a quarter of the current market prices.

Musanhi said the prospects are brighter for AVM Africa in 2016 as they have already received 200 orders from their new Starline, Deluxe, a new bus model which they launched in August this year.

"We are happy to say we have successfully researched and developed a prototype of a bus Starline deluxe which has better clearance and set up than the previous one. Already we have orders for 200 units and they are still coming," he said. Musanhi said the company was also in talks with the Mozambican Government for the supply of 600 units next year and were planning to set up workshops in three areas in Mozambique namely Maputo, Beira and Nankala .

"What is left is the assurance that we can service the buses, so we are ready to take off" he said. Musanhi said 2016 will see AVM manufacturing about 2000 units in the first year. "We will be producing about 120 buses per month, 50 trucks and about 200 vehicles per month".