Steel Giants TEMBO STEEL win Prestigious “Overall Best Exhibitor” at UMA Trade Fair
“This is East Africa’s largest integrated steel plant that has forward to backward integration of steel,” says Mr. Manish Kalla, GM Tembo Steel
By Dickens Tukamushaba & Editorial Correspondent,
Steel Giants Tembo Steels has won the celebrated Uganda International Trade Fair (UGATIF) 2022 top accolade as the UMA Overall Best Exhibitor Award 2022.
The 28th Uganda International Trade Fair and Exhibition kicked off Monday 3rd October 2022 running up to Monday October 10th after a two-year break due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Uganda Trade Expo is an International Trade Fair on all General, FMCG, Consumer & Industrial Products, Machinery & Equipment. It is a well-established multi-sectoral trade event that has provided a unique platform for marketing products and services. It has enabled participants from overseas to introduce new and improved technologies on the Ugandan and East African markets.
Tembo Steels, an ISO 9001:2000 certified company is Uganda’s Steel manufacturing colossus and East Africa’s largest steel company with an interest in manufacturing hot & cold rolled profiles. Tembo Steel is fast becoming the most preferred steel manufacturer in the country.
Tembo Steels recently commissioned a $200-million iron ore smelting plant that could significantly reduce the region’s heavy dependence on scrap metal, billets and coils for raw material. The plant is in Iganga, eastern Uganda with has a capacity to process 1.2 million tons of metal annually.
“This is East Africa’s largest integrated steel plant that has forward to backward integration of steel,” says Mr. Manish Kalla, General Manager Tembo Steel Uganda Ltd.
Tembo Steels $200-million iron ore smelting plant has come amid plans by Uganda to follow Kenya in banning the sale or trade in scrap metal to tame wanton vandalism of infrastructure such as high voltage power pylons, infrastructure supporting CCTV cameras, and road furniture. The region is facing scarcity of cast iron scrap. Tanzania and Rwanda used to be sources of cast iron, but it is no longer available in those countries.
About Tembo Steels Uganda Ltd [TSUL]
TSUL is one of East Africa’s largest company with interest in manufacturing hot and cold rolled profiles, Strategic investments made by the company have resulted in the creation of tangible & intangible assets which are at the heart of Ugandan economy.
Led by an Enterprising Steel Magnate Mr. Sanjay Awasthi, Tembo Steels Ltd produces economical and efficient steel through backward and forward integration. From the widest flat products to a whole range of long products, TSUL has a product portfolio that caters to markets across the steel value chain.
Increased capacity
Uganda spends over $360 million annually on the importation of steel, with at least 70 per cent on importation of coils and billets products. Some 30 per cent is spent on finished iron and steel products, the firm said.
Uganda has confirmed iron ore deposits of over 500 million tonnes. These include Hematite iron ore found in Muko in Kabale and Kisoro districts of southwestern Uganda, and magnetite iron ore in Sukulu and Bukusu in Tororo District in eastern Uganda.
Uganda’s steel production (for both domestic and export markets) currently stands at an estimated 585,000 tonnes per annum, that is, 35 percent of installed capacity. Of these, 210,000 tonnes is liquid steel production, which is mainly produced through scrap smelting in the induction furnaces.
According to National Planning Authority, PA pre-Covid 2018, Uganda’s iron and steel plants had total installed capacity of about 1,000,000 tonnes per annum. 50.17 percent (501,700 tonnes was being utilised.
