TQM CUTS DOWN ON WATER, ELECTRICITY COSTS, REHIRES 290

MATSAPHA - TQM Textiles Swaziland has reopened after coming up with a plan to minimise its water consumption and costs by 80 per cent, which also decrease usage of electricity. The manufacturing company, which is regarded as the engine of the textile and apparel sector in the Kingdom of Eswatini as it manufactures and supplies the industry with fabric, which is its main raw material, ceased operations on December 13, 2024 and retrenched all its 342 workers. Some of its main reasons for closing down included the continued increase of water and electricity tariffs.

The company, which is one of the six sub-factories under Tex Ray Group Eswatini, reopened on Monday, January 6, 2025 and according to TQM Textiles Swaziland Administrator Wanlong Chow, they have rehired at least 85 per cent of their former employees, which means about 290 workers have been recalled so far. He highlighted that they hope to re-engage the rest of the former employee at a later stage, if operations will go according to their plans. He said while the company was closed, they made significant investments, which will save them in terms of some production costs and also improve their product (fabric) as some of their clients were now exporting to overseas countries. Chow said as highlighted before, they installed two new electricity transformers, which is a project that cost E1 million, including labour for the installation. After that, he said the major investment, which seeks to save water consumption and costs, is instead of dying the fabric; they are bringing in printing machines. He said this is because the process of dying is consuming a lot of water, electricity and coal for boilers.

Coal

For example, Chow said currently, through the dying process, where they use coal for the boilers and electricity for the dying machines, they spend about E170 000 per month to pay bills for raw water (E20 000) and trade effluent (E150 000) and also use about 500 tonnes of coal, which cost about E1.3 million per month. However, he said with the usage of the printing machines, which they imported from the Republic of China (Taiwan), they look to reduce the consumption and cost of water by 80 per cent. In the process, he said the consumption of electricity will also go down. The administrator of the manufacturing company clarified that currently, they have only completed installing the two new electricity transformers. Regarding the printing machines, he said some of the parts were already in the company and they expect to have received all of them by March 2025. After that, he said by April 2025, the printing machines should be installed and operating.

Meanwhile, some of the workers who were found at the company premises appreciated the efforts of their management for working tirelessly in order to reopen so quickly. They said this is because it was going to be difficult for them to get employed since there are slim employment opportunities in the country. They added that they hope the other former colleagues, who have not been recalled yet, will be re-engaged soon. It is worth highlighting that according to findings which were officially announced by the Minister for Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, in March 2024, the unemployment rate in the country has increased by 2.1 per cent from 33.3 per cent to 35.4 per cent. Meanwhile, youth unemployment stands at about 58 per cent

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