In recent years, Zimbabwe has been actively investing in road infrastructure development as part of its broader National Development Strategy. The Zimbabwean government has embarked on massive reconstruction and rehabilitation projects on major road networks to enhance both domestic and regional connectivity.
This includes rebuilding and rehabilitating existing road networks, particularly key highways such as the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Highway, a crucial trade route for the southern African region at large. The busy highway leads through five provinces of Zimbabwe and is one of the most important links between the TransAfrica Highway and South Africa.
On the back of this massive road construction project rollout, Machinery Exchange, part of the Industrial Exchange Group – a multi-brand capital equipment distributor that represents leading brands such as Wirtgen Group, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Powerstar, Shantui, Sinotruk, Bobcat, Rokbak and Cummins Power Generation, amongst others – has enjoyed construction-driven growth.
Crushing and screening growth
While this construction-driven growth has been felt across several brands within the group’s stable, Dube notes the growing uptake of the Kleemann range of mobile crushers and screens as one of the notable growth stories for Machinery Exchange.
Since the start of the road construction initiatives in Zimbabwe, the company has sold a number of Kleemann trains in the country, with some of the major contractors taking delivery of these units, deploying them on quarries that supply main road works in the country.
As the Kleemann growth trajectory continues, Tensor Systems and Masimba Holdings, two leading infrastructural development companies in Zimbabwe, are the latest contractors to take delivery of Kleemann trains – each comprising an MC 110 EVO2 jaw crusher, an MCO 9 EVO2 cone crusher and an MSC 703 EVO screen.
“The recent delivery and commissioning of these two trains is testimony to the continued success of the Kleemann brand under the stewardship of Machinery Exchange in Zimbabwe. We look forward to the sustained uptake of these units, especially with major road projects such as the Harare-Chirundu and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls set to commence soon,” says Dube.
Focus on mining
While construction remains a key pillar of Machinery Exchange’s business in Zimbabwe, Dube says the company has a strong focus on growing its footprint into the mining sector this year and beyond. Given a reduction in construction activity, Dube says the mining sector offers better prospects for growth, particularly in the precious metals market, especially gold, which is currently experiencing a bull run.
To provide context, gold has had a remarkable rally, with prices soaring from around US$1 618 in late 2022 to an all-time high of US$3 509 by July 2025, with historical trends suggesting that there is still room for growth, especially in the second half of the decade.
Dube is also encouraged by prospects in the country’s platinum mining industry. Platinum mining in Zimbabwe is experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing global demand for the mineral – a critical component in the emerging hydrogen economy. Zimbabwe is home to the world’s second largest platinum deposit and the current price environment unlocks major opportunity for the country’s major producers.
On the back of this favourable market environment, Machinery Exchange has supplied two Hitachi ZX690s excavators to leading platinum producers, further cementing its status as a leading earthmoving equipment supplier within the industry. The company provides 24/7 after sales support and maintenance for all the equipment sold.
Coal, adds Dube, is another commodity of interest to Machinery Exchange. Coal mining in Zimbabwe is experiencing a period of growth, with increased investment in the sector. Various factors contribute to this upward trend, including increased exports into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where demand for both steel and coal is surging.
Hwange Colliery, a major player within the Zimbabwean coal mining industry, has invested over US$3-million in a new coal wash plant as the company seeks to improve efficiency and production. Machinery Exchange has supplied the company with eight Shantui L68 wheel loaders, which have contributed significantly towards Hwange Colliery’s efficiency and production improvement initiatives.
“As one of the leading suppliers of premium capital equipment in Zimbabwe, we are excited about the prospects of growth in the mining and quarrying value chain. We have therefore set our sights on growing our foothold in these markets. In fact, we have already set the ball rolling with some major mining equipment deals this year,” says Dube. “A case in point is the recent delivery of three Hitachi EX1200 excavators, our largest excavator model in Zimbabwe to date, to JR Goddard Contracting, the main contractor at a large-scale gold mine.”
The EX1200 units, delivered in May this year, joined another Hitachi excavator, a ZX670LCH-5G unit delivered to JTL Equipment at the same mine in March this year. At the time of writing, the company also expected to deliver a second Hitachi excavator to one of the major platinum mines in the country, highlighting the quick growth of this range in the mining sector.
Growth drivers
One of the major drivers behind Machinery Exchange’s recent growth in the mining sector, explains Dube, is the fact that some of its existing construction customers are confident of high levels of after sales support services provided by the company. By establishing itself as a one-stop heavy equipment shop, Machinery Exchange has an unrivalled aftersales support team comprising of Customer Support Division (CSD), Engineering Division (ENG) and Spare Parts Exchange (SPE).
The CSD division is responsible for the aftersales support of all the equipment sold and rented into the field. It prides itself on its commitment to supporting its customers with a comprehensive aftersales infrastructure, designed to improve equipment uptime while lowering total cost of ownership. Furthermore, the division offers on-site or on-call Maintenance Agreements for select customers, allowing Machinery Exchange to carry out all service, repairs and maintenance of a customer’s fleet of equipment as required.
The equipment is monitored 24/7 through Machinery Exchange’s Fleetrack system which is designed to systematically log and monitor all aftersales issues that may arise with customers’ machines and trucks. The equipment does not necessarily have to be supplied by Machinery Exchange to utilise the service offered.
The ENG division, with its team of highly experienced boilermakers, machinists, welders and undercarriage technicians, is able to repair and recondition buckets, H-frames, swing levers, Z-bars and associated linkages, as well as machining of pins, bushes and line boring – both in the shop and on site. Furthermore, with its 200-t track press, it offers rehabilitation and reconditioning of all undercarriage components and field service repairs.
Lastly, the SPE business unit specialises in in the stocking and sale of OEM parts for all Machinery Exchange dealerships and aftermarket parts to cover a full range of other associated brand equipment, in addition to assisting customers with all their technical queries. In addition, it manages the dynamic “Wear Track Service” (WTS) which provides customers further product support for their tracked machines.
“In addition to existing customers, we have also seen a number of new customers who have previously preferred other brands making a switch to us. Apart from the fact that we are home to some of the leading premium brands, customers in Zimbabwe are starting to appreciate the importance of a strong aftermarket regime, which is becoming a big factor in their buying decisions. With branches in Bulawayo and Hwange, potential and existing customers such as Hwange Colliery have realised the benefits of having Machinery Exchange’s support services within reach. This is particularly the case in mining, where any form of downtime is out of the question,” says Dube.
Having previously been driven by price, capital equipment owners in Zimbabwe, says Dube, are increasingly placing aftermarket support at the core of their buying decisions because it directly impacts the long-term operational efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness of their investments. Effective aftermarket support ensures smooth operation, minimises downtime and optimises the equipment’s overall lifecycle, which is vital for maintaining productivity and profitability.
“The high quality of the machines we supply, complemented by short lead times, good technical support and rapid availability of genuine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) spare parts has been key to our growth in mining. Over the years, we have invested significantly in our parts stockholding, as well as having a large pool of highly competent technicians to look after our customers’ equipment on the ground,” says Dube.
Traditionally, he adds, the company only kept parts for the machinery it supplies, but this has been expanded to include fast-moving items for competitive brands not necessarily distributed by Machinery Exchange. The decision, explains Dube, was influenced by the realisation of an apparent gap in the market created by some equipment suppliers who do not put emphasis on parts stockholding for the machinery that they supply. By offering parts for a variety of equipment, including competing brands, Machinery Exchange has captured a larger share of the parts market and become a more valuable partner to customers operating in the country.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, Dube observes encouraging growth prospects in the gold mining industry. Mining remains a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s economy, representing 10-12% of GDP and 70% of exports.
“The earthmoving equipment industry has noted a rise in the interest of excavators, including Hitachi EX1200 units, which have been supplied to key clients such as JRG, Shamva Mine and Plant Support Africa, amongst others, operating in the gold mining sector. Notably, Shamva Mine and TN Gold are potential customers that could benefit from these investments. Production has risen through the modernisation of existing mines and new underground projects. Refinery throughput has increased, retaining more value locally, which further supports the sustainable growth of these mining operations. Zimbabwe boasts over 63 minerals across all 64 districts, including gold, platinum, lithium, chrome, diamonds and coal,” concludes Dube.
