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China Wu Yi Invests Sh10bn in Kenyan Factory

The plant will produce precast components such as wall panels and staircases.

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A precast concrete wall.
A precast concrete wall with yet-to-be-fitted window spaces. PHOTO | FILE

China Wu Yi has embarked on the construction of a highly automated and mechanised precast materials plant in Athi River, Machakos, as it seeks to grow its business in the region.

The factory, which is expected to be ready in ten months, will make precast components such as wall panels, staircases, foundation piles, and hollow core slabs among others.

The plant will sit on a 30-acre parcel of land off Mombasa Road and it will be undertaken by the Chinese firm’s local subsidiary China Wu Yi Precast (Kenya) Company Limited.

According to China Wu Yi chairman Qiu Liangxin, the project – which is the first of its kind to be established overseas by the firm – will involve the establishment of an industrial base for research, production, marketing, and display of precast elements in the country.

“The development of the prefabricated building is significant to the transformation of construction, with an advanced guarantee on construction quality and safety,” Mr Liangxin said during the groundbreaking ceremony at the weekend.

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China Wu Yi has teamed up with two German companies: Nemetschek to provide the software for the design of the housing parts, and Ebawe Anlagetechnik to supply equipment for the concrete pre-casts production.

The precast elements produced by the new factory will be sold to other construction firms as well as individual customers who will be able to acquire custom precast panels to fit their housing designs thereby cutting construction costs and time.

China Wu Yi, which won Sh10 billion worth of construction tenders in Kenya, is betting on the increasing acceptance of new building technology among Kenyans to grow its business..

Local property developers are increasingly embracing prefabricated building technology as they seek to cut construction costs and maximise returns.

Judy Mwende, a Journalism graduate from the University of Nairobi, is a seasoned writer and editor with more than a decade of practical experience covering the global construction industry.