There are a lot of opportunities in small manufacturing in our nation currently as large scale production is plagued by many challenges. There are opportunities for small scale manufacturers. What we want to focus on in this article are small scale lite manufacturing machines. These are suitable for small production levels but can do so viably.

The machines vary in pricing but do produce at competitive cost.  I’ve tried as much as possible to identify machines that address problems and use cases in Zimbabwe that give you the best possible chance of creating a strong business.

Briquettes

In an article on alternative energy options in light of the current electricity and fuel shortages across the nation biomass is one of the alternatives that came up. A machine that manufactures biomass briquettes is a good investment opportunity. Details on the machine and all relevant information can be found on the link provided.

Biscuits and cookies

One of the fast food and snack opportunities which has great potential in Zimbabwe are cookies and biscuits. The sweet and flavorful treats are favourites across age groups are high demand items when and where disposable income allows. There are a few machine options that automate the process of manufacturing these and you can look them up.

Candle making machine

This one needs little explanation. At all. If the reports we continue to receive are to be believed, and they should be, the situation is going to get much worse before it gets better. While there are other options for lighting in the absence of electricity consideration must be made for the initial outlay involved and the wide use of candles in various settings. This is by no means virgin territory but would still be a great area to get into as demand for candles in some areas will continue long after the electricity situation normalizes.

Bottle labelling and filling

Another business idea we have covered is the branding business allowing you to offer personal branding of items to people and businesses. There are a number of options in terms of machines that can do this for you. There is a good strong market for this with the right sort of products targeted and always room for expansion with the right approach.

Detergent

There’s no way to sugarcoat this one – times are tough. And such people will always be in the lookout for cut-price alternatives. When it comes to detergents they will take them where they can get them and this is your opportunity. There are a variety of options available here and it will largely depend on which market you choose to serve. You really can’t go wrong with this one though.

Snacks machine

Snacks are big business, even in the state of the economy. Our dependence on imports and shrinking disposable incomes means that other more pressing matters may be prioritized and this leaves gaps in the market. Not large ones but big enough for a small player. There are a few options for snack manufacturing machines and you can find yourself a few good opportunities.

Pencil making

As the population grows so does demand for related services such as stationery for education. So a pencil making machine is a good investment given that pencils are near ubiquitous. Used from the earliest of learners all the way up to professionals the demand for these can never really die. Some of the machines make pencils from recycled paper so that’s really a win.

Sachet filling

This one can do a lot of things for you because the potential uses are unlimited. You can start from conventional ideas like sugar, salt and tomato sauce for fast food businesses. You could venture as far as packaging everyday cosmetics and toiletries into smaller unit sizes that are more affordable to people and may better suit the available incomes.

Soap production

I already spoke about the detergents machines and this is really based on the same premise. There are a few options here too with many sizes and production capacities available.

Water purification

Surely there’s no need to go into Zimbabwe’s murky history with drinking water. Both the tap and bottled water have come under much scrutiny and surprisingly even some bottled water was deemed unsafe for drinking. With a water purifying machine you can deliver clean and safe drinking water. There are a few regulatory issues to consider with the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.

The supplier is used is not the only supplier of such machines but is used as an indication of what is available out there. The options are quite wide and there are many more ideas that you may see in their catalogues that make a very good use case for Zimbabwe.