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About Us
Contents
History
Current Operations
Superior Holdings Management Systems
Our Guiding Policies
Customer Feedback
Supplier Performance Feedback
HISTORY
The Superior Holdings Group of companies was founded in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in 1967 by Manuel Coelho da Costa, a recent immigrant from Portugal. The first company in the Group was Superior Footwear (Private) Limited, a manufacturing operation dedicated to ladies fashion footwear. By 1972 two additional companies had been formed, one to manufacture shoe components and the other, Imponente Tanning (Private) Limited, to produce finished leather. An experienced tanner, Mr Carlos Touguinha (senior), was recruited from Portugal to head the new tannery operations.
In the mid 1980s Carlos Costa was appointed Group Managing Director, a position he occupied until. Since 1990 the tannery was headed by J. Carlos Touguinha (junior) as Technical Director, who took over as Group Chief Executive Officer in 2000. Mr. Toughuinha passed away in 2003 and has been replaced by Mr. Jabulani Mavimba who is now the Managing Director
The Group has therefore been very much a family business since inception, with various family members having been actively involved with the business over the years.It initially dedicated to the production of high quality fashion footwear for ladies, the Group has over the years developed into a fully integrated leather and footwear-manufacturing conglomerate.Since inception the Group has followed a policy of adding value to locally available raw materials. Initially, all raw materials had to be imported from outside the country, but over the years, the Group has embarked on a number of projects aimed at producing or promoting the production of essential manufacturing inputs by locally based companies. The development of the tannery, which initially had the capacity to process 300 hides per day (approximately 6 000 kilograms wet-salted weight), required that new premises be built and in 1973 the Group moved to its own purpose-built premises on a 2, 1110 hectares plot in Barking Road, Willowvale, Harare.The Group's move into the export field started in 1978 when the Government approved a project aimed at the export of semi-processed leather.By 1980, having successfully established itself in the local market, the Group decided to gradually develop its export markets, beginning with the export of wet blue semi-processed leather. Eventually, and with the assistance and close co-operation of its European based clients, the tannery was able to develop export markets for more value-added items such as crust and finished leathers.
By 1988, the various manufacturing units in the Group occupied most of the land available at the Barking Road site, with total floor space for factory, offices, warehouses and service departments totalling in excess of 12 000 square meters. It was then decide that new premises were needed to house the footwear manufacturing operations. A new factory, with a floor space of 6 000 square meters, sited on a 13 333 square meter plot, was consequently built in Rainham Road, Willowvale, Harare.
back to top CURRENT OPERATIONS The Group operates from premises in the Willowvale industrial area of Harare with the tannery and head office situated in Barking Road, and the footwear manufacturing operations at Rainham Road, just 4 kilometres away.
Tanning DivisionThe tannery handles mainly bovine hides, although ovine and exotic hides and skins are sometimes processed. The tannery is a market leader for finished leather in Zimbabwe, supplying mainly the Zimbabwean footwear and furniture industries. The majority of the tannery's production is sold outside the Group and only a small proportion is sold to its sister company, Superior Footwear Merchandising. The tannery also has a strong market in Europe for semi-processed wet blue bovine hides and markets in South Africa, Namibia, Australia, Mauritius and Botswana for finished leather. Imponente is the only tannery in Zimbabwe equipped to process whole hides, a factor which is essential for the production of leather for the furniture industry.
In recognition of the Group's dedication towards environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, the tannery has been awarded a number of accolades. These include the CZI/Zimbabwe National Resources Board Environment award, and the Chemical Industries of Zimbabwe Environmental award. It is the Group's policy to install and use environmentally sound technologies and principles and its products comply with the latest worldwide requirements in this field.
Footwear DivisionThe shoe factory continues to be in the forefront of the footwear industry in Zimbabwe, producing high quality fashion footwear for men, ladies and children. In 1994 the company exported large quantities of shoe uppers to Europe but a combination of increased demand for finished footwear, coupled with increases in transport costs, reduced the quantities exported in recent years. Superior was also very active in the South African market for its range of quality children's shoes. This market is currently depressed due to economic conditions affecting the South African shoe market, but efforts are being made to redevelop the export market for finished footwear not only to South Africa but the whole Southern Africa region.With the emphasis on fashion and quality footwear, production runs are relatively small and with a high labour content. Notwithstanding the emphasis on hand work and low volumes, new designs are being constantly developed using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) facilities, and the factory is equipped with modern machinery utilising the latest manufacturing techniques.Styling of new ranges follows overseas fashion trends, adapted to local needs. Patterns, moulds and other production tools are adjusted or redesigned to the requirements of the Zimbabwean market taking into account the particular profile of typical Zimbabwean consumers. As a result, the scope for development of a broader market is somewhat limited to regional countries, which share a similar consumer profile.
To ensure that staff is always abreast of new developments in the industry, the division possesses sophisticated training programmes for specific operations, such as sewing machine operators, and regularly sends personnel to attend courses at training institutions in Zimbabwe and abroad.
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SUPERIOR HOLDINGS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
In addition to the standard management systems such as Financial Management, Risk Management and Information Management systems already in place, Superior Holdings has also pursued and successfully achieved ISO 9001 certification, which is an internationally acclaimed Quality Management Systems. Superior Holdings is also actively pursuing certification in Environmental Management System (ISO 14001.)
Superior Holdings prides itself in putting customer's needs first in all our endeavours and we are confident that we will continuously be improving our products and services in line with our guiding policies. The concept that everyone is responsible for quality is at the centre of all our activities.
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OUR GUIDING POLICIES
Superior Holdings has documented policies that are communicated to the employees and other interested parties.
Quality Policy
Environment Policy
Health and Safety Policy
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
The respective sales departments in both footwear and tanning factories handle all customer orders and queries. In addition, you may direct your enquiries to the Quality Assurance Manager. Superior Holdings continuously and actively seeks to understand current and future customers needs and expectations.
SUPPLIER PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK
All queries regarding supplier performance should be directed to the Quality Assurance Manager who maintains records. It is the intent of the Integrated Management System to seek out and establish strategic alliances or partnerships with suppliers in defining product requirements for joint development and product improvement. We recognise that Superior Holdings and its suppliers are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.
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