Arusha — Employing close to 400 workers and clearing the region off some 1000 tons of metal-based trash every month, may not be such a bad idea for the Themi-hills based Trishala Rolling mills of Arusha.

The factory is the only iron and steel recycling factory in the Northern Zone and according to the firm's management, Trishala recently became the third largest tax-payer in Arusha region after Tanzania National Parks and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.

Since the other two are state owned institutions, Trishala may well rank as number one corporate tax payer in the Arusha and Manyara after overtaking its elder sibling the Steel Center Limited which is the flagship firm for the Steel center group a mother company in which it belongs.

Mr Manoj Menon one of the establishment officials

however points out that Tanzania has scarcity of scrap

metal, "the country has not undergone much industrialization in the past that is why it is hard for us to find raw materials," he pointed out.

"As a result we are forced to import metal billets from as far as Korea and South Africa to supplement raw material requirement," he added.

'Billets' refers to a cast semi finished product. They are also known as 'Ingots', particularly for smaller sizes.

A billet is typically cast to a rectangular, hexagonal or round cross section compatible with secondary processing for example forging or milling. It can be produced either as coil or cut lengths. Ingots and billets are collectively known as bar stock.

Trishalla Rolling Mills officials say importing such raw material can be a very expensive undertaking especially where shipment costs are concerned.

All the same, despite such scarcity, business morals have to be observed strictly; at the factory's gate entrance, a large sign reads 'Hatununui vyuma vya reli isipokuwa kwa kibali kutoka Tanzania railways!' (We do not buy rail related metallic parts except with official permit from the Tanzania railways).

That sign is meant to be a warning to the firm's various scrap metal agents supplying the plant with raw materials. Tanzania has been suffering vandalized railway infrastructure after some racketeers discovered a market for any piece of metal that can be melted in furnaces.

Lucas Aminieli lyimo is one of the agents who deals with Trishalla "We have our own organization known as Tambaana Arusha Limited, business is slow there are no scrap metal in Arusha," he said.

Trishalla Rolling Mills operating on 9 acres of hectic iron and steel work factories convert what would have been tetanus causing metallic trash into products such as Round bars, deformed bars, Square bars, twisted bars, flat bars and Zed bars. The plant also churns out angled iron, hollow sections, mild steel plates and black pipes, constructors should be conversant with these terms.

Established in 2003 before going commercial a year later, Trishalla rolling mills produces between 30,000 and 35,000 tons of finished metal products every year and much of this is sold locally. The factory exports about 20 percent of the merchandise to the neighboring country of Kenya.

Production and Exports could always be doubled or even tripled if raw materials were readily available. "There is still ample untapped market in East and Central Africa," stated Mr Manoj

Tanzania currently has thousands of motor vehicles on her roads, with many being written off daily so hasn't Trishalla thought of tapping into this source of potential raw material? "Only a small section of a scrapped car can be put into use, you see our factory deals with mild steel.

"Modern vehicles are made up of mostly alloy and plastic with few real metal parts, still we can make use of them," he said adding that with the recent introduction of canned drinks, sodas, fruit juices and beer scrap metal dealers can also tap into this segment of raw materials.

"We clean up the city while creating employments and revenue in the process," said Mr Manoj. His staff is mostly trained on job; some have developed into highly skilled metal apprentices.