Mbewe discovers gold in maize mills

Somewhere in the township of Mbayani, Blantyre is situated a company by the name Lemke Board Engineering which specialises in the manufacturing and distribution of maize mills and other engineered products.

Apart from producing these products, the company, which was set up in 1994, also provides engineering services including installation and repairing of maize mills.

Owner and managing director of the company Levison  Mbewe speaks of its origins:

“In 2003, the market was flooded with poor quality maize mills. I was operating a workshop then which was good at repairing the mills.

“When our customers noticed that we were very good at our job, they implored us to start making our own maize mills and that’s how the idea of setting up this company was born,” Mbewe explained.

He said his company uses high quality raw materials to produce high quality goods that set them apart from their competitors.

“Most people in our line of work use cast iron to produce maize mills which is impractical to repair because it cannot be welded. We use mild steel which is durable, easy to maintain and most of all, can be welded,” he said.

Mbewe, who employs a team of 20 people, said the maize mills, which are mostly sold in Malawi and Mozambique, are all made from local materials.

“The materials we use to make the maize mills are bought from local shops, which means we support the local industry.”

“We make about 120 maize mills a month which can either be used for milling maize, rice, ground nuts and chicken feed depending on what the customer wants,” he said proudly.

He said the company installs the maize mills for its customers and can even set up other things including wiring as it is also a registered electrical engineering company.

In February last year, Mbewe and   a co-worker were nominated by the Ministry of Trade to attend an Indian trade fair.

In an effort to give back to the community, Mbewe sponsors Suladi Primary School which is located in his home area in Monkey Bay.

“We fund teachers’ salaries and their housing. We also provide all the learning materials because we know how important education is,” he said.

Mbewe noted that doing business in the current economic situation is quite challenging.

“It is not easy to keep the business afloat due to high interest rates that come with bank loans,” he said.

Having to compete with low quality goods is another challenge facing the business, he said.

“Some people import cheap materials with which they make low quality products which are cheaper on the market. Many customers opt for such products even though they are not durable,” he said.