Kafironda Factory was established in
1965 as a production unit for Anfex, a fuel oil / ammonium nitrate bulk
packed ''safe'' explosive for the opencast copper mining industry in
Zambia . The factory was located about nine miles from the town of
Mufilira on the Kitwe road, a central location on the Zambian Copperbelt.
All other explosives and accessories were supplied by African Explosives
and Chemical Industries ( A.E&C.I ) a South African based company jointly
owned by de Beers and I.C.I.
It had been agreed that a large extension to the factory would be built by
A.E.& C.I. to
produce nitroglycerine explosives, powders and gelatines, initially based
on a master mix supplied by A.E.& C.I.. Construction of Stage 2 as it was
known started in 1967/68 (?). The Zambian Government decided during the
construction period that as apartheid was the policy of the South African
Government on completion of Stage 2, South Africans would not be allowed
to run and manage the factory.
Bill Wishart, a senior engineer in Ardeer
Factory, was asked to head a team from Ardeer to assist in the
commissioning and take over the running of Kafironda Factory.
Recruitment went ahead and in March / April of 1969 Dr Bob Gow and I, Bill
Cunningham, went to Zambia as Works Manager and Works Engineer
respectively, Bill Wishart was already established as Chief Executive.
In August of 1969 a group of Nobel personnel arrived at Kafironda. The
group comprised George Burrow, Plant Manager, George Innes, Plant Engineer,
Shift Managers John McKinley, Bill Irvine, Bill McQueen, Shift Supervisors
, John Davidson, Eddie McGhee, John Burns, Jack Ferguson. The trades
personnel were Alex Maxwell, Trades Supervisor, Fitters, Sam
Bowie, John Fullarton, Archie Harrison, Electricians Jim Goodwin, Eric
(Pat) Greenan and Joiner, Jimmy Urquhart. All Nobel personnel were
seconded on four year contracts.
This squad was supplemented with Zambian Supervisors who for the most part
underwent training for a few years. Zambian trades personnel were also
recruited and again training in an explosive industry was a requirement.
Jimmy Carmichael was recruited locally and along with two Zambian
Supervisors ran the Anfex Production Unit from its beginning in 1965.
Sadly Jimmy Carmichael was killed in the December 1971 explosion which
also killed a large number of Zambians, some Kafironda employees, Zambian
Railway employees and families of rail workers who had their encampment
close by the rail sidings where the explosion occurred.
Other employees at that time were G Fanslau, Commercial Manager, S Smith,
Accountant, D Wilson, Laboratory Manager, all recruited in Zambia. A
further four Shift Supervisors were seconded from Ardeer Factory during
1970, David Thomson, Willie McEwan, Hugh McKelvie and Sam Cairns. Bill
Wishart left Kafironda in 1973 to become the Head of Africa Department,
I.C.I., Millbank. Roland Hamilton was seconded as Chief Executive. Stage 3
development, which saw the construction of a nitroglycerine manufacturing
unit and the associated acid plant, was completed and commissioned in
1974. During 1973 / 1974 replacement Shift Supervisors, John Thomson, Rab
McEwan, Tom Morrison and Frank Smith were seconded as was fitter Tom
Scott. Around this time Alistair Miller and Willie Stringer were seconded
as assistant Work's Engineer and Laboratory Manager respectively and Paul
Chapman as Training Officer .
At this time too secondees from I.C.I . India were recruited. The
completion of a detonator assembly unit during this period saw the
secondment of Jim Breckenridge from Ardeer. During our time at Kafironda
internal staff moves were necessary mainly due to the completion of
contracts. In my own case when Dr Gow left I became Works Manager and
George Innes the Works Engineer. I became Chief Executive when Roland
Hamilton left and Gib FitzGibbon was seconded as Works Manager. I left
Kafironda in August 1978 to become the manager at the Roburite Factory
near Wigan. I was succeeded by Duncan Kernahan and on Gib FitzGibbon's
departure George Burrow became Works Manager, George Innes Production
Manager and Bob McEwan was seconded as Works Engineer. Around this time
Bill McQueen took over as Commercial Manager. Arthur Randle was seconded
as Chief Executive and was the last of the Ardeer secondments. 1984/1985
saw Kafironda with no Ardeer personnel, the factory being managed by an
AE&CI appointee some I.C.I India secondees and Zambian staff.
