In April 2007, His Excellency, the former President of Botswana, Mr Festus Mogae officially opened Pluczenik’s new factory in Gaborone. The objectives included improving the company’s access to high quality diamonds and to beneficiate the diamond industry in Botswana by creating new and sustained employment opportunities for the people of Botswana.

Today, the company can look back with pride at the achievements realised. Employing some 200 persons, Pluczenik has succeeded in providing professional training and employment opportunities to the local community. A full-time training department was planned to train Botswana nationals in the skills of diamond manufacturing, and this too has been very successfully implemented. We train new inexperienced workers to give them skills to cut and polish diamonds to international standards, in partnership with local development agencies. Many Batswana are now in management functions at Pluczenik’s diamond factory.

80% of our workers have worked for us for over four years and built up a specialized expertise in cutting and polishing. Several have traveled to Antwerp to gain greater experience in an international head office.

Pluczenik is strongly committed to health care, so medical insurance is provided to employees, and the company has a very active HIV/AIDS committee, which regularly organizes awareness events and welfare activities. Staff and their families are given assistance to develop a wide variety of useful day-to-day skills such as cooking and sewing, drama and art skills, as well as business skills such as library management, and Pluczenik provides equipment and outfits for a number of sports activities.

Founded in 1946, Pluczenik is one of the world’s leading Diamantaires, and has been a major DTC Sight-holder for over 60 years. A recognised industry leader, Pluczenik markets and manufactures diamonds and diamond jewellery to all consumer segments globally.

The company is known in the industry as “The Name Behind Diamonds” with offices on every continent and manufacturing in Antwerp, Botswana, Namibia, China, India, Thailand and the UAE. Pluczenik has sales offices in Antwerp (head office), Tel Aviv, New York, Detroit, Dubai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Mumbai, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Looking forward, our relationship with Southern Africa continues as Pluczenik is further extending its investment in the region. The company has been awarded a Sight and Licence in Namibia. The first selection of Namibian staff has been recruited and the factory in Windhoek is already operational. In March 2012, Pluczenik Botswana moved to a brand new purpose-built 3000M2 facility in Gaborone, heralding a new period of growth and prosperity for Pluczenik and Botswana.