Nigeria’s largest low voltage panels manufacturing complex was Wednesday commissioned in the Trans-Amadi Industrial section of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, to the jubilation of industry players and the host state government officials.
On this score, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says it will no longer approve application to import such category of panels and other products available at ALCON henceforth.
Some of the products displayed in the factory include Enclosures, Customer Unit, Breakers & Switch, DIN Rail, Network Analyzers, Process Automation System, Plugs and socket, and Motors and Drives.
The complex built by ALCON with ABB partnership to meet global standards is able to roll out 750 and another 1200 different types of panels per year. Top companies such as the NLNG and Shell regarded as top consumers of the panels were on hand to see things for themselves. Some of them urged ALCON to expand the facility and manufacture more types and grades.
The managing director, Gerardo Della Santa, said production on small scale started in 2015 at the former location (inside Shell industrial cluster zone) before the bigger place was found in Trans-Amadi. Now, he said, the company serves many clients.
Della Santa said the company has acquired skill and management competences over the period as it also trained its workers in Egypt and Italy, adding that the feat would support power supply in Nigeria and boost local content drive by cutting down on imports.
He talked of creating jobs and building up expertise, saying the complex handles manufacturing process from raw materials gathering, design, fabrication, assembly, wiring and delivery. In doing these, he said safety is given uppermost consideration because most of the customers such as the NLNG and Shell operate with very high safety consciousness with international standards.
On guarantees, he said the products have met all the certifications required of it such as OHSAS 18001: 2007; ISO 900:2015; ISO 14001: 2015; NCEC 2019 (from NCDMB) and SON’s MANCAP inspection feedback satisfaction.
The MD said ALCON received huge support from NCDMB, Bank of Industry (funding) and others for patronage, adding that new targets have been set to build another plant.
The executive director (manufacturing), Uba Obasi, told the industry players that the company’s objectives have been met, mentioning Shell as one of those that encouraged ALCON to set up manufacturing in Port Harcourt. He showed a video of the manufacturing processes and said, “We are ready for the market.”
The chairman of the company, Olatunde Ayeni, described the feat as successful backward integration effort to help grow Nigeria industrially. He said the essence is to replace imported panels and other low voltage components with high quality products that meet international standards.
He described Rivers State as very hospitable and they got the support they needed.
The deputy governor, Ipalibo Banigo Harry, said the state government was determined to return Port Harcourt as an industrial hub and urged ALCON to employ Rivers people in management positions while also urging the NCDMB to consider the state for an industrial park.
Simbi Wabote of NCDMB made it clear that Nigerian content vision is not Nigerianisation (changing foreign companies to hand over to Nigeria) but domestication and domiciliation (bringing foreign manufacturing facilities to Nigeria) even with expatriates as workers, so long as there is a plan to allow Nigerians take over the positions gradually.
ABB country director, Hany Abdulazim, described the facility as fantastic and value adding, saying the ABB had more things to do with ALCON in Nigeria and urged them to eye the ECOWAS market and Africa.
The national president of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Munsur Ahmed, urged stakeholders to make Port Harcourt bounce back, and said the ALCON feat is what is needed to fight the creeping battle in the African common market soon to happen after Nigeria has signed on to the African Trade Agreement.
