Cormart Nigeria Ltd., a member of TGI Group, recently announced a strategic partnership with Big Dutchman for the production of sandwich panels.
The partnership allows Big Dutchman to provide the technical specifications to produce top-quality panels, while Cormart manufactures the panels at its facility in Ogun State. The focus of the partnership is on the agricultural sector, specifically on closed pen houses in the poultry industry.
Johannes Flosbach, general manager, Cormart, said the collaboration is coming at an opportune time because most sandwich panels in Nigeria are imported, and with the increasingly global supply chain issues and shipping costs, import prices of sandwich panels are significantly high.
“We are excited to partner with one of the world’s market leaders in the industry. Big Dutchman is an anchor partner with a huge pipeline of projects in the poultry industry, which all require sandwich panels,” said Flosbach.
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According to Flosbach, Cormart chose to invest in sandwich panels to cut down the rising cost of importation. He posits that the plant will produce sandwich panels at international standards, to curb importation of high-quality sandwich panels.
“Besides the focus on the poultry industry, we will also produce sandwich panels for cold rooms, pharmaceutical facilities, and food processing,” said Flosbach.
Thomas Ogundiran, the managing director of Big Dutchman, said investments in the Nigerian poultry industry are booming but importing equipment is a challenge. “Local production of equipment at global standards is the solution. We are happy that we can partner with Cormart to achieve this project. Cormart is a sister company to Chi Farms, which will further add agricultural know-how to the project”.
Martin Middernacht, the managing director of Cormart, commenting on the company’s preparation and the economic impact of the partnership, said the land preparation of the factory is ongoing, and production is expected to start in mid-2022.
“Local production will not only allow for lower costs but also for much shorter project lead times. While it may currently take up to a year between ordering and receiving sandwich panels, this will cut down delivery times to below one month. Furthermore, the project will save the Nigerian economy significant forex reserves, and create jobs in the production and sales capacities,” said Middernacht.
