As a budding automobile company, Sinotruk West Africa Limited entered into another phase in its expansion drive, the company has said it was increasing its local input into the assembling plant to 60 per cent, even to roll out commercial vehicles soon.
The expansion drive, which is part of the backward integration plan, is meant to enhance value addition and local content. Group General Manager of the company, Hikmat Thapa, made this known during a facility tour of Ikeja plant by Lagos State Commissioner of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye. He said having done with phase one of the project, the company has embarked on phase two which has to do with adding of the facility for cab welding, painting & trimming. Thapa stated that the third phase of the project expansion would be to add the facility that would be used to fabricate, paint & assemble different types of trailer bodies, load bodies with dual & triple axles, tipper bodies & tankers and so on.
He explained that Dangote Sinotruck has installed capacity to assemble and produce 15 –16 trucks per shift or 10,000 trucks annually and will create over 3000 different jobs across Nigeria. He said: ”The company has the plan to have welding & painting shops to fabricate & paint truck cabin & Trailers of different type so as to enhance the local content of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) operation of commercial vehicle Manufacturing.
“In the next one year, we have on our agenda to assemble and fabricate Truck Cabins, different types of trailers, Tipper bodies and Tankers etc. in our plant to increase value additions up 40 – 60 per cent.” The automobile firm said it hopes to expand sales to all the neighbouring West African states.
The automobile firm said it hopes to expand sales to all the neighbouring West African states.
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