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(By Olaolu Olusina/olaolu.olusina@lubeswestafrica.com)
It’s a brand new year and a new ‘’Sheriff’’ is at the helm of affairs at Lubcon International. His name, Taiye Williams, surely rings a bell in the lubricants industry not only in Nigeria but across Africa and even beyond.
A thorough-bred lube industry professional and a marketer par excellence , he is coming on board at Lubcon International after almost three decades of dedicated service to the Lubcon Group in various capacities, a journey he described as “exciting but challenging .’’
Though the task before Mr. Taiye Williams, Managing Director, Lubcon International, is big, he sees it as not much different from what he has been doing as he is without doubt on a very familiar terrain.
Nonetheless, the game is really going to change for the better at Lubcon International with Williams in the saddle, especially now that the dynamics of the African regional trade are changing.
“ My new assignment as Managing Director, Lubcon International, will not be any different; except that with my wealth of experience acquired over these 27 years in the industry, it will not be as daunting as it was when I became the Managing Director of Lubcon Nigeria some 13 years ago,” he told LUBES West Africa in an exclusive interview.
According to Williams, “Africa is changing. More opportunities for intra-African businesses are opening up. There can be no better time than now to focus on Africa as a whole.”
However, focussing on Africa, and doing it well, requires the wealth of experience Williams is bringing to his new assignment. For well-over a decade, he was the Managing Director of Lubcon Nigeria, a country which accounts for about 507 million litres of lubricants, mostly automotive lubes, consumed in 2022 , out of the about 637 million litres for the entire West African sub-region.
Though he believes that Nigeria is still the market, he says ‘’That said, it will not be wise to ignore other markets.’’
The Managing Director, Lubcon International, no doubt, knows the African lube market so well to be able to identify great potential outside the Nigerian local market.
‘’Next in population is Ethiopia. Despite its peculiar problems, it is a huge market that cannot be ignored. We have a 30 million litres per annum plant there. We have a 25 million per annum capacity plant in Ghana.
‘’The Ghanaian market is very small. Our experience has been that most of the countries do not have blending plants and they rely on importation. That creates a good opportunity to fill the vacuum,’’ Williams said with a note of confidence.
With a full grasp and general knowledge of the lube market in West Africa as well as the prospects and challenges, especially the window of opportunities provided by ECOWAS and the African Free Continental Trade Zone Agreement (AfCTA), Williams is surely set to reposition Lubcon for regional dominance.
‘’The West African lubricant market as the rest of the African market comprises two distinct segments: one characterized by aging vehicles that utilise conventional base oils. The second is represented by a younger fleet requiring higher- performing lubricants, mainly synthetic lubes.
‘’Also Nigeria is the second largest consumer of lubricant in Africa after Egypt. The AfCFTA provides the blueprint to boost intra-African trade, promote economic integration and foster sustainable development in Africa.
‘’It provides expanded market access to 1. 4 billion people with a combined GDP of over $3 trillion. AfCFTA is expected to reduce trade barriers, making it easier for producers to trade within the continent,’’ he said.
His new mission therefore seems to have been clearly spelt out already with these realities and background information and he appears good to go and launch out on this new ‘’repositioning offensive’’ bringing along with him all the experience he has garnered over the years.
’’My assignment is to tap into these huge opportunities not just to provide quality lubes but all the range of products and services available from the Lubcon Group,’’ Williams said.
Lubcon, an ISO certified Oil and Gas company with headquarters in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, is the only indigenous lube company in the country with branches across Africa.
Lubcon has a vision of making an impact in the energy ecosystem focused on quality and reliability just as its mission is to be a world-class energy company exceeding the changing needs of customers, using cutting-edge technology and highly trained and motivated talented personnel, whilst ensuring optimum returns to its shareholders.
Lubcon’s corporate core values as encapsulated in the acronym, PIPET, include:
• Passion for the Customer
• Strong customer orientation stamps its business decisions.
• Innovation and Creativity
• Seek better and more creative solutions to challenges
• Pursuit of Excellence
• Pushing the barriers of performance.
• Transparency
• Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of its business model.
Fitting into the customer’s needs in various ways, the Lubcon Group offers products and services in the following sectors :
• Aviation
• Distribution
• Environment
• Manufacturing
• Finance
• Petroleum
• Pharmaceuticals
• Plastics/ Packaging
• Real Estate/Hospitality
• Shipping/Logistics
MANY FIRSTS
The many firsts scored by Lubcon over the years include:
• Produced the first lubricant, Performa, that won the Nigerian Industrial Standards Award in 2000
• The first Nigerian Oil & Gas Company to earn ISO certification in 2002
• Introduced the first indigenous fully synthetic engine oil, Rugged Elite.
• The first Nigerian Blender to own lubricant blending plants in Ghana and Ethiopia
• The first company in the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry to win the National Productivity Order of Merit Award in 2015
• The only Nigerian Company with Eneos certification in Lubricants Manufacturing
• The only Nigerian Company blending for CFAO Yamaha, NNPC Retail, Sahara Energy, NATA, and Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), amongst others.
MILESTONES
Lubcon has also achieved so many milestones. The notable ones include:
2008 Upgraded to ISO 9001:2008 International Quality Certification
2011 Received NIS (Nigerian Industrial Standards) Product Quality Awards as follows:
• Gold Award for Lubcon Performa XV50
• Silver Award for Lubcon Adrenalin 20w50
• Silver Award for Lubcon Motorlube HD50
2011 Received the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States Business Award – ECOWAS Super Brand
2013. Received the ECOWAS Distinguished Business Award. Introduced the first indigenous fully Synthetic lubricant (Rugged Elite) into the Nigerian Market
2014 Elected into the corporate membership of the British Safety Council
Elected a Member of the Institute of Occupational Health & Safety.
2015 Appointed by JXTG Nippon of Japan to blend lubricants in Nigeria for CFAO Yamaha
• Won the National Productivity Order of Merit Award in the Oil & Gas Industry
• Won the Ghana Oil & Gas Awards
2017 Lubcon Lubricants Blending Plant in Ethiopia commenced operations
• Appointed the official blender by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) – Nigeria’s National Oil Company.
• Won the Manufacturing Excellence Awards of the Guardian Newspapers in the Oil & Gas Sector.
CUSTOMERS’ PORTFOLIO
Lubcon’s customers’ portfolio ranges from cement plants, service providers to telecommunication operators, manufacturing firms, such as John Holt Nigeria, Siemens, Dangote, Nigeria Navy etc. In addition, Lubcon is a major supplier of transformer, turbine, and hydraulic oils to the Nigeria power sector (PHCN). Customers have the opportunity to choose from Lubcon’s over 300 range of products.
CONGLOMERATE WITH SUBSIDIARIES
LUBCON 3P
Lubcon 3P specialises in Toll-blending (Contract manufacturing/blending; Private label manufacturing and packaging of lubricants). Lubcon 3P provides a complete solution, sourcing all raw materials, blending, packaging and shipping according to client’s specifications.
LUBCON AERO
Lubcon Aero currently operates facilities in Ilorin, Minna, Abuja and Lagos International Airports, for the supply of aviation fuel, and is planning additional facilities in Kano and Maiduguri.
LUBCON PETROLEUM
Lubcon Petroleum, a subsidiary of Lubcon, operates two fuel storage facilities located at Calabar and Lokoja.
INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT
Lubcon Group has been providing support for the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force.
NIGERIAN NAVY
These include:
• Supply of fuels to Strategic locations/Platforms
• Supply Marine lubricants, greases and fuels to military ships at off-shore and coastal locations
• Supply of Spares and Equipment
• Supply of food and living necessities
MILITARY LOGISTICS SUPPORT
These include:
• Supply of Jet-A1 fuels to military aircraft at several airports/bases
• Supply aviation lubricants, greases and specialties
LUBBOX
• Lubbox is into engineering fabrication and construction. Lubbox is responsible for the steel fabrication works of the Group. It has also handled a number of major third party projects in Nigeria for clients such as the Central Bank of Nigeria. Lubbox undertook the construction of Lubcon Plantsnin Ghana and Ethiopia.
LUBCON ENERGY
• Lubcon Energy is the driving force behind Lubcon’s investments in alternative and sustainable energy projects.
In collaboration with BYD of China, it is seeking to bring alternative energy solutions to Nigeria and other African countries.
• Lubcon Energy is also promoting the sale of composite LPG cylinders that incorporate the latest consumer safety.
REPLASTICO
• Replastico was incorporated in 2002 to
meet the plastic packaging needs of Lubcon. It is now a leading producer of quality containers of various sizes and shapes for several customers.
CORRUPAC
• Corrupac with its plant in Ilorin, has served and
continues to meet the quality requirements for paper based packaging materials by Lubcon and other customers.
Already known across the West African sub-region for quality products and innovative services, Lubcon with Williams as Managing Director for all its international branches, is now poised to pursue an aggressive growth plan.
Incorporated as a limited liability company to carry out the business of manufacturing, lifting, distribution and sales of petroleum and allied products in 1991, Lubcon in 1995 became the official lubricant blender for NATA (Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association).
The company distributes its wide range of products in Nigeria through a network of active retail outlets in more than 63 locations across the country. In a joint partnership with NATA, Lubcon has established over 50 sales outlets in most mechanic villages across Nigeria.
With full branches in Ghana, Liberia, Ethiopia, Niger Republic and South Sudan, Lubcon also has distributorship arrangements in Benin Republic and Burkina-Faso.
In Ghana, Lubcon is the only independent lubricant blending and grease making plants in the country. The facility has an installed annual capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes of lubricants and 2,000 metric tonnes of grease per annum.
The plant, situated in Tema, Ghana, is strategically placed to serve the West African markets and parts of Central Africa. Lubcon Ghana is also licensed to carry out bunkering services in the West African Coast.
Lubcon also has a presence in Ethiopia to serve the East and the Central African market as Lubcon Ethiopia is the first lubricant company to be licensed in the country.
Located at Debre Zeit, Bishoftu, Lubcon Ethiopia produces lubricants and allied products to serve the East and Central African markets . The facility has an installed capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes of lubricants per annum.
Lubcon commenced operations in Niger Republic in 2004. It is currently marketing fuels and lubricants to the government of Niger and residents of the country .
In Liberia, Lubcon Liberia was incorporated in 2007 to market fuels, lubricants and other petroleum products.
Lubcon South Sudan was incorporated in 2012 to key into the emerging business in the Republic of South Sudan.
Now poised to implement its growth plans to further consolidate its leadership and dominate the regional market, Lubcon has listed the following as immediate goals to be achieved :
• Retail outlets expansion in Nigeria & West Africa – ECOS Plan (Each Country, One Station)
• Stock exchange listing, via IPO
• Base oil trading
• Gulf of Guinea upstream projects
• Petroleum Logistics Facility at Banda, Kogi State, Nigeria.
Its medium and short term goals also include:
• Commodity exports and trading
• New and renewable energy projects
• Industrial City Project
• Banda fertilizer and petrochemical project
• Guinea Conakry and Tanzania projects Gas – (LPG, CNG and LNG)
• Engage internationally accomplished and very experienced professionals that will help support the Group’s funding programmes
• Build each of its subsidiaries and international associates into industry leaders in their respective sectors within the next fifteen years.
These and some others in the pipeline are the tasks before Williams as the Managing Director International for Lubcon. Though the tasks ahead appear big, there is no doubt that Williams, being a game changer, with a track record of excellence in previous assignments, is really up to the task of achieving desired results, and within the stipulated timelines, too.
- You can read this story and other interesting news directly from LUBES WEST AFRICA DIGITAL January 2024 by clicking here: LUBES West Africa DIGITAL JANUARY 2024
- AUTO REPORT AFRICA DIGITAL January 2024
