TSS to assemble Chinese trucks in ANAMMCO
Chinese commercial vehicles manufacturer, Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile Import and Export Company Limited and its Nigerian partner, Transit Support Services Limited, have signed an agreement to commence the assembly of various models of Shacman commercial vehicles in Nigeria, starting with heavy duty trucks and tractors.
The partners announced after the agreement signing ceremony in Enugu recently, that the CKD production stage would begin in three months making use of a section of ANAMMCO assembly facilities in Emene Industrial Estate in Enugu.
No fewer than 3,000 units of the trucks will be produced annually at the plant on contract basis with likelihood of raising output to 4,000 or even higher, with time.
Commenting on the investment, the chairman, Transit Support Services, Frank Nneji, and the Shacman manager in charge of Africa, Zhong Yi, applauded Federal Government’s new development policy for the auto sector, stressing that the partnership was fostered on providing for the local market top quality commercial vehicles that had been accepted in over 80 countries across the world.
Yi disclosed that Shacman first made a mark as a manufacturer of military off-road vehicles supplied to many countries, including Africa, before expanding to heavy duty commercial vehicles that earned it the credit of being China’s best-selling truck brand
“It is the same technology, the same top quality vehicles that we plan to bring to Nigeria with our partner, TSS,” the manager remarked.
About 1,000 units of the trucks are already on Nigerian roads and have surpassed users’ expectations in terms of performance and return on investment, he said, saying “so, what we want to do is to localise the production of subsequent units to build on this initial success.”
He assured that in committing itself to the production of high standard vehicles, the auto maker would not de-emphasise affordability. Zhong Yi further assured, is not coming to Nigeria with a business-as-usual attitude of dumping vehicles in the market, but is prepared for direct, long term investments in partnership with Transit Support Services, in form of cash, technology, equipment and local content development.
Pledging Shacman’s commitment to the project, he explained that, apart from government’s recent initiatives towards lifting the auto sector, the auto maker is encouraged by developments in the economy, particularly the improving GDP.
He said the Chinese were pleased that they were partnering with Transit Support Services and its chairman, who would both be bringing to bear on the relationship their rich experiences and competencies in the transportation business. He added that, “we know that they are well known in the transport sector, and we know that they started small and then grew very big. They are willing and committed to the project and what they have is what we need, and we are going to share experiences.”
Nneji said users of the trucks and tractor heads will enjoy uncommon dual benefits in terms of competitive prices and low running (maintenance) costs.
Prior to the signing of the agreement in Enugu, a team of experts from the Chinese auto maker had visited the ANAMMCO plant and were amazed at the range and functionality of the production facilities in use. This, it was learnt, further encouraged the Chinese company to enter into an agreement to utilise a section of the Mercedes-Benz plant.
Zhong Yi stated: “Our experts inspected ANAMMCO production facilities, and they are in a perfect condition to start assembling our vehicles immediately without making any change on lines. That is why we are going to start the assembly of the trucks in three months time.”
Mike Ochonma