Vitafoam set to play in automotive industry

Despite daunting challenges affecting manufacturers in Nigeria, Vitafoam, one of Nigeria’s leaders in the mattresses and pillows industry, is gearing up to become a key player in the automotive industry by tapping into the newly introduced auto policy.

The company plans to play in the low injection part of the auto industry through its subsidiary Vitavisco, Tunji Anjorin, director, corporate service, Vitafoam, has said.

“We are working closely with people in the automotive sector to see how we can play in the low injection part of the industry in terms of parts, seats and dashboards, among others,” Anjorin said, during Vitafoam’s celebration of this year’s World Sleep Day tagged: ‘When sleep is sound, health and happiness abound,’ held weekend in Lagos.

This is informed by the Federal Government’s focus on the local content, he said.

John Bishop, head of technical, Vitafoam, said “the firm’s capacity utilisation stands at 82 percent on a moving average,” but lamented that power availability from new electricity managers to the firm only made up about 36 percent while the rest 64 percent cost was borne by the firm.

Vitafoam has been in the country for 53 years. The firm has metamorphosed from being a household name in the production of mattresses and pillows into being a provider of other comfort products. The firm’s expansion drive has led to the birth of subsidiaries such as Vitapur, Vitagreen, Vitavisco and Vitablom.

Joel Olatoye Ajiga, managing director, Vitafoam, said the company had gone beyond production of beddings and related products into the manufacture and supply of flexible, semi-rigid, and rigid polyurethane foam products, including furniture, bed and beddings, footwear, panels insulated and moulded products.

Ajiga said as a solution-oriented organisation, the firm supported the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders with world-class products.

“We have transcended beyond sleep to the living business. We produce quality soft and hard furniture, footwear, leisure products and everything that makes you experience total comfort,” the managing director said, pointing out that poor road network and poor power supply had been big impediments to the company.

“You have multiple tax agencies that are coming up with levies and taxes on monthly and weekly basis,” he said, and the current devaluation of naira had impacted negatively on its margins as many of its raw materials used at the firm’s factory were imported.

The company exports to its trading outfit located in Ghana, adding that its outfit in Sierra Leone will soon serve as an exporting hub to other neighbouring countries.

Owoade Sola Bamidele, group head of sales, said the firm had Iso Panel that will enable Nigerians to build make-shift structures for people who may not afford conventional houses, adding that Vitapur, the firm’s subsidiary, was building some classrooms for some state governments, while urging others that were doing mass housing to tap into it.

ODINAKA ANUDU