Saint-Gobain targets Nigerian market
Saint-Gobain, a world leader in the habitat and construction markets, says it is set to expand its market share in Nigeria.
The company disclosed this at a one-day workshop with the theme, ‘Creating great living spaces: Innovative solutions for greater wellbeing’ organized for stakeholders in the industry held at the Renaissance hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos recently.
Created over 350 years ago, Saint-Gobain made a total net sales of £39.1 billion in 2016 and operates in 67 countries with more than 170, 000 employees.
‘‘Saint-Gobain has come a long way in mastering the art of designing high quality plasterboards to suit all categories of customers,’’ said WesttarKapito, regional director, Saint-Gobain.
The event which was packaged to showcase Saint-Gobain’s innovative products with a demonstration of the techniques of mounting and finishing plasterboards from start to finish had Architects, civil engineers, installers, major distributors and professional bodies in attendance.
‘‘Our products are reliably made with the finest raw materials you can get anywhere in the world, and they can indeed stand the test of time. We are here in Nigeria to replicate what we have achieved in other markets,” said Kapito.
The workshop provided a unique opportunity for the company to interact with various professionals who use Saint-Gobain products and services in the course of doing their jobs and also bring them up to speed with the company’s latest offering in the market.
According to the company, the entrance of Saint-Gobain into the Nigerian market with its modern innovative technologies in making plasterboards and other construction materials would be of immense benefits to stakeholders and the entire construction sector which is currently in dire need of innovative technologies to drive the industry.
‘‘Consumers can be rest assured that Saint-Gobain’s range of products would offer them a new value chain in the long run,’’Kapito added.
Attesting to the expertise of Saint-Gobain, Ahmed Tajudeen, executive director, Avalon Intercontinental, owners of Renaissance hotel, who was one of the guests at the workshop, said it was a great experience having Saint-Gobain as part of the finishing of the hotel, which today stands tall as one of the best hotels in Lagos.
He said, ‘‘The company helped in designing and also provided an installation team for all materials required including gypsum boards, walls, ceilings, cross and main tee, insulation, finishing solutions, flooring solutions.
‘‘Saint-Gobain brought specific solutions matching our needs such as standard regular boards for ceilings, firestop boards for corridor walls and bedrooms, moisture resistant boards for wet areas like bathroom and kitchen walls, and glass wool insulation for acoustic performance in walls and ceilings.’’
Continuing, Tajudeensaid, ‘‘In the course of the project Saint-Gobain flew some of their personnel all the way from South Africa to train our men in Nigeria, which for me is quite remarkable. Saint-Gobain supplied virtually everything from the kitchen finishing, to the bathroom down to the nails. It is on that ground that I highly recommend Saint-Gobain brand to everyone.”
This global company is reputed for contributing to the development of sub-Saharan Africa in offering an array of its products and services.
Saint-Gobain’s range of products has become part of everyday living, making up public and private buildings, transportation system, massive infrastructure and most industrial hubs around the world.
Their products and activity scope include; plasterboards systems, building plasters, industrial plasters, gypsum ceilings and mineral wool & metal ceiling, mortars, insulation, pipe systems, glass, and abrasives.
Heidi Olivier, senior product manager, Saint-Gobain Gyproc, who also spoke at the event, said, “Nigeria is no doubt the biggest market in sub-Saharan-Africa, and as such we are happy to be here to expand our business scope in partnership with our major distributor of Gyproc plasterboards in the country.’’
Speaking further, she said Saint-Gobain has made a name for itself in the industry with the production of high quality plasterboards which are second to none in the industry and that has earned it a lot of recognition globally.
Over the years Saint-Gobain has built a reputation for itself creating a unique positioning through its industrial and distribution expertise, as well as up scaling its research effort in the area of materials and energy efficiency. It has also mastered the art of creating a network of professionals using its existing distribution network team across the world.
The company says it will hold another event for installers before the end of 2017 and also disclosed plans to open a customer experience centre in Lagos soon.
Saint-Gobain is in partnership with Tormek Global Services limited, a major dealer in Gyproc plasterboard in Nigeria, with its showroom located in Yaba area of Lagos State.
CHINWE AGBEZE