Posted to News on 9th Nov 2007, 17:21
Wyko opens new office in Lagos, Nigeria
Wyko, an Eriks company, has opened its first branch in Nigeria on the Ikeja Industrial Estate in Lagos. The branch's official opening took place on 30 October 2007 and was attended by a number of key dignitaries including engineer Olatunde Olokunola the Lagos State Government Representative, Richard Powell, the British Deputy High Commissioner, and Marjo Crompuoets, the Deputy Head of Mission, Dutch High Commission.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, commented on the opening of the new branch: "The fact that a well established trading partner from the United Kingdom, Wyko Group, has taken a bold decision in establishing a stocked Nigerian Distribution Centre in Lagos is most welcome and we all look forward to reaping the benefits of their local stock. The merger of Wyko UK with the leading Dutch industrial services group, Eriks nv, resulted in the creation of the largest industrial services group in Europe, and the fact that the enlarged group now has its own operation locally in Lagos will be of great significance in ensuring greater efficiency in Nigeria's growing industrial sector".
Wyko Nigeria will offer what the company describes as 'an unparalleled local stock of industrial consumable products' from leading manufacturers, as well as the ability to draw immediately upon the group's vast stocks located throughout Europe. This, coupled with the extensive all-round know-how of its engineers, has already led to Wyko Nigeria generating keen local interest within major companies in the region in key industrial sectors, including the oil, cement, sugar, construction, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage industries.
Eriks acquired Wyko in November 2006 and the new branch in Nigeria offers the first opportunity for customers to experience the combined strength of Wyko's engineering expertise and Eriks' know-how in the supply of engineering products and services to improve productivity, thereby generating cost savings in their maintenance repair and operations (MRO) expenditure.
Local access to global brands
A major benefit of Wyko opening a facility in Lagos is that all major industries can now easily access leading global brands that are only available locally through Wyko Nigeria. These exclusive brands include the full range of Fenner Power Transmission products (belts and pulleys, chain and sprockets, gearboxes and motors, couplings and shaft fixings), Wyko's own SRB brand of split roller bearings and, of course, the products for which Eriks is well known, namely sealing technology (dynamic sealing elements, O-rings and flange gaskets), flow technology (valves, instrumentation, industrial hoses and accessories, and plastic piping), power transmission (hydraulic hoses and accessories, hydraulic components and systems, pneumatics, and electronic components and systems), industrial plastics (plastics for injection moulding and semi-finished products) and tools and maintenance products.
Ajibola Olajide, Executive Director for Wyko Nigeria, comments: "As confirmation of Wyko's ongoing investment in Nigeria, Wyko Nigeria will hold extensive stocks to enable the current team to respond rapidly to local demand, thereby offering a unique opportunity to Nigerian industry to reduce downtime through immediate direct access to Wyko's engineering solutions and Eriks' know-how, and to the major manufacturers of industrial consumables. This gives the customer unrivalled product availability coupled with competitive pricing.
"Wyko Nigeria Limited aims to become the number-one industrial services provider in Nigeria and will soon offer workshop facilities for local electro-mechanical and electronic repairs in addition to product availability. This will allow us to deliver a level of technical competence and know-how in MRO that is unprecedented in the region. We now look forward to having the opportunity to demonstrate this ability."
For more information visit www.wyko.co.uk/nigeria.
