NIGERIA – Dangote Group has entered into a long-term agreement with an Enugu-based automaker, Transit Support Services Limited, for the supply of Shacman trucks.
The trucks are being assembled at the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company Limited’s factory in Emene, Enugu.
Already, the group has purchased 3,500 trucks from the automaker worth N63bn (about US$174 million), according to the Managing Director of the Transit Support Services, Mr Frank Nneji.
Nneji, who spoke with journalists after a facility tour of the truck assembly line at the ANAMMCO plant, said the Dangote order amounted to over 90 per cent of all Shackman trucks assembled at the factory since the revival of the plant after a long period of abandonment.
He further revealed the Dangote Group patronises the Shacman trucks for its refinery factory and that the facility had made 800 units since last year and was currently having 300 units at its dump.
Nneji, who is also the MD of ABC Transport Plc, the franchise holder of the Shacman Nigeria, said the Dangote/Shacman truck deal had benefited the people in the area immensely through job creation and training of young school leavers.
He said, “This has been of tremendous benefit for the people in the South-East. For more than seven years, this place was shut down.
“There was no activity until Shackman came and we made an agreement with the Shacman Group and we started skeletally.”
He revealed that the facility was only able to start full production of trucks when it started offering logistics solutions to the Dangote Group.
He noted that the facility started production in 2016 after the first agreement for 500 trucks for Dangote Group.
“With this, many workers of ANAMMCO who had been at home had to come back to work; some local suppliers of lubricants, electrolyte and the rest had to return to business.”
Nneji noted that the resuscitation of the ANAMMCO plant was made possible through the establishment of the auto policy which encouraged local production of automobiles.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, Mr Sunday Esan, said Dangote was satisfied with the quality of Shacman trucks and assured of continued patronage.