Cementing a solid future in Nigeria and beyond

"It allows us to provide our clients with a more complete design and construction offering."

As well as that broader range of services, Ren says, CBMI also prices itself competitively, and can produce much of its own equipment back in China.

"In many cases contractors use only major parts, like grinding machines, from Europe with the rest being built and imported from China," Ren says.

"That gives us the opportunity to showcase the quality of our machines and equipment, all of which have reached German standards, for instance, on emissions, a major requirement on many contracts in Africa."

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In 2005, CBMI joined the United Nations' Global Compact initiative, which encourages businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation.

"As a result, one of our focuses is now to build environmentally friendly factories in every corner of the world," he adds.

CBMI normally provides a one-year after-sales service on all its completed projects, which covers spare parts on machinery and operational management guidance.

"A few years ago, one of our Saudi Arabian clients organized for its employees to go to China for training, which greatly strengthened its factory's operation capacity," Ren says. "But so far no African contractors have wanted to do this."

CBMI sees Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy, as a great place to grow its business, and that could include many more local jobs as it expands its scope of work, he adds.

"Previously we would finish our project after the construction and installment, and then provide that one-year after-sales service.

"But now we are working on the feasibility of moving into permanent operational management, which makes sense as we, as the manufacturer of the equipment, are the best qualified to know how to maximize its productivity."

However, he ruled out any further moves into mine operation or actual cement sales.

Although the African cement industry is seen as having a promising future, Ren says he still regards it as carrying some risk, mainly because of security concerns.

With such a solid base in Nigeria, the company is now considering further growth across sub-Saharan Africa in the near future," he says.