Kewalram opens 200,000 capacity hub for automobile plant

Kewakram Chanrai Group, franchise owner of Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Foton Daimler and other global automotive brands, has unveiled an automotive assemblage plant in Lagos to roll out about 200,000 automobiles yearly.

Unveiling the plant and its first assembled Foton truck in Lagos, Deputy Managing Director, Victor Eburajolo, expressed the organisation’s determination to make government’s industrialisation attempts a reality, even in the face of struggling economy.

Eburajolo said that the company has employed 100 skilled workers and started the plant operations with a single shift, which is expected to be increased to three, to meet estimated production target.

Eburajolo, who lauded government’s automotive policy, lamented that government agencies, particularly those directly connected with the implementation of the policy, lack needed cooperation that would fast track the plan.

He said: “Necessary approvals are being delayed by some agencies. All agencies of government is a team but when some departments begin to give bottleneck, nothing will work effectively.”

Eburajolo, who stated that all hands must be on desk to improve the nation’s economic situation and perk up standard of living in the country, said the organisation believes in the workability of the automotive policy.

According to the organisation, the automobiles manufacturing hub, located in Isolo, Lagos covers 10, 000 square metres of covered area for assembly facilities with more than 6,000sq metres of open area for road test and offloading of semi-knock-down kits for the various brands under the umbrella.

The plant has three separate sections-assembly of light medium and heavy-duty trucks; cars, pickup and minibus and a zone for two and three wheelers.

Eburajolo stressed that the company is working in close relationship the parent companies of the brands and has placed safety and product standardisation as top priority.