Wyko Brings Engineering ‘Know-How’ To Nigeria

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, also 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 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, the leading Dutch industrial services group, 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 solutions 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.

A major benefit of WYKO opening 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, Sealing Technology (dynamic sealing elements, o-rings, flange gaskets), Flow Technology (valves, instrumentation, industrial hoses and accessories, plastic piping), Power Transmission (hydraulic hoses and accessories, hydraulic components and systems, pneumatics, electronic components and systems), Industrial Plastics (plastics for injection moulding and semi-finished products) and Tools and Maintenance Products.

Ajibola Olajide, Executive Director, WYKO Nigeria, commented: “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.”

Ajibola, who has a wealth of knowledge, gained in local industry, continued, “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 (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) that is unprecedented in the region. We now look forward to having the opportunity to demonstrate this ability.”