Nicen, Aba-based paint maker, diversifies into household products
By Godfrey Ofurum
NICEN Industries Limited, one of the foremost paints manufacturing outfits in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, has diversified into domestic wares of PVC fittings, plastic chairs, buckets, basins, among others.
The decision to diversify into the new lines of products, according to Peter Emekwulu, the general manager of the company, is to enable it to provide people in the area with an alternative and save them the stress of travelling to Lagos to purchase such goods.
He also stated that the availability of products in the area, would reduce the prices of the products, as cost of transportation, which, according to him, contributes immensely to high cost of products, would be reduced drastically.
In his words; “We want to bring these new lines of businesses closer to the people and save them time and other logistic problems that they face, bringing the products from Lagos to Aba.”
He also disclosed that the products are enjoying a good share of the market, which he attributed to its quality.
“We have a market for the products. People have been commending us because of the quality of the products. In fact, the new products have been judged as one of the best in the market and we are happy about it,” he said.
NICEN Industries Limited ventured into paints making in 1990 with six variants, namely emulsion, gloss, wood finishing, among others. It later introduced industrial coating, marine coating and auto mate car paints.
Chris Eze, managing director, NICEN Industries Limited said the development is geared towards satisfying the local market that is yearning for quality industrial paints.
He appealed to Nigerians to invest in manufacturing, which, according to him, is key to the economic development of the country.
“[The] Paint sector could be used as a poverty alleviation tool, since it employs all strata of the society; it is also easy and cheap to establish. For example, we started with just five staff, but as of today, we now have more than 200 employees on our payroll,” he said.
He urged the government to assist the manufacturing sector by providing an enabling environment and infrastructural facilities that would enable the economy to grow.
The company won the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certification on quality, a feat, which Eze attributed to the company’s policy on standards.
“I was highly elated because our contribution to the economic development of the country has been recognised. SON comes here regularly on inspection and the last time they came, they were happy with what they saw, consequently, they sent us a commendation letter, congratulating us for excellent performance,” he said.