Dangote Cement Plc has acquired 2000 trucks to enable ease distribution and availability of the product across the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the company took delivery of trucks, trailers, bulk tankers, tippers, cargo trucks and bulk cement tankers with an investment of $150 million to meet the expected increase in demand.
The Group Executive Director – Logistics and Distribution, Dangote Industries Limited, Abdu Dantata said: “We have acquired the new trucks in line with our new expansion capacity in Obajana, Ibese, Gboko and the new cement plant at Okpella. The acquisition is due to the growing needs of the business, especially as regards the increased trucking demands encountered lately, due to the surge in the demand for cement.
“The establishment of our clinker export terminals at Apapa and Onne Port led to the purchase of heavy-duty tippers for haulage of clinker from the plants to the terminals.
“The introduction of these trucks would improve customers’ demand, improve on job creation in the country, as well as promote the economic development of Nigeria.”
Gatekeepers News reports that Dangote Fertiliser, which recently made a grand entry into the market, has already taken delivery of 500 trucks from Dangote Sinotruk West Africa Limited (joint venture between Dangote Industries Limited and Sinotruk China) for the distribution of Urea to different States in Nigeria.
Dantata noted that the company takes the issue of safety of truck drivers and road users seriously, which necessitated the collaboration between the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the company to attain zero tolerance to road crashes in the country.
According to him, the company has embarked on adequate training on effective driving techniques.
Gatekeepers News reports that the collaboration involves recertification of drivers, pre-trip and post-trip inspection, drug test, real-time tracking of vehicles, root cause analysis, convoy movement, checkpoint policy and sanctions among several others.
The locally assembled Sinotruk Howo trucks came in as semi-knocked-down kits (SKD), which were effectively assembled and commissioned for operations.
Dantata, who coordinates the group Logistic and Transport function, assured that the Dangote Sinotruk would continue the importation of semi-knocked-down kits into the assembling plant to support customers’ demand and improve on job creation in the country.
