Mantrac is the sole dealer of Caterpillar products across the length and breadth of Africa reaching their audience through country specific branches such as Mantrac Nigeria. For sixty years the Nigerian hub has been involved in the vast majority of construction projects across the country and we spoke with Business Director James Agama regarding it.

BUILDING A NATION

WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

Having just experienced a momentous 300% growth as a

company, Mantrac Nigeria has expanded themselves to

over ten separate branches around the country and due to

Nigeria’s growing needs for an infrastructure redevelopment they are

needed more than ever.

“We are experiencing a severe infrastructure deficit in our country

with regards to power and construction,” says James.

Infrastructure, such as road, rail, bridges and other utilities are

the base line foundation that a business needs to function smoothly

and grow. Poor infrastructure affects all elements of a business from

the ability to deliver products, to security, to even making employee

commutes to and from work harder and longer.

“The infrastructure can be very challenging,” James tell us, “It

pushes up operating costs and places limits on the resources that are

available.”

As the leading provider of the machinery best suited to solving

this crisis Mantrac Nigeria has placed itself as a resource in correcting

the infrastructure deficit in the country. He goes on to say that as

partners in developing the infrastructure of Nigeria that they are

always looking for new ways to improve the situation, “We are doing

everything we can to help the country,” he says, “Partnering with

major players in the most significant projects. Partnering is the only

way to improve things for our country.”

If anything Mantrac Nigeria has demonstrated that its commitment

to the developing and investing into Nigeria’s national infrastructure

is stalwart and focussed on the long term. Actions speak louder than

mere words and it is clear that they are in it for the long haul.

“We are the largest company in the field,” James relates, “We have

MANTRAC NIGERIA

Offering a variety of products and services, like the sales and rentals of Caterpillar products, the inherited maintenance of the machines and the servicing and onsite training to use the machinery, Mantrac Nigeria has dominated the construction and earth moving markets by being the best at customers service. Their presence has also additionally been proving crucial for the power generation needs of the country’s busy oil and gas sectors.

become the standard for quality in this country and it is important to

set an example.”

For the foreseeable future the company is looking ahead to

expands its coverage across the country, while maintaining the best

value for money from its brands and supported by the intimate and

engaging relationships they share with their customers.

The future is very exciting, and the company has been building an

increasingly significant presence in the power generation sector. Here,

James believes, is where the greatest potential for the future will be

found and the company’s consistent support of new infrastructure is

sure to pay off as the demand for more industrial equipment continues

to grow and draws in fresh business.

Behind being the sole provider of Caterpillar products to the

region and having some of the best customer service ratings in Africa,

are the employees and staff of Mantrac Nigeria. People management

is the company’s primary focus and without them they would not be

able to take advantage of their position or maintain it.

Without the experience of their staff, offering their exemplary

service they do or without the common focus of every member of

the team, they would not be able to maintain their current position.

Running down from the very peak of the Mantrac Empire the

importance of employee focusses

is felt throughout.

“We have a highly selective

recruitment process,” James

relates, “And we take full

advantage of Mantrac’s

comprehensive product training.”

Using a mix of direct

recruitment and agencies,

according to what position needs

to be filled, as well as their own

precise recruitment processes

Mantrac Nigeria looks both

nationally and internationally for

the best skills.

Also, in keeping with the

times, they are acquiring new

platforms to make it easier for

their staff and their customers

to interact, such as the newly

launched SalesForce CRM

system that has proven results

in making relationships stronger

and cementing the loyalty that

has become synonymous with

this company.

Leading its employee

strategy is a world class staff

development programme, “We

pride ourselves on providing

a training programme for a lot

of people. The Mantrac group

runs training across the many

different countries in which we

operate,” James was quoted, “Our

courses are tailored towards

improving the person as well as

what they bring to the business.

We also work hard to ensure that

we are offering the best in terms

of benefit and welfare packages,

so that after we’ve invested in

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MANTRAC NIGERIA

our staff they want to stay with the business.”

Along with this, Mantrac stacks a great deal of importance on

local knowledge, and James explains that as a global practice they

rely heavily on the strength of local knowledge and prefer to hire

staff that live or have lived in the country and understand the local

environment. There is after all no such thing as useless information

and with the Nigerian markets being in a constant state of flux and

competition always fighting to get a purchase in the country, this local

intelligence becomes ever more important.

With the competitive landscape changing over the years and with

new brands constantly appearing and vying for their space, James

is having to stay on his toes, “There are a lot of Chinese brands in

Nigeria now,” he explains, “To keep ourselves competitive we’ve taken

to looking at our processes, how we engage with customers and how

we can save the customer money.”

As far as strategies are concerned, looking at way to improve the

customer’s experience is always a good move, even in times of non-

crisis. It is in the way that this company keeps their edge sharp and

their approach keen that has made them the main player for the last

six decades.

“ Our courses are tailored towards improving the person as well as what they bring to the business. We also work hard to ensure that we are offering the best in terms of benefit and welfare packages.”

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