CEO Today Africa Awards

NIGERIA 35 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Africa Awards 2017 MICHEL PUCHERCOS GMD/CEO of Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria www.lafarge.com.ng OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS South West Operations Our South West Operations has three plants, one in Sagamu and two in Ewekoro, all in Ogun State with a current production capacity of 4.5MMT. The product portfolio includes five brands: Elephant Cement, a general purpose cement - a multi-use product suitable for majority of the applications; Supaset, a fast- setting and rapid strength gaining cement specifically designed for the needs of the block-makers; Powermax, a high strength cement for the sophisticated contractor segment; Etex, a high performance cement designed to the customer’s specification for tile manufacturing and SRC, a sulphate resistant cement for coastal construction. Over the over 55 years of its existence, this business has acquired strategic visible presence in the business environment while building a visible and enduring legacy on the nation’s landscape. In recent times, the business has implemented a few transformational projects that have improved its operational efficiencies. It is the first cement business unit in Nigeria to offer palletised cement bags by installation of an automatic palletiser and stretch hooding machine. It has also developed and implemented a new commercial strategy focused on channel restructuring. Southern Nigeria Operations The Mfamosing plant, a modern production facility with an annual production capacity of 2.5MMT, was inaugurated in 2009. It was originally established in 2002 after acquiring the assets of moribund Calabar Cement Company (CalCemCo), a Greenfield cement manufacturing plant was constructed at Mfamosing, 40km north-east of Calabar, Cross River State. In 2012, we expanded our product portfolio and currently offer customers two cement products catering for general purpose and specialized applications. To meet the increasing demand for its products, an additional manufacturing line with a production capacity of 2.5MMT is currently being constructed. The project, upon completion in 2016, will double the company’s production capacity to 5MMT per annum thereby consolidating its position as the leading cement company in Nigeria’s South-South and South- East regions. Also, our Southern Nigeria Operation covers another cement terminal, Atlas Company Limited, commissioned for operation in 2001 in Rivers State within the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne. The plant was operated on a floating vessel, which had a nominal capacity to produce 500,000 metric tons of cement per annum. In line with the Federal Government’s policy of backward integration, the company is gradually changing the business concept of this plant, moving away from being a conventional supplier of Ordinary Portland Cement to include championing of cementitious strategy, providing cement solutions to the Oil and Gas sector of the economy, distribution of Lafarge Africa products in the markets and being a hub for the readymix operations in South-South and South-East. It has an important portfolio of customers developed over the years, brings on board international trading experience and the potential to be an export hub. Northern Nigeria operations Our Ashaka Plant is a cement manufacturing company focused on providing creative and qualitative solutions to meet the needs of stakeholders. We have been participating in the economic growth and development of North-East in particular and Nigeria as a whole for over three decades. We are proud of our commercial expertise, efficiency, technical skills and achieved good results through conducting our business with unwavering commitment to our customers, employees, shareholders and communities. AshakaCem Plc was incorporated in August 1974 and commenced production in 1979 as a cement manufacturing and marketing company under the name Ashaka Cement Company Limited. The company was initiated by the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank Limited, the Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry, Northern Nigeria Investment Limited and the Government of the then North- Eastern State (now Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States). Today, AshakaCemPlc is a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa Plc. Lafarge Afica has plans to grow the cement production capacity in Ashaka and has recently performed a groundbreaking ceremony for our new line. A clear demonstration of commitment to this is the on going Coal Power Plant Project. As a company, we are committed to a strategy of profitable growth and value creation for our customers and other stakeholders by being a preferred supplier of cement in Nigeria, particularly in Northern Nigeria. Lafarge Readymix Lafarge Readymix Nigeria Limited, awholly owned subsidiary of Lafarge Africa Plc, is a market leader in quality concrete solutions began operations in September 2011. Leveraging on the Group’s 50 years of experience in the readymix business, Lafarge Africa Plc through its Readymix business is producing quality and innovative concrete and aggregates solutions from various locations in Nigeria. Readymix operates currently in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt, Ewekoro and will spread to other states of Nigeria in the near future. Lafarge Readymix Nigeria has a clear strategy as a project enabler, driving quality and innovation as well as promoting a sustainable environment for generations to come. We will achieve this by working closely with our valued customers and partners. FIRM PROFILE Michel is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique (1976) and the Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (1981). He started his career in 1982 at the French Ministry of Agriculture and served as a Director of Orsan, a subsidiary of Lafarge from 1989. He worked in senior executive positions in a number of Agro- Food and Chemical Industries in Europe- Jungbunzlauer SA as Execu- tive President from 1992-1994, Executive Vice President of Doux, a leading European Group specializing in poultry from 1996 -1998. Michel returned to Lafarge in 1998 when he was appointed as Di- rector of Strategy and Information Systems of the Gypsum division. In 2003, he moved to the Cement Division as Director of Cement strategy, until his re - assignment to Bamburi Cement as Manag- ing Director in September 2005 till 2009 when he was appointed the President and CEO of Lafarge South Korea Japan Operations. He was appointed as the GMD/CEO of Lafarge Africa Plc on the 16 March 2016. ABOUT MICHEL PUCHERCOS