Chevron Partners Zinox Computer Rollout
Chevron Nigeria, a United States integrated energy multinational corporation, has engaged the services of a local technology company, Zinox Technologies Limited for the implementation of a massive rollout of thousands of high-end personal computers (PCs), desktop units, monitors and other accessories to equip its offices and other establishments in the country.
Chevron is the third-largest oil producer and one of the biggest investors in Nigeria where it operates under a jointventure arrangement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the onshore and offshore assets in the Niger Delta region.
Zinox has already commenced the delivery and installation of the first units of the orders, a development confirmed by a senior management staff member of Chevron Nigeria.
“Certainly, we are doing business with local Nigerian companies such as Zinox Technologies, among others. We have ordered thousands of high-end servers and laptops from Zinox. We encourage other Nigerian entrepreneurs and companies to take this as a sign of confidence. A lot of multinationals are ready to patronise made-in-Nigeria products, provided they meet international standards,” the Chevron staff member said.
“With respect to the on-going rollout of PCs and other computer accessories, it is worth emphasising that this is not the first time we are doing business with Zinox, which has been a trusted business partner for many years. We have not been disappointed by the level of products and services received from Zinox over the years.”
Head of Corporate Communications at Zinox, Gideon Ayogu, who confirmed the development, said: “Yes, we have commenced the delivery and deployment of the Chevron orders through one of our partners. Apart from the major infrastructural change and the roll-out of high-end computers, servers and other accessories to Chevron Nigeria who remain one of our most regular customers, we have also enjoyed consistent patronage from other multinationals such as Total and Shell as well as a few government agencies and parastatals.”
“As a global company, we move with the forces of demand. Companies like Chevron, Shell, Total have been patronising Zinox for over 14 years and this is based purely on service quality as we all know the high standards these companies aspire to. These local commitments have also gone a long way to helping the management refrain from staff retrenchment or sack in this period of recession, even when the company is facing tough foreign exchange challenges to meet up with orders,” Ayogu said.
Asked about the deployment of other devices, Ayogu disclosed that Zinox has received orders for the deployment of over 65,000 tablet PCs, among other devices. He, however, lamented the difficulty with obtaining forex, which has delayed the delivery of some of the orders.
“Sadly, access to forex for companies operating in the ICT sector remains a major challenge. We are not getting enough foreign exchange to meet up with customer’s demands. Nevertheless, we will continue to push. Government’s intervention in this regard will go a long way in helping the ICT sector contribute more to the nation’s GDP,” he added.