Abumet upscales to higher quality standards on ISO certification

ABUMET NIGE RIA LIMITED, A FULLSERVICE ALUMINIUM AND GLASS SOLUTIONS provider and a member of the Julius Berger Plc Group, has been presented with the ISO 9001:2015 Certification.

The certificate, which is the international gold standard for business practices and quality management, was presented to the company by DQS Management Systems Solutions, a globally renowned and leading quality management systems (QMS) certification body, following a thorough and comprehensive technical audits premium international standard benchmarking, technical impartiality, competence, responsibility, openness, and impeccable ethical business practices.

As an initiative of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the ISO 9001:2015 is especially focused on businesses and organisations’ ability to withstand a wide range of business risks through effective quality management systems, with a view to enhance customer satisfaction and guarantee a proper return on investment for business stakeholders.

In his remarks after handing over the certificate to Abumet, Lawrence Ogudu, the country director, DQS Nigeria, expressed DQS’ satisfaction with the quality systems that Abumet has in place to meet customers’ requirements.

The certificate, he explained, is at the height of management systems because it puts in place the superstructure for every management system, and makes a clear statement that the company has implemented a management system to ensure that it can deliver quality to its customers consistently.

Ogudu stated further that Abumet has put in place an effective and efficient process which enables it to determine customers’ requirements, adding that “Abumet possesses the ‘knowhow’, infrastructure, and competent personnel required to consistently fulfil the requirements at all times.”

Alexander Hausner, general manager, Abumet, described the feat as a big milestone in terms of improvement to the entire company, in every single department, coordinating interfaces and the improvement of quality.Hausner added that the certification not only demonstrates the company’s ability in terms of customer services, but is also an excellent guideline for constant improvement of customer satisfaction regarding quality and reliability.

He ascribed the company’s success to a dedicated staff and committed management team whose collaborative efforts brought about the milestone achievement.

Also commenting on the ISO certification, Emeka Ejike, the corporate quality manager for the Julius Berger Group, explained that the company’s excitement about this certification is not limited to the certificate itself, but summed up in the customer satisfaction that comes along with it.

According to him, Abumet in its 31 years of operation has had outstandingly dynamic management processes in place to guarantee its commitment to the satisfaction of its clients.

“The ISO certification further consolidates this commitment, as well as reinforces the company’s assurance of consistency in superior performance,” he said.

NIGERIA, AF RICA’S LARG EST ECONO MY BY GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) and the continent’s largest market by population, is inviting local and foreign investors to explore its large bitumen reserves following a decision that it will now grant concessions of bitumen blocks to prospective companies.

The country is hoping to use the opening of the concession opportunities to address its high dependence on imported bitumen and to exploit the revenue potential of the country’s bitumen reserve of 42.74 billion metric tonnes which has been under-exploited for many years.

Olamilekan Adegbite, minister of mines and steel development, stated this recently while commenting on the government’s proposed concession of delineated bitumen blocks to enhance local bitumen production.

He explained that the concession of the bitumen became imperative as Nigeria, despite being ranked the sixth largest in the world in terms of bitumen reserve size, still depends on bitumen importation for the construction of roads among other basic utilisations of the product.

Adegbite observed that Nigeria has a huge infrastructural deficit with regard to paved roads, stressing that only about 60,000 kilometres out of 200,000 kilometres of road networks in the country was paved, presenting an inherent demand for bitumen.

The minister, who described Nigeria’s bitumen as high-grade and easy to mine due to its closeness to the surface, noted that local production of the product as a crucial component of asphalt in road construction will bridge the gap of roads paved, and consequently reduce the cost of road construction across the country. He added that the development of bitumen will lead to import substitution, local content development and increased value addition of the mining industry to the domestic economy, thereby creating jobs and generating revenue for the government.

“Once we begin to produce bitumen locally, we will have a stable price that does not fluctuate with the exchange rate,” he assured.

The minister disclosed that the Ministry of Mines and

Steel Development has appointed PricewaterCoopers (PwC) as a transaction advisor and programme manager to oversee the concession process in accordance with global best practices as contained in the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Act of 2007, and ensure that Nigeria’s bitumen resources are fully harnessed for industrial and infrastructural growth.

He noted further that the federal government will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in June 2022 for potential investors interested in receiving concessions to commence the production of bitumen.

Suleiman Ibrahim, a PwC representative, said the professional services organisation has carefully understudied the global best templates to ensure that the project does not experience hindrances of the past.

Ibrahim explained that the marketing plan is critical for the survival of the programme, adding that there will be targeted industryfocused sensitisation programmes globally to draw investors’ awareness for the exploitation of bitumen deposits which are abundant in Edo, Lagos,Ogun and Ondo states.