Barth Ndubuwah, Ijeh Ekpowaji, Sunday Remedy, Port Harcourt
Solewant Group comprising of four companies namely, Solewant Nigerian Limited, Field Joint Coating (FJC) Nigerian Limited, Specialty and Protective Coating Nigerian Limited,as well as Pipes and Metals Nigerian Limited has assured its numerous clients, especially the International Oil Companies (IOCs) of its competence to execute their jobs to enable them have value for their money.
The Technical Manager of Solewant,Engr Joseph Edinosa stated this in an exclusive interview with Nigerian NewsDirect at Alode-Eleme in Rivers State, shortly after inspecting facilities at the company plant.
According to him,the area of competence of Solewant as a group include pipeline installation, coating application services, Carbonite protection, among others.
Throwing more light on the cartonite protection services,the Technical Manager said it entails using electrical connection to protect the pipes against corrosion.
“Solewant has four subsidiaries,with their own registration numbers with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The purpose is that the companies or subsidiaries are dedicated to carry out coating and fabrication in the areas of their specialities. After coating,you must protect the pipes. Pipes are measured in lengths,say 5km or 10km. Pipes are not long enough,so they must be joined and the coated pipes must be protected by compatible coating materials to avoid corrosion. The joints in pipes must be concretized. These operations are carried out on the pipeline right of way. So we help to protect the assets of the IOCs to last for a longer time,” Engr Edinosa explained.
On manpower, the Technical Manager said Solewant parades internationally certified engineers, who have also attended further trainings across the globe.
He said the four subsidiaries that make up Solewant Group are duly registered with the CAC to carryout their specialized operations.
He identified insecurity and finance as major challenges confronting the group.
On their relationship with Original Equipment Manufacturers(OEM),the Technical Manager said it is robust and cordial.
He also told Nigerian NewsDirect that Solewant has strategic alliance with some foreign companies such as Canustin and S1T of China,among others.
Edinosa further said that Solewant plans to make pipes in country.
Asked where the company intends to be in the next five or ten years,Engr Edinosa said they intend to attend their eldorado in Africa and internationally.
On his message to their clients, Edinosa said, “I appeal to the IOCs for more patronage. Even the local companies should give us jobs,”he said.
Adding his voice to the subject matter,the General Manager,Sales and Marketing,Mr Felix Onyela said Solewant appreciates the IOCs, industry regulators, government and local communities for their support and patronage.
He said the Group intends to build more local capacity and create more jobs,thereby deepening the local content models.
Onyela added that FJC is the only indigenous organization providing offshore and onshore Field Joint Coating (FJC) solutions services in Nigeria, pointing out that Solewant partners foreign technical companies,such as Shawcor/ Seal for life Group of Netherlands,Kema Coatings of Canada, among others.