UniCem sensitises customers on use of 42.5R cement grade

By TOM MOSES

United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited (UniCem), Nigeria’s third largest cement manufacturers has educated customers and end users of cement in Akwa-Ibom on the use of the recently promoted 42.5R cement grade in the market.

UniCem in a trade forum held in Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom State capital had in attendance, the company’s products end users: (Customers, Contractors. Masons, and Block Makers) to share information on product’s application.

According to the Marketing Director of the Company, Mr. Vipul Agrawal, “Our objective is to reinforce good service, product quality and strengthen relationship with our customers by educating them on the best way to use the product to achieve good result.


“This event is one way through which we engage our customers and part of our strategy to reach 5,000 end users this year with information on product application as well as strengthening our partnerships in the South-South and South-east regions.

“This is part of the on-going training of block makers, artisans and masons and engagement of business partners”, he said.

Speaking at the event, the Technical Services Engineer of UNICEM, Mr. Bukola Adebisi explained that the company had since been producing the 42.5 cement grade but was only available on demand to specialists who understand its technical applications.

According to him, as a responsible company with international best practices in the industry and in order to meet the new market demand in Nigeria, UniCem is set to make available the 42.5grade of cement in 50kg bags.

“The 42.5 grade will be available alongside the 32.5 grade with detailed instructions on the bags on how to apply each”.

“There have been insinuations at recent on collapsed buildings and cement products which should be known that cement is never the cost of collapses buildings but the activities in the informal sector.

“Cement in itself does not translate to end product; it is just the constituent part. In essence, we are here to tell our end users how to use the product to get the best out of the cement”, he stated

Adebisi corroborated the report by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) that there was no sub-standard cement in Nigeria in the market  today noting that the product itself was not the problem but the application of the product.

“If you try to cut corners by patronizing unskilled people without technical know-how eventually, you will have to pay for it.

He said the 32.5R grade from UniCem remained a standard grade of high quality recommendable for common use by block molders, artisans and concrete mould while the 42.5N grade would require specialized handling for optimum benefits.

“One thing to ensure collapsed building is stopped in Nigeria is to embark on education, awareness campaigns especially as the world is now a global village and the use of the right Engineers and professional”, he said

He commended the Federal Government for providing a conducive environment for cement industries to thrive as the bulk of the product was now being generated in the country instead of being imported.

He disclosed that UniCem would on September 2, 2014, hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of her additional state- of –the- art 2.5 million tons installed capacity plant at Mfamosing, Akamkpa Local Government, Cross River State to bring the company’s production capacity to 5 million tons by 2016 when the second plant commences production.

Culled from www.vanguardngr.com