Nigeria is working to reduce dependence on what have been its sources of energy for many decades – hydro and thermal – to embrace renewable energy which is the direction the world is moving, today. One of those leading the charge for this all-important transition is Jude Abalaka, Managing Director of Tranos Contracting Limited, Nigeria’s foremost engineering manufacturing company that specializes in production of high quality, low voltage power distribution and control systems whose products are designed for industrial, commercial and residential use.
Among the company’s areas of specialty is power protection and distribution; enclosures, warehouse storage systems; gaskets, power generation and backup, as well as lights and storage devices. Its services include fabrication, installation and commission, and maintenance. The company also supplies power protection and distribution equipment and accessories, gas generators, as well as cable trays and ladders.
Abalaka grabbed the headlines recently when Tranos, his company, did the groundbreaking ceremony at Sagamu, Ogun State, for a plant for the manufacture of solar panels, the main component for generation of electricity from solar. The event was a major milestone in Nigeria’s effort at addressing the energy deficiency that has seen a country of more than 230 million people still struggling to generate up to 7,000 megawatts of electricity, almost 65 years after independence.
This development has come at a most auspicious time, when the federal government is considering banning importation of solar panels to encourage local production. The announcement has elicited criticisms from diverse quarters, including the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria, on the grounds that it is premature and would slow down current efforts to expand energy access in the country, as there are no local alternatives. But while the controversy rages, Abalaka is moving to provide an answer to the question of local alternatives.
The energy expert sees the current deficiency in the country as both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is the electricity gap that exists in Nigeria and the entire African continent, while opportunity lies in the development of solar energy, a critical aspect of renewable energy which countries around the world are pursuing. There is also the aspect of the fact that being a problem solver, he thrives where there are problems that require solutions.
Abalaka believes that Tranos is well positioned to solve the country’s electricity challenge. The first step towards achieving this goal was the groundbreaking ceremony for the 800-megawatt solar panel manufacturing plant that would create 160 jobs when it commences operation, and about 400 in the first two years. The company would, under its phase one, produce 400 megawatts within 18 months with a single production line, while the entire 80 megawatts capacity would be commissioned in 2027. “Our groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter for Nigerian manufacturing and Africa’s industrial future,” the company said in a statement, at the event.
The local manufacture of solar panels by Abalaka is the first step towards meeting Nigeria’s demand for renewable energy and contributing towards reduction of energy deficit in the country. The ultimate goal is the expansion outside the country, to work towards meeting demand on the African continent. This is in line with his passion for solving problems.
Abalaka says the motivation to go into manufacturing of solar panels for sustainable energy is the abnormality in the country in which power is generated from diesel generating sets. He decries the use of millions of litres of diesel for electricity generation by various sectors that include manufacturing, finance, telecoms, transportation, etc, which impacts negatively on the environment. He believes with government’s encouragement of local manufacture of solar panels; his company’s LPG generators would provide a suitable alternative that would reduce carbon emission in the country.
He sees as a major advantage of local production of solar panels the fact that high quality products would be available in the country, a situation that considerably reduces the time for deployment and installation of small and large scale installations anywhere in any part of the country. It would also encourage development of local technology for solar PV which would, in turn, help in finding local solutions to the energy challenges faced by Nigerians.
Another major advantage of local production of solar panels, Abalaka says, is that it would significantly reduce project delivery cycle for solar projects, with its attendant commercial advantage for project developers. This, he believes, would bring about easy accessibility of solar energy by consumers.
Abalaka cautions against total dependence on imported sources of energy, because of its security implications. This is against the background of the fact that more than 90 per cent of solar panels used in Nigeria is imported. He believes local production of critical inputs into Nigeria’s energy needs should be an integral part of the country’s energy security policy.
The decision to begin local production of solar panels was borne out of an observation of gaps that exist in the solar power market. In order to fill these gaps, Tranos would go into manufacture of solar mounting brackets and accessories. From his interactions with owners of solar companies operating in the country, Abalaka discovered the absence of fit-for-purpose solutions for installation of solar panels. He is working to provide what he describes as simple solutions to the problem.
Abalaka has given assurance of the high quality of solar panels produced by Tanos, just like other products from the company’s stable. The company’s solar panels would be produced using globally recognized quality processes, in order to meet international standards. In order to guarantee quality in a consistent manner, the company’s production processes would be largely automated, to ensure the products receive international certification.
The emphasis on quality would be in keeping to the long established tradition of excellence which has guided the company’s operations in the more than 16 years of its existence. For instance, the company ensures its products are tested and certified before they go out. Its cable tray system is tested and certified by Bureau Veritas, while its gaskets are tested according to the Shell MESC and ASME standards. The company has the IP ratings of its meter enclosures tested to ensure they meet the IEC standard. These long and tedious processes of tests ensure the company’s products meet international standards.
Abalaka says the company focuses on the things it considers important to its customers, which include quality, on-time delivery and giving priority attention to customers’ needs. He assures that the company has a range of products and services that make it a valuable partner to its customers, whether it is about revamping existing facilities or development of greenfields.
Abalaka is a visionary, by any definition of the word. Only a man with his vision is capable of identifying opportunities where they do not seem to exist; realizing in time that a business in one sector could birth other businesses in entirely different sectors. He started with engineering, fabrication and procurement of equipment for companies in the oil and gas sector of the economy. These included equipment processing and rotation. It wasn’t long before he realized that in order to grow, he had to look outside the area he had chosen to serve. He realized, for instance, that the products and services he was providing to companies in the oil and gas sector were also useful to organizations in other sectors.
The desire to explore new markets led him into the telecom and manufacturing sectors where has built a rich clientele that uses his products and services. The strategic tinker that he is, Abalaka soon realized that operating at the base of the pyramid where he would have to compete with many others wasn’t the best way to grow the business. He put on his thinking cap and came up with the plan to build up the pyramid, would enable him to provide more, thereby increasing value to its customers. This plan led to building the company’s first factory at Ilupeju. In no time, the factory became too small for the company’s activities, prompting it to move to its present site at Guinness Road, off ACME Road, Ogba, Ikeja, where it has another factory a few meters away. The manufacturing plant at Sagamu where the groundbreaking ceremony took place is going to be a testimony to Abalaka’s ability to dream big. “This whole thing is based on the focus of finding where people need what you can do, doing it well enough at a good price, and building on it,” he said.
Tranos has a wide range of products in its bouquet, most of them centering on power generation and distribution. There is virtually something for every sector of the economy. There are ceiling solutions for the oil and gas industry, as well as power distribution equipment such as power panels, main distribution panels and motor control centers. The company designs and builds all the equipment for its customers. It produces special gas generators that are built from the scratch and designed to run on LPG. The difference between the gas generators built by Tranos and the ones imported lies in the higher power of the former, which range from 7.5KVA to 75KVA. The generators from the company’s stable have longer service intervals. For instance, while the regular generator that runs on petrol and diesel may require servicing every 150 hours and 250 hours, respectively, gas generators produced by Tranos may run up to 3,000 hours before servicing, due to its unique design.
Abalaka’s entry into manufacturing of electricity solar panels signals his readiness to operate on an international pedestal where he would have to compete with the best in the world. This is because with the new venture, he is looking beyond the Nigerian market. But he is not scared of international competition. If anything, he looks forward to it, as it would keep him constantly on his toes to maintain the level of quality that is only accepted globally. And the customer would be the beneficiary.
The list of his clients attests to the quality of his products. The list includes Dangote Industries, for whom his company produced electric panels and also did installation and commissioning of the company’s entire electrical system. The company is also involved in the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 Project, for which it is producing cable trays and ladders, gaskets, electrical panels, and also providing lighting fixtures and accessories.
Abalaka is a seer, the reason he sees Tranos establishing a market leader’s position in the manufacture of energy distribution products in Nigeria in another five years. He sees the company’s products powering homes, as well as commercial and industrial establishments within and outside Nigeria during the period. And in 10 years, the company would be the leading industrial manufacturer in Africa.
About Abalaka
Jude Abalaka holds a B.Sc degree in Physics, with Electronics, from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, where he graduated as the best student in is class. He has attended executive courses in some of the best institutions around the world, including the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, the United States; the University of Cambridge Judge Business School; the Lagos Business School; the Pan African University, Lagos, and the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies.
He is an Associate of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
