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REBUILDING BUSINESS

        AND MACHINES



        OVERCOMING THE COMPETITION IN NIGERIA





        LafargeHolcim Group is the biggest construction and concrete
        company in the world. In Nigeria, about five million metric
        tonnes of their UniCem concrete brand is poured every year.
        And, the operational equipment helping supply that five million
        metric tonnes was coming from Cat   dealer Mantrac.
                                          ®


                       Then, over a period of two to three years, Mantrac   prove that Cat machines could still be valuable
                       started to see a drop in business from Lafarge   assets through the Cat Certified Rebuild Program.
                       UniCem – a significant, 75 percent drop. As it turns
                       out, much of Lafarge UniCem’s Cat machines were   “We arranged to visit the site and conducted
                       being replaced by a competitor’s machines.    Tier One and Tier Three inspections as well as
                                                                     Custom Track Service (CTS) inspections with
                       “It just goes to show you that no matter how hard   our technicians and engineers,” added Ibrahim.
                       you try to meet a customer’s needs, there is always   “We went from machine to machine so we could
                       someone out there trying to take business away,” said   create a list of rebuild requirements and costs,
                       Ibrahim Abeeb, Product Support Sales Representative   including parts and labor. Once we fine-tuned
                       (PSSR) for Cat dealer Mantrac. “In this case, our   everything, we went back with a value proposition
                       customer’s needs hadn’t changed, they were just   to get the machines back into service.”
                       trying to create more cost-effective operations.”
                                                                     Trying to convince a customer that taking
                       While new competitor’s equipment was being put into   used, dormant equipment is better value over
                       service, Cat machines (such as a 993, 988, 385, D10,   new, cheaper machines from the competition
                       773 and 775) were just sitting on-site baking in the   isn’t easy. However, Lafarge UniCem not only
                       sun – some for more than two years. Still having a   understood the cost-effectiveness and productivity
                       good relationship with the customer, however, Ibrahim   potential of rebuilding Cat machines to like-
                       decided to take on the competitor’s low pricing and   new condition, they committed to rebuilding 10


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