MMNL leads Africa’s manufacturing excellence with Star Plus battery
Sopuruchi Onwuka
A local manufacturing company domiciled in Lagos, Nigeria, has been determined the standard bearer in Africa’s manufacturing industry, projecting the Star Plus inverter battery as a global factor in new energy solutions.
The development comes as the Nigerian Organized Private Sector (OPS) tasks African governments to urgently install facilities and amenities that enhance the local business environment for attraction of greater flow of foreign direct investments.
The Metal Manufacturing Nigeria Limited (MMNL) is currently pumping out both the materials and finished products for tubular inverter batteries into the export market for renewable electricity storage.
The Star Plus Batteries and affliate MMNL were at the weekend unveiled to delegates at the 2023 ECOWAS Manufacturing Excellence Awards (EMEA) at a ceremony hosted in Victoria Island, Lagos, to recognize and celebrate companies defying hurdles in the local operating environment to sustain manufacturing lines in the West African region.
The Oracle Today reports that energy storage systems are critical in the prevailing movement towards diversification of global energy mix ahead of eventual energy transition from fossil sources. Batteries are central to the electric vehicle industry, solar energy, wind energy and cell fuel energy. It is also needed to store fossil fuel generated energy against supply cuts.
Our checks show that inverter batteries are central to the entire renewable ecosystem and remain key cost components in mounting any green energy system.
The event was hosted by ECOWAS Ventures, a consortium of business journals and consultancy firms in the West African region, including Money Central Newspapers, Nigeria; BusinessDay Ghana; and African Consolidated Analytical Limited (ACAL).
The CEO of ACAL, Mr Amadi Iheukwumere, stated in his welcome address that the event was convened to recognize, reward and celebrate organizations, institutions and individuals that contribute to innovation, accomplishments and disruptive changes currently shaping the economies of countries in the ECOWAS community.
Mr Iheukwumere noted that “the vision, courage, passion and determination some of the managers of the manufacturing companies have demonstrated in the face if daunting and harsh business climate make the ECOWAS Manufacturing Excellence Awards (EMEA) compelling.”
The Oracle Today reports that whereas about 20 companies including 11 Plc and FrieslandCampina WAMCO made the award nomination list, the multiple awards earned by MMNL took significant attention.
Working with the technology designed and successfully tested in India, Star Plus and parent MMNL fly the African manufacturing brand in the global mark with world class products that rank high in the Nigerian Content. The group runs on total production input in manufacturing global standard products with locally sourced materials while utilizing local workforce.
And with significant proportion of materials used in production of its Star Plus Battery brands generated by recycling of spent batteries, the company is adjudged to create parallel values in management of metal waste, provision of affordable inverter batteries in the local market, enhancing electricity supply solutions in the economy, widening Nigeria’s path to clean energy, and contributing to the country’s balance of payment through massive export of its products.
Besides affiliated Star Plus Batteries, which is exported to over 20 countries across all continents, MMNL is primarily adding value in the country by leading lead metal recycling and exports. It prides itself with a team of professional experts, ultra-modern manufacturing technology, unwavering commitment to quality and a broad product portfolio; including remelted lead ingots, pure lead ingots, lead alloys, copper ingots and CC Copper Rods.
The Chief Finance Officer of the company, Mr Vikash Kumar, who spoke at the EMEA awards, stated that the company has invested enormous work, skills and expertise to ensure unparalleled quality of products for a wide range of industries.
Star Plus, he explained, offers long-lasting and incredibly powerful inverter tubular battery in different capacities ranging from 130AH to 240AH.
He stated that the company’s inverter batteries are maintenance-free, and are specially designed to be used with home and industrial inverters where traditionally flooded tubular batteries are typically used.
The Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Chinyere Almona, who delivered the keynote address at the event, called on government to enhance the local business environment to enable greater flow of foreign direct investments.
She stated that Africa has huge opportunity to seize a strategic position in the global manufacturing sector, noting that industrial productivity and manufacturing should be the focus of the continent’s development agenda.
Dr Almona noted that global investible capital only flows to environments that hold congenial atmosphere for businesses. She explained that Africa holds the key to global economic progress given her large human capital and huge mineral resources.
She called for public and private sector collaboration on development of critical infrastructure that would spur investments in manufacturing and create the needed opportunities to create jobs, reduce poverty and rebuild struggling economies in the continent.
