COMPANY PROFILE
2015
KELM Engineering
www.kelmeng.com | +234 (0) 803 399 3535
company profile
Providing superior technical services Editorial: Ajuanne Payne
With the swathe of large building projects being actioned across Africa, the continent’s construction and development giants require specialist contractors to take care of the electrical nervous systems of these installations. CEO and founder of KELM, Ali Kobeissi, explains to us how in just eight short years his company has become the go-to electrical and mechanical installations company in its region, serving prestigious clients across West Africa.
Kobeissi Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (KELM) Ltd is a specialised company with offices in Ghana and Nigeria, focusing on electrical installations, mechanical engineering, building maintenance and a range of ancillary services. Known for providing a fast, professional and efficient service to a range of large public and private sector clients in the building and construction arena, KELM offers a wide range of technical support services at competitive rates. KELM was established as an independent company by founder and CEO Ali Kobeissi over eight years ago, recognising a need for skilled contractors in the industry. Kobeissi envisioned his company as a ‘one stop shop’, able to cater for all aspects of electrical, mechanical and building
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maintenance. Kobeissi explains the origins of his company further, stating that: “KELM Engineering was started in May 2007, focusing on mechanical and electrical services to the building and commercial industry. Because we suffer from a lack of skilled labour in Nigeria, our mission was to improve on the quality of what was being offered and provide world-class services to the industry.” A CEO not inexperienced in what it takes to deliver high-calibre work, Kobeissi himself started his business with a wealth of experience under his belt, after a 15 year stint at one of the oldest and most respected construction companies in Nigeria, Cappa & D’Alberto. “I came to Nigeria in October 1990 and after a couple of years jumped into the building industry,
KELM Engineering
working for one of the most well-recognised companies in Nigeria called Cappa & D’Alberto, which has been there since 1932,” explains Kobeissi. “It was my second home and gave me a big pushup in the industry. I worked there from 1993 to 2007, so really all the experience and know-how I built up came from Cappa & D’Alberto.” Kobeissi has maintained his connection with the Nigerian construction giant and is one of its few trusted subcontractors for a number of varying projects across the country and further afield. His is also a story of entrepreneurial spirit – Kobeissi didn’t have your traditional start in the industry and is very much a ‘self-made’ businessman. “I had no diplomas,” he explains, “I just went to primary school until the end of grade five. So I had to build my life experience to get to where I wanted
to go. Not everything is done by people who have big certifications. I would have been happy to continue in education, but I have succeeded without it.” Today, KELM Engineering provides comprehensive solutions covering all aspects of: air conditioning services and maintenance; general plumbing; general electrical; generators installation; water treatment plants; swimming pool services; power services; ventilation and ducting systems; CCTV and alarms systems.
A TRUSTED PROJECT PARTNER In a relatively short space of time, KELM Engineering has built up a reputation for quality and timely project delivery and as a testament to this has an impressive client list that includes some
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company profile of Africa’s most respected development companies, including Cappa & D’Alberto, Julius Berger, Proline and ETCO to name a few. However, KELM Engineering’s skill is not only evidenced through its impressive client list, but also through the high-value types of projects it is entrusted with – projects that demand world-class standards to complete. In 2011 it was the prime contractor for all electrical and mechanical installations at the Lebanese Parliament, and more recently, as subcontractor to client Julius Berger, was responsible for the supply and installation of air ducts at the ECOWAS Parliament building. As far-afield as Qatar, KELM was responsible for all electrical and mechanical installations at the Al Jazeera Office Tower, completed 2009, and was the MEP-contractor for the Doha Bank Headquarters project, completed 2011. The company has around ten ongoing contracts, some for multiple projects with the same client, and is likely to be awarded more before the year is out. One of those ongoing contracts, due to be completed this year, is
for the US$60 million Delta Mall project in Nigeria. KELM will be responsible for the full supply and installation of: HVAC; fire systems; plumbing; water supply; and all electrical works.
“We are committed, we show this commitment to our clients and we can always get a good recommendation”
Sunny Oriental was established in 2011 in China as a general trading company to different markets, especially the African, Middle-Eastern and French markets. We do sourcing to find the best suppliers in China in order to provide the quality our customers need at competitive prices. We carry out inspection during production and afterwards to ensure that everything goes smoothly, and then arrange international shipping of the goods to the destination country. KELM Engineering is one of our most important customers. We have a good relationship with them, full of respect and honesty and feel comfortable working with the whole of KELM Engineering’s team because of their flexibility and organised business practices. We provide KELM Engineering with anything they need for their projects in Nigeria - steel, pipes & fittings, duct accessories, fire services equipment, etc. It is normal in our business to have a wide variety of customers and we communicate with each one according to his needs and personality – some care most about the price, whereas others are most concerned with quality and timely delivery. Most important to us is honesty and transparency with our customers – trust is key in our business. In a short time our company has been successful in the trading business because of our good relationships with customers and our high levels of service. We work in a way that makes small margins of profit from the customer, but promotes long cooperation and solid partnerships. To be transparent and honest with the customers is the only way to have a successful, stable business.
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KELM Engineering “This last year we had a big job from a client for the Delta Mall project. It is for South African developers, they are developing about 13 shopping centres in the country. We are doing their first project in Delta state and we are looking forward to continuing with this client in other projects coming up,” explains Kobeissi. Delta Mall is not the first retail development for KELM – the company recently completed a contract for the supply of electrical and mechanical equipment for the Kwara Mall Project, Kwara State, Nigeria. A flagship project for its developers, the Kwara Mall is ranked fourth largest shopping centre in Nigeria and is a joint venture with Persianas. One of the larger ongoing contracts for KELM is held with ETCO Nigeria, a leading electrical and mechanical engineering contracting firm in the region. KELM is contracted to provide the full fabrication and supply of air ducts for many of ETCO’s projects, including: Jovis; LNO; EFCC; AUN and SCC.
PLANS FOR GROWTH With increasing infrastructure developments and investments defining todays African growth story, and demand high for quality services such as KELM provides, the company looks set for continued growth, both operationally and geographically, in the years to come. At present, KELM has offices and factory facilities in two locations in Ghana and Nigeria, and a presence in Qatar, Algeria and Lebanon. Kobeissi explains that the strategic locations his company have earmarked for future expansion will be in the West African Region, an area he believes has some of the highest demand for KELM’s services. “We are focusing on the West African region, because it is a region which badly needs electromechanical services for their infrastructure. That’s why we established our Ghana branch in 2009, which today has almost 270 employees.” KELM is committed to being one step ahead and is making the moves now that will ensure it is ideally positioned to respond to the burgeoning building and construction markets across West Africa. Kobeissi has targeted either the Ivory Coast or Mali for his next subsidiary, with plans to establish an office within the next one to two years. Aside from KELM’s expanding footprint, the company has also invested in increasing its
production capacity this year, through sister company Baseline Fabrication. “When we started we took a step and set up a company called Baseline Fabrication, they are specialists in all ventilation aspects - ducting, central air conditioning, etc. and we are expanding this company as much as we can because of the demand it has. We are always busy.” Baseline Fabrication, among its other machinery, has an automated compact line and pharma machine for the fabrication of all rectangular types of ducts and fittings, and equates to KELM almost having its own in-house fabrication facility. Working in partnership with its sister company means that KELM is able to guarantee the quality and cost of the products it is using for installations. Kobeissi and his company have taken the steps this year to increase the capacity of Baseline and expand the product range it is able to manufacture. “To reduce the need to import we increased capacity at Baseline this year and we are starting up line productions of cable trays and cable ladders. This is what I’m doing for this year – we will start those lines in a couple of months.”
SUNNY ORIENTAL GROUP LIMITED
GENERAL TRADING
Transparency and Honesty
Sunny Oriental Group., LTD
Room 2307 Ruian Chuangyi T1 Building, No.620 Tianhe North Road Tianche District Guangzhou China Tel/fax: +86-20-34718346 Mobile: +66-13556097460 E-mail: Alghoul_Amjad@hotmail.com
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company profile
S c a l i n g-u p cap acity a t the fabrication b u s i n e ss als o in creas es the pote ntial for h i gh e r r evenu es th ro u g h e xports to the s u r r ou n din g co u n tries . Nig e ria is a me mbe r o f t h e E co n o mic C o mmunity of We st African S t a t e s ( EC OWAS) alo ng with 1 5 othe r We st A f r i c a n c o u ntries . A d e sirable be ne fit of this is t h a t a n y exp o rts b etw ee n E COWAS me mbe rs a r e du t y f ree – B as elin e is able to e xport to s u r r ou n din g EC OWAS me mbe r countrie s at p o t e n t i a lly a relatively low cost.
A GOOD REPUTATION When asked what the key is to his company’s success, Kobeissi is clear that “It is our honour and integrity - we are very trusted. We are committed, we show this commitment to our clients and we can always get a good recommendation.
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“In business you always have to grow your production, to invest in your business to enable it to be a leader”
KELM Engineering
We a r e d i l i g e n t , i n t e g r a t e d a n d w e d o t h e j o b r i g h t . I f y o u o p e r a t e w i t h q u a l i t y, integrity and a good manner you will never s t o p b e i n g a b l e t o w i n j o b s .” Reputation is everything for KELM, a company that has truly focused on the quality of its delivery over any other objective over its years in operation. It was one of the first to specialise as it has and, although there are a few competitors, K E L M ’s f o r m i d a b l e r e p u t a t i o n a n d commitment to investing in the business have insured it has stayed at the head of the pack. “In business you always have to grow your production, to invest in your business t o e n a b l e i t t o b e a l e a d e r. I f y o u a r e o n l y focusing on one particular line, anybody can
come and invest and they will be competitors with you, but when you are always growing and continue to invest in what you can offer c l i e n t s , n o b o d y c a n c o m p e t e w i t h y o u ,” s a y s Kobeissi. “I am always improving the business, improving my certification, improving my s t a f f , a n d f o l l o w i n g t h e t e c h n o l o g y, s o I a m not afraid of the competition. Nigeria is big a n d t h e r e i s b u s i n e s s f o r e v e r y o n e .” “My dream is that the company be wellknown and well-recognised. In my field I want to try as much as I can to be able to p r o d u c e l o c a l l y. I a m L e b a n e s e o r i g i n a l l y but I have a big heart for Nigeria and I try my best to assist this country because t h i s i s w h e r e I m a d e m y n a m e ,” c o n c l u d e s Kobeissi
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