As part of its drive to expand the WEG footprint in East African markets, WEG is taking significant steps to increase its presence in Uganda by partnering with the company Petrok as its value added reseller (VAR). Petrok’s local presence and technical expertise, along with the popularity and reliability of WEG products in the market, are likely to facilitate this expansion.
Theodul Mwema, WEG’s regional sales manager for East Africa, says the anticipated economic growth from projects like the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), along with the existing strength of sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, utilities, cement, and oil and gas in Uganda, offer potential opportunities for WEG to offer its products and solutions.
“This is an exciting step as we look forward to reaching more customers in Uganda with WEG’s range of electric motors, and its medium- and high-voltage solutions,” he says. “We have been supplying customers in Uganda for over a decade, and this appointment builds our support for them and opens new markets for us. Our commitment to delivering efficient, reliable products with a low total cost of ownership, as exemplified by our W22 IE3 motor, shows our customer-centric approach, which is appealing to businesses in Uganda.”
Mwema adds that the coffee sector already has a strong reference base as many coffee factories use Brazilian processing machines that are fitted with WEG motors, drives and soft starters. While agriculture is the biggest contributor to Uganda’s economy, other significant sectors include manufacturing, utilities, cement, and oil and gas. There has also been considerable investment in power and water projects in East Africa, notably from Asian countries. When completed, the EACOP will see the transportation of Uganda’s crude oil almost 1450 km from Kabaale in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania.
“Petrok was selected as our VAR following a stringent vetting process, and we are confident it will deliver the high standard of support to our customers that we expect,” he says. “The company has the necessary experience in our field of operation, with a strong technical team of engineers and technicians with the right product knowledge.”
Petrok’s base in Kampala allows for local warehousing of WEG low-voltage products such as electric motors and drives, and also workshop facilities for small works. The company’s sales team and customer base across Uganda also ensures customers will be well served, and distribution channels expanded.
“With the quality and reputation of WEG products, we can ensure players in the Ugandan market will benefit from the same low total cost of ownership as our customers everywhere. This includes the five-year warranty on our popular WEG W22 IE3 motor, a promise of reliability that few of our competitors can match,” he concludes.
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