Successful Company of the Month: Coleman Wires And Cables

Corporate Head Office of Coleman Wires & Cables, along Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, Arepo, Ogun State.

By Charles Segun ADEGBITE

What do you know about Coleman Wires and Cables ? Well you might have seen its advertisement on television or through other media or not. Who are the people behind it? What stuff are they made of? What are the various products they manufacture?  Do the products meet international standard? What make them stand out and why do you have to patronise them and even recommend them to others? Well, find out in thisSpecial Report,  to know why the company is a leading wires and cables company in West Africa.

The COMPANY
           Like the story of the Chinese Bamboo trees, this company, Coleman Technical Industries Limited, was registered on July 1, 1975, by a visionary captain of industry and astute business man, Asiwaju Solomon Kayode Onafowokan(OON). It was nurtured for years until 1996 when it began its full operation at 149/151 Idimu Road, Behind Eskay Petroleum Station, Ikotun, Lagos State.
Then it ventured into manufacturing electrical wires and cables of international standard for industrial and residential needs. It has since metamorphosed into a first ranking cable manufacturing company in West Africa with its Head Office and factory located at KM34 Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Arepo, Ogun State.
It also has MEDIUM/HIGH VOLTAGE FACTORY at KM2 Sagamu-Benin Expressway, Sagamu, Ogun State, and a branch at Plot 226 Cadastral Zone, Apo Extension, Abuja.
Of course, both the Arepo and Sagamu factories have an installed production capacity to manufacture 60,000 metric tons of Copper and 40,000 metric tons of Aluminium per annum which put Coleman at over 80% of installed capacity in the country.
The Sagamu factory, an architectural masterpiece, commissioned in December 2014 to produce Medium – High Voltage XLPE cables, is the first of its kind in the West African Sub region and consequently places Nigeria as the sixth country in Africa with such production capacity.
As at 2016 this indigenous cable company has a capital base of over 20 billion naira in Plant, Machinery, Raw Materials and Stocks.
The PRODUCTS
With strong passion for excellence the Coleman Wires And Cables became a pioneer of XLPE High Voltage Cablemanufacturer in West Africa. It also pioneered manufacturing of CAT5/CAT6 Networking Cables, Coaxial TV/Video Cable, Copper Braided Screened /Shielded Cable in West Africa.
PRODUCTS CATEGORIES
This outstanding company manufactures the following categories of products with quality assurance:
1) HIGH/MEDIUM VOLTAGE CABLES
2) LOW VOLTAGE CABLES
3) FIRE RESISTANT WIRES & CABLES
4) LSFOH WIRES & CABLES
5) BUILDING WIRES
The TEAM.
Behind this success story is a team of SUCCESSFUL LEADERS and SUCCESS-DRIVEN PEOPLE who know their onions.
The CHAIRMAN:
         Asiwaju S.K. ONAFOWOKAN(OON), a financial guru, excellent board room administrator, an Officer of the Order of Niger(OON) and the Asiwaju of Remo Kingdom (in Ogun State), is the Chairman of this Coleman Wires and Cables, and Group Chairman of the Yodesons Group of Companies.
He is the National Vice President of Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), former President/Council Chairman of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), Chairman of Chellarams Plc., Chairman of ARTEE Industries (owners of SPAR/PARK ‘N’ SHOP DEPT. STORE), Chairman of National Association of Supermarket Operators and Chairman of GS1, Nigeria.
After being well schooled in Nigeria in management and administration, he travelled abroad and bagged a post graduate degree in Business Management in United Kingdom. He also obtained post graduate degree in English Language from the School of Accountancy, Glasgow Scotland in 1967.
As a Fellow of the British and Nigeria Institute of Directors, with  decades of experience in managing multinational company like Chellarams Plc and building big organisations (which constitute the Yodesons Group of Companies) among others, this industrialist has gotten all it takes to make this Coleman the largest manufacturer of special brand of cables in West Africa.
Of course, he has sound knowledge of handling employers and employees issues, having been a member of the Governing Council of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) between 1982 and year 2000.

His experience, exposure and skill on how to build a company that last led him into mobilising all the human and other resources needed to build a team that is making Coleman Wires and Cables a foremost manufacturing plant in West Africa today, in a way that will let it outlive him.
His succession plan however led him into bringing his sons who have been well trained, to take over the management of the organisation after he had laid solid foundation for this company.
The MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO
Holding sway as the Managing Director/CEO is Mr. George O.K. ONAFOWOKAN, a holder of BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester UK, with a Master’s Degree in Management and Information Systems (Combined) from University of Salford, U.K.
George had worked for two years with Packard Bell UK as Field Manager, and later joined PC World UK as Business Accounts Manager for three years.
He had also worked with some international financial management and trading firms in the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria in 2002 to lead the Coleman Team in restructuring the company for the new millennium challenges.
With his team, he proved his business acumen and expertise by growing the Company’s assets turnover from N100 Million in 2002 to over N15 Billion by the end of 2014.
The EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
To re-engineer this company and reposition it for the millennium challenges, Engr. Michael Olusegun. K. ONAFOWOKAN, who holds Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University, U.K., was brought in as the Executive Director.
This U.K. trained engineer who also holds a diploma in Industrial Studies, is an associate member of the Royal Institute of Chemical Engineers, U.K.
Before returning to Nigeria to be in charge of Production and Technical departments of Coleman, he had worked for ICI (Salt Union), UK, in production and quality assurance for two years.
As the Executive Director with engineering mind, he championed the propelling of the machinery production capacity of the company from the 1,200 metric tons of copper in 1998 to the present level of 15,000 metric tons.
The DIRECTORS
DIRECTOR: Injected into the Board of Directors to oil this organisation’s wheel of progress as a director is David Oluyomi ONAFOWOKAN : A graduate of the University of the West of England, Bristol, who also bagged master’s degree at the University of Houston, Texas.
He started as the Chief Operating Officer at Eskay Petroleum Company Limited, and became Executive Director in 2005. He was however elevated to the post of Managing Director/CEO in 2014 of that same organisation.
His expertise and experience have already driven and enhanced the company’s position in the Oil & Gas sector. As an independent petroleum products trader, he has focused on the West African and International oil trading markets for petroleum products, risk management strategies, the organization of trading companies and the development of indigenous trading entities in Nigeria.
DIRECTOR: Mr. Abdul-Ganiyu O. MOHAMMED is a professional with over 30 years working experience, spanning the civil service and development banking industry. He graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1981 with B.Sc. (Hons.) Agricultural Engineering and obtained MBA degree in Banking & Finance from the Enugu State University of Science & Technology (ESUT), Enugu.
The MANAGEMENT TEAM
Other team players in this company are:
The GENERAL MANAGER (Sales & Marketing)
Mr Sheyi ADEBAYO  is the GM in charge of SALES & MARKETING. He has a B.Sc in Finance from Bristol University and MBA, from Cardiff University, Wales.
As a  Consultant, he has gotten over 15 years’ international working experience with Reuter Financial, Merrill Lynch, Barclays Bank, Arthur Anderson, e.t.c. all in the United Kingdom.
In Nigeria, he had worked with organizations like: Accenture, MTN, VMobile and a number of Federal Ministries and Parastatals before joining Coleman to become the General Manager.
The GENERAL MANAGER (Operations)
Mr. K. M. MISHRA, a B.Sc holder from LNM University India, has over 35 years experience in cable manufacturing and is widely travelled.

Before joining Coleman in 2014 he had worked in many cable companies in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and India, starting from 1977 when he began his career.
He established and developed the biggest medium voltage cable company in Bangladesh, Paradise Cables Ltd; and its sister company SBS cables Ltd. from 2001 to 2008. He became the pioneer General Manager of Core Cables Pvt. Ltd, Rajkote, India and Mahalaxmi Cables Pvt. Ltd, Nepal from 2013 to 2014 before joining the Coleman Team.
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Mr. Sanusi J. ILORI (FCA) , a Chartered Accountant, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria(ICAN) with over 20 years post qualification experience. He trained in the Firm of Z O Ososanya & Co. (Chartered Accountants), and has worked in different sectors of the Nigerian economy before bringing his wealth of experience to Coleman.
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Engr. M.O. IKPOKO, an expert in cable making with over 20 years experience in cable manufacturing, has HND in Mechanical Engineering from The Federal Polytechnic, IIaro. He has worked  in Siemens Cable,(later renamed Nigeria Cable Manufacturing and Engineering Company Limited (NCC) Kano in 1989,  Northern Nigeria Cable Processing Company Limited (NOCACO), Kaduna, and as Chief Supervisor of Nexans Kabelmetal Nigeria Plc, Ikeja, Lagos.
He later became the pioneer Production Manager of Cometstar Manufacturing Company Limited, Agbara, Ogun State ( and Marketing Manager thereafter), prior to his appointment by the Coleman.
CHIEF ACCOUNTANT
Very crucial in the Management Team are the contributions of Mrs GRACE OLUBUKUN OGUNSOWO; a chartered accountant. She is an Accountancy product of the Nigeria premier polytechnic, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and a PGD holder in financial Management of the Lagos State University.
She had worked with Yodesons Group of Companies between 1987 and 1996, before  joining the Coleman Team that year to be in charge of the company’s accounts.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION
The impacts this organisation has been making through its quality products and good service delivery has fetched it awards and recognition from corporate organisations, government and it’s agencies, and distinguished individuals.
The LCCI gave it Award for Impactful Investment In Wires and Cables in Nigeria.
The impacts have also attracted the attention of former Minister of  Industry, Trade, and Investment, Prof Olusegun Aganga, the Director General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria(SON), Dr  Joseph Odumodu, the Group Managing Director/CEO of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr Ladi Balogun, the Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank Plc, Mr Segun Oloketuyi, the Managing Director/CEO of Fidelity Bank, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo and others who have all paid visits to this company and expressed their good impression and satisfaction.
In view of the above facts and achievements, Coleman has earned the PARTNERSHIP TRUST of the following organisations and or AFFILIATION with: 1) Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)
 2) The Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry(LCCI)
3) Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN)
Above all, its products are all certified by Standard Organisation of Nigeria(SON), with Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS).
Without mincing words, Coleman Wires and Cables is one of the outstanding visionary companies in Nigeria today. It is the type which American authors, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras described as Built To Last in their book. This is in view of the way the company is being operated  by these success driven team, which makes it stand out in Nigeria.

In view of the Inspiring Story of the persistent growth and succession plan of this company narrated above.

Coleman Technical Industries Limited, 

Manufacturer of COLEMAN WIRES AND CABLES is our June 2020

SUCCESSFUL COMPANY OF THE MONTH