Dorman Long Restates Commitment to Local Capacity Devt

Ejiofor Alike
The Chairman of Dorman Long Engineering, Dr. Timi Austen-Peters has restated the commitment of his company to local capacity development to ensure job creation and technology transfer in Nigeria.

Speaking when the members of the House of Representatives Committee on Local Content visited the company recently in Lagos, Austen-Peters revealed that the company will develop a new yard in the south-south axis and/or in Lagos to better serve its various clients.

He thanked the Chairman of the Committe, Hon. Emmanuel Ekon for his words of encouragement and assured the team of Dorman Long’s commitment to Nigeria, “There’s no doubt that we are partners in progress and we would like to reassure you that we have extensive plans that will be strongly beneficial to Nigeria’s socio-economic climate. Our expansion plan will see significant job creation, skills and technology transfer, as well as capacity building,” he added.
Earlier in his speech, Ekon said the committee was impressed with the achievements and facilities of Dorman Long.

“We sincerely thank the Dorman Long team for their hospitality and strong commitment to building and sustaining local content in this country. We have witnessed the immense work you are currently doing on the Egina Project amongst others. We are delighted to see a local company that is significantly contributing to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

Your presentation on the industry insight and challenges has been impactful and well received. We have also noted the gaps in the industry and we will ensure we address them. As a committee, we will discuss further to see how we can collectively build the capacity of this industry.

However, I encourage your association, PETAN, to share a more holistic list of industry requirements that would allow your organisations meet their objectives. Our members are keen to build a good relationship with your association and of course we are here to support and to work with you,” Ekon explained.
The courtesy visit led by Ekon and 13 members of his team was aimed at further reinforcing their commitment to support local companies in achieving their long-term objectives.

During the visit, the Dorman Long team discussed its key objectives showing itself to be a loyal partner to Nigeria. The team also took a tour of its fabrication facilities.

The 100 per cent owned Nigerian Company was established in 1949 as a structural steel engineering fabrication and installation company, originally owned by British Steel (now Tata).

The company has recently undergone major restructuring to further provide increased customer focus and improved customer delivery.
Dorman Long Engineering provides a full range of services and consistent project delivery to the Power, Telecommunications, Oil and Gas and Heavy Industries within Nigeria and West Africa.

The company’s services include: engineering, materials management, fabrication, galvanising, asset management, and brownfield and marine maintenance.
The company, the statement added, is “the only West African company to consistently hold and maintain ASME certification, in addition to being an IS09001 certified company.”