Roofings Group, the leading producer of quality steel products in Uganda, with a good market reach across the East African region is looking forward to another rewarding year after registering tremendous success in 2016.
Speaking during a media engagement session at the Roofings Group’s Head office in Lubowa near Kampala, Mr. Oliver Lalani, the Executive Director noted that the successes registered in 2016 have set in motion a raft of initiatives aimed at buttressing the firm’s position as the leading supporter of the construction sector in Uganda and the region.
“The growth in our business has been largely made possible because of the consistency in our quality, reliability and the professionalism of our staff. The availability of high quality steel is fundamental for the development of the construction sector,” he said.
Adding, “Over the last few years the competition in the steel sector has also grown tremendously which has led to more innovation, product differentiation and the importance of brand equity and awareness. In order to manage this, we have worked hard to differentiate ourselves from the competitor and maintain precision in our product and service delivery. We have invested with the region in mind and enjoy good demand in neighboring countries.”
In his address, Lalani also noted that having the right product is not sufficient, but other factors such as distribution channels or accessibility are equally important to ensure that the consumer gets the right experience in purchasing the product.
In 2016, Roofings Group was recognized by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) as the Champion of the Construction Sector for its remarkable contribution to the bustling industry. The company’s plant in Namanve has diversified the products under the Roofings Group portfolio and now offers customers unmatched variety.
In light if its initiatives, the company emerged the Overall Exporter of the Year during the President’s Exporters’ awards 2016, receiving the Platinum Award, the highest recognition at the ceremony. The President’s Exporters’ Awards seek to recognize the achievements of companies that continue to work towards a vibrant and dynamic export sector of the economy.
Roofings Group also attained the prestigious Superbrands status in 2016 for being among the top quality brands in East Africa and the world at large, one of only six Ugandan firms recognized at the awards ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya.
Over the years, Roofings has continued to invest in backward integration linkages which has had a strong impact of the value addition in the steel sector.
“Previously, we use to import galvanized wire, colored and galvanized coils and rebar. Today we import the basic raw materials and add value to the tune of over 250 %. This type of backward integration and value addition in the manufacturing sector is what will help Uganda achieve her goals of becoming a middle income country by 2040,” Lalani further intimated.
Roofings Group has made various investments, especially with the conception of the Roofings Rolling Mills plant in Namanve, which has put the company in better position to serve the future needs of its customers.
“We strive to be a one-stop shop for all steel construction related materials, which shows in the range of products we supply. The introduction of our PVC/HDPE and PPR pipes has also helped us in this aim to serve the construction sector from one source,” Lalani adds.
Although there is a threat of fake products on the market, Lalani explains that Roofing’s products meet the standards and have been labeled for easy identification.
“There has been a big threat of sub-standard goods entering into the market, and this has led to various incidents where buildings have even collapsed. That is why we are very proud to be named; Champions In the constructions sector 2016 by Uganda Nation Bureau of Standards (UNBA), With Roofings, the consumers can rest assured that their structure will stand the test of time. Our products are also clearly labeled and identifiable in the market,” he says.