WEG, as part of its drive to expand the WEG footprint in East African markets, is taking significant steps to increase its presence in Uganda by partnering with 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, will likely facilitate this expansion.
WEG’s regional sales manager for East Africa, Theodul Mwema, 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 as well as 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 highlights that the coffee sector already has a strong reference base, for instance, as many coffee factories used Brazilian processing machines which are fitted with WEG motors, drives and soft starters.
With agriculture being the biggest contributor to Uganda’s economy, other significant sectors include manufacturing, utilities, cement and oil and gas, he explains. There has also been considerable investment in power and water projects in East Africa, notably from Asian countries.
Commenting on the EACOP, Mwema says when completed this major project will see the transportation of Uganda’s crude oil almost 1,450 km from Kabaale in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania.
“Petrok was selected as our VAR following a stringent vetting process, and we are confident they 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.”
He says Petrok’s premises in Kampala allows for local warehousing of WEG Low Voltage products such as electric motors, drives and others, as well as workshop facilities for small works. The company’s sales team and customer base across Uganda also ensure 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,” says Mwema. “This includes the five-year warranty on our popular WEG W22 IE3 motor, a promise of reliability that few of our competitors can match.”
