February 13, 2025

Maritime Today Online

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We’re leveraging technology to make Diverse Autocare world-class automobile repair shop- Ogbeifun           

Engr. Greg Ogbeifun

35 years after he established Starzs Investments Company Limited – Nigeria’s foremost indigenous maritime logistics company with several accomplishments as a shipowner and ship yard operator, providing employment to over 1,000 Nigerians, Engr. Greg Ogbeifun can proudly look back with a feeling of satisfaction on the lives he has impacted over the years.

 

However, rather than rest on enviable heights after his retirement at 70, the renowned shipowner took his passion to impact the younger generation through employment and human capacity development a notch higher by establishing an ultramodern automobile workshop which today has over 60 Nigerians on its payroll.  

 

Located at the Edo Production centre, Benin City, Diverse Autocare already acclaimed as the best automobile workshop in the South South region is a marvel with the huge investment in sophisticated modern equipment offering repair and maintenance for vehicles. 

 

In this exclusive interview with Maritime Today Online Shulammite Foyeku, Engr. Ogbeifun shares interesting insights on his foray into the world of auto repair business.

 

 

Excerpts:

 

You opted to establish an autocare company at a time in your life when people who have attained such milestones in life rarely take risks or go into new ventures. What is the motivation?

 

Primary it is to impact the younger generation for the future. Sincerely, I always feel that when I’m 70, I was going to start stepping back from my core shipowning business because I want to be strong and alive to see how my 35 years efforts of putting together a company will perform without me because that is the only way I can see gaps, loopholes, threats and challenges whilst I’m still able to help fill and strengthen the succession and to make the business sustainable and that is what is happening now. Initially, I thought I was going to come back home and begin to take things easy but as destiny will have it, I was wrong. Coming back home made me see that Edo State is a different State from Rivers State in terms of economic opportunities, federal presence and natural resources and I saw that because of the lack of industries in the State, Edo is more or less a glorified civil service state. Fortunately, we are lucky to have a governor in the current administration who first of all is a private sector trained technocrat, who is trying to bring a bit of the private sector way of doing things innovatively to see how he can manage the very scarce resources of the State to improve the lot of the people. Early in his government, it was obvious that he needed people to come in and put their hands on the plough to help and support and I was available.

 

It is by mere chance that this project, the Diverse Autoshop project is happening in Benin. When I set out to put in place a world class auto repair centre, I had it in mind to do it in Port Harcourt for obvious reasons- that is where the money is and that is where they can afford to pay the price of services rendered. But on retiring home and seeing what was happening, it occurred to me that Edo will be the best place to site this at least to create a platform for employment, skill transfer, which I have a passion for and I am glad I did because from what you can see, not only am I achieving my desire of creating jobs, we suddenly are overwhelmed by demands.

 

I think that for every opportunity we have, we should begin to try to develop our processes just like it is happening in other parts of the world.

 

 

Unfortunately, the State for example is more or less condemned to the road side mechanics mentality in fact not just the State, I was told that in the whole of the South South region, the automobile shop is the best and I think that is sad. Because we put quality in place, we all have a vision of driving this place with technology so that it can be comparable with what is happening everywhere in the world. The fall out of all of this is that we are now attracting university, polytechnic and other technical institution graduates to what was otherwise left for illiterate roadside mechanics. So, we are feeling challenged here because they have to learn to be able to work with the state -of-the art equipment which I have been able to acquire and put in place with the right environment so we are changing the mindset.

 

The automobile industry is changing so rapidly. We talk about gas, hybrid vehicles but now we are talking about electric meanwhile we are still dealing with the good old petrol and diesels. So, if we must be competitive and meet the demands that will come in the future, we must participate in encouraging Edo people to key into the new technology in automobiles. We have to create platforms to develop the skill to be able to participate when the time comes and that is what we are doing. This is a transition from the old ways of doing things to the new ways of doing things drawing from what is happening all over the word. So, we are encouraging the staff strength. I am the Chief mechanic here. We have the devices needed to go on the web and check anything we want to check from any part of the world at the push of a button. So, we are changing the mindset of the people. My target is that by my next birthday in February 2022, this place should be completely paperless in all our processes and operations.

 

 

Give us an insight into what you do at Diverse Autocare. What are your areas of specialization?

 

First of all, we are not staying with a single brand because in our environment we import any type of vehicle from anywhere we can find them. Now Chinese vehicles are now appearing on our roads. So, our skill training and development is broad-based. But be that as it may, you may be aware that Toyota seems to be the most popular brand on our roads. So, a few months back, Toyota heard about us and they sent a delegation to come and work through our facilities and the outcome of that is that they have subsequently accredited us as one of their partners and representatives in the region. But our strength is in diagnosis.

 

The biggest challenge in automobile repair is being able to identify the problem. Once you identify the problem, the solution is relatively easier as long as you can find the part. So, we invested very heavily on diagnostic equipment and that is why you find the different high-end vehicles you have around here. Our reputation is beginning to go beyond the State. As we speak, we have been called out to Lagos to come and carry out repairs of vehicles that have had intractable problems that could not be resolved. We are being called out in Abuja and Port Harcourt to carry out repairs for vehicles that have had intractable problems. So, our reputation is beginning to go beyond our immediate environment because of our diagnostic strength.

 

 

So, if anybody has a problem with his vehicles, he calls us and we send one of the technicians with our diagnostic equipment to his location, diagnose the fault and identify where we can find the part. So, we find a good local mechanic workshop at the location, take the vehicle there and tell them what is wrong, then they do the job. With that we are indirectly building up linkages without necessarily having to go and replicate our workshop in that place. So instead of building competition, we are building complimenting entities, they are happy they have the job, we are also happy to solve a problem and the owner of the vehicle is happy to have the problems solved. Everybody has a bit of benefit and we come back to base. A lot of people have called that they want to bring their vehicle to Benin but we said instead of bringing it down, we can come down to their location and solve the problem. So, this is the specialization and the uniqueness of what we are trying to do here.

 

As a marine engineer, how did the idea of the business come about or do you have a prior knowledge of it?

 

Not really. As an engineer, you should be able to have an innovative and research mind. When I contemplated, I wanted to set up a mechanic workshop, something comparable with anywhere in the world, I started doing some research and visited a lot of places and looked at what others are doing and then I began to put my ideas together. I went out of the country, bought the equipment, three years ago and I kept them waiting for the opportunity. A mechanic workshop is similar to a ship repair yard. It’s the same process. There are processes of repairing a ship. You refurbished a ship, changed the engines and painted the ship, it is the same process in vehicle repairs. So, I brought in my skill and put it here and I understand the idea of having the right type of tools and equipment and training people to be able to use the different equipment. I brought in people from Europe to set up the paint shop in the UK and train them so they can get it right. What we do there is equivalent to what you can find anywhere outside the country. When I look at the processes here and I am addressing and guiding my workers, I am talking from a high side of ship repair experience. We have a robust technical department, finance and HR departments. We have a structure; the overhead is high because you need a high structure and overhead if you are going to run a sustainable system. So even without me being here, the system was running itself.

 

Who are your major clients? Individuals or corporate organizations?

 

When I was setting this place up, I probably had the ordinary man on the street in mind. But incidentally, by the time we carried out the dedication of the automobile workshop, the governor led a contingent of his cabinet to participate in the dedication and after he looked around  because he didn’t know what was happening here, then and there, he gave a directive that all his fleets and associated offices attached to his own governor’s office must come here and we began to see them tow in vehicles that have been abandoned in mechanic sheds, A relatively new Toyota Land Cruiser, which has been abandoned in a mechanic shed, completely cannibalised, was towed to our workshop and by the time we finish fixing the vehicle and upgraded it and the governor saw it, he just asked that they recover all the abandoned Hilux vehicles, about 55 of them right now are waiting for us to turn around. So, what is happening now is that we are bringing abandoned assets back to utility, saving the state government a huge amount of money because by the time we finish with the vehicles here, they look brand new and have a new life, so why do you have to go and spend so much money for new vehicles. My governor is a finance person, so he says this is the way to go. You and I know how prohibitive the cost of importing vehicles is. So, they became a major client of ours. We can’t cope with their demand because 90 percent or more of the vehicles we have here are government vehicles and more than what you saw outside are coming. Now, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) wants to give us a contract. They have over 1000 fleet mainly Toyotas so we are looking at expanding our facility. I keep saying that those who have deep pockets instead of living their money sitting in the bank, should set up platforms that can impact people. If you realise that the lives you impact will impact you back in an indirect way, generally the community stands to benefit. So that is what is happening in this place and I am very grateful to God for the opportunity to be able to build this legacy.

 

Going forward, what plans do you have for expansion in 10 years to come?

 

10 years to come, I will be 81 God’s willing. I am sure I will climb the staircase with difficulty. So, the sensible thing to do now is exactly what I did with the Starzs Investment. I should begin to think of taking myself out of here. I have started the process by leaving them running on their own, running their finances and putting processes in place that guide and train them. The strength of a company is the structure and the structure of the company starts from the board. So, from day one, I have put together a very strong board of directors where I am Chairman and I invited critical people with proven records of their own areas of calling that I think are relevant. So, the management at all times reports to the board. So even if I am gone there is a board that will come together and ask the management to continue with what they are doing and among themselves, they carry out a replacement. But what did I do to protect my stake? I had a trust with FBN Quest where all my stake in all my companies are into. So, because I am transferring my stake into that trust, the trust automatically becomes the owners of my shares and therefore are entitled to have a representation in the board. Because they are an organized entity, they have a responsibility to ensure that the company doesn’t go down because the proceeds and dividend coming from mine is coming to them to disburse according to the instructions I have given to the trust. So that is the biggest confidence that I have that the company will remain in 10-year time. If I am tired at 75 and I don’t want to continue, I will probably be a ceremonial Chairman, I don’t have to worry about management, the board handles that and that is what I will encourage a lot of entrepreneurs to do. The benefits from ownership belong to the family but they don’t have to necessarily run the place because when they do, they run it down. So, you leave it in the hands of people whose business is to take care of situations like that, carry out your instructions and at the same time ensure that the establishment doesn’t run down.

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